Psychiatry's Bible, DSM-5, Is Complete

For more than 11 years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has been laboring to revise the current version of its best-selling guidebook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (see " Psychiatry's Bible Gets an Overhaul” in Scientific American MIND). Although the DSM is often called the bible of psychiatry, it is not sacred scripture to all clinicians—many regard it more as a helpful corollary to their own expertise. Still, insurance companies in the U.S. often require an official DSM diagnosis before they help cover the costs of medication or therapy, and researchers find it easier to get funding if they are studying a disorder officially recognized by the manual. This past December the APA announced that it has completed the lengthy revision process and will publish the new edition—the DSM-5—in May 2013, after some last (presumably minor) rounds of editing and proofreading.

Autistic Kids 9 Times More Likely to Have ER Visit

BALTIMORE -- New research has found that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are nine times more likely to be at a hospital emergency room for psychiatric reasons.
The study found that severe behaviors tied to aggression were the leading cause of emergency visits among autistic children.
The researchers also found that the likelihood of a psychiatric emergency room visit was higher if a child carried private health insurance rather than medical assistance.

In France, Autism Treatment Debate Brews

LONDON - In most developed countries, children with autism are usually sent to school where they get special education classes. But in France, they are more often sent to a psychiatrist where they get talk therapy meant for people with psychological or emotional problems.
Things are slowly changing, but not without resistance. Last month, a report by France's top health authority concluded there was no agreement among scientists about whether psychotherapy works for autism, and it was not included in the list of recommended treatments