Clarifying the distinction between disorder and nondisorder: Confronting the overdiagnosis (False-positives) problem in DSM-V.

In this chapter, the authors focus on an issue that is at the heart of DSM: the definition of mental disorder and the distinction between disorders and other problems of living. The authors first briefly consider how a definition of mental disorder may be useful in setting the boundary between mental disorders and other medical conditions. The authors then turn to the more important question, and the main focus of this chapter, of how a definition of mental disorder can help solve the DSM-IV-TR false-positives problem by providing guidance for distinguishing disorders and nondisorders. The authors attempt to provide a systematic analysis of the problem and to formulate an improved approach.