Reviewer: Valerie E Mathis-Allen, MD (Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services)
Description: This is an enjoyable book full of captivating vignettes that highlight the criteria and diagnoses of DSM-5. In a fun and exciting way, the author reviews every DSM-5 diagnosis and the changes made from previous DSMs, with ICD-9 and ICD-10 code numbers.
Purpose: The purpose is to make psychiatric diagnosis more accessible to clinicians from all mental health professions.
Audience: The author targets the book at clinicians from all mental health professions. It will be of interest to anyone wishing learning how to make a mental health diagnosis using DSM-5. .
Features: The book covers the DSM-5 criteria for the major mental diagnoses and personality disorders. It also covers factors that may need clinical attention that are not currently identified as mental disorders known as Z-codes (ICD-9 refers to them as V-codes). In addition to the fascinating clinical vignettes that bring to life each diagnosis, a chapter called Patients and Diagnoses is full of didactic case histories and evaluations with discussions of the diagnoses to demonstrate how clinicians reason to arrive at a diagnosis. A unique structural element is the organization of the chapters, which start with a "Quick Guide" to the diagnosis, followed by an introduction with a brief discussion that includes a historical overview, some demographics, and DSM-5 changes. Symptoms and distinguishing aspects of the particular diagnosis are presented, followed by the essential features, with coding notes and fine points that detail important steps in the diagnostic process. Each chapter has sidebars that emphasize key points in making the diagnosis. The diagnosis is then illustrated with a clinical vignette. Chapters end with the author's discussion, evaluation, differential diagnosis, final diagnosis, and codes. The author's summary evaluations of each disorder, which explain how the patient fit the diagnostic criteria and why the other diagnoses are unlikely, are very helpful. He often suggests what would be helpful or needed for a more definitive diagnosis, another valuable feature. The book concludes with an appendix of essential tables, such as a table of physical disorders that affect a particular mental diagnosis and a table of medications that can cause a type of mental disorder. What is best about the book is how real and interesting the vignettes are at crystallizing the criteria and diagnosis. The candid, forthright, down-to-earth discussions and helpful hints, along with the author's humor, catapult this book into the must-read category. The author is excellent at explaining how to use the book and invites feedback. Each subject area is well covered. The lack of color is a shortcoming.
Assessment: This is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning how to use DSM-5 to diagnose mental health disorders. The explanations are great, well balanced, and full of humor. It does not read like a textbook and it lives up to its title DSM-5 Made Easy.
"This is the book I’ve been waiting for! Thorough and user friendly, DSM-5 Made Easy is a masterpiece of information, advice, and guidance. This comprehensive guidebook offers clinicians a wealth of helpful information. It is the best book of its kind and one that I will be consulting for years to come. Highly recommended."--Ellen Braaten, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School "This is a wonderful book that really gets it right about psychiatric diagnosis. Importantly, Morrison understands that diagnosis is not about labeling but about organizing a person's experience so that treatment is possible. He gets the big picture and attends to the details in the proper context, seeing diagnosis not simply as a snapshot but as an understanding of how psychiatric problems unfold and impair. The book includes cases that ring true and a logical approach to sifting and sorting through symptoms and coming to a parsimonious diagnosis. It is a great companion to the drier style of DSM-5, but also could stand alone as a sourcebook on DSM diagnoses. Bravo!"--John T. Walkup, MD, Department of Psychiatry, New York Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College "DSM-5 can be overwhelming, especially for those new to the field, but reading Morrison is like sitting with and listening to a wise and seasoned clinician sharing his thinking processes. Over 130 superbly constructed cases show exactly how Morrison applies the DSM-5 rules and logic. The cases bring the criteria sets and checklists of DSM to life. If you want to learn to think the way DSM-5 does, this is your best guide. It is suitable as a text in introduction-to-the-profession courses in clinical fields. The explanations of how to use the book are excellent guides for teachers and students and will greatly enhance learning."--Edward L. Zuckerman, PhD, author of Clinician's Thesaurus "A terrific resource for experienced practitioners and graduate students alike. Clinical vignettes bring each diagnosis to life and help the user to arrive at a differential diagnosis more easily. This book is much more readable than DSM-5, and belongs on the bookshelf of every mental health agency. I recommend it most highly."--Bruce A. Thyer, PhD, LCSW, College of Social Work, Florida State University "Excellent. Morrison describes the DSM-5 disorders in an accessible way, illustrates them with memorable case examples, and gives useful guidance on how to assess patients. This book should be required reading for all who are training to work in the mental health professions."--Alan Carr, PhD, School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland "This informative, comprehensive book offers a well-organized guide for navigating DSM-5. Each chapter features a quick summary of the diagnoses discussed, steps in the diagnostic process, useful tables, and clinical vignettes. Whether used by practicing clinicians or as a supplemental resource in the classroom, the book provides a more manageable approach to the nearly thousand-page DSM-5. It truly lives up to its title."--Tamara Hodges, EdD, Department of Educational Psychology, Baylor University "An extremely useful and forward-looking work. Morrison has put life into DSM-5 criteria with his strategic use of strong vignettes and important tips for using psychiatric codes, including both ICD-10-CM and ICD-9-CM codes. A real contribution to the thorny problem of constructing meaningful descriptions of patients' difficulties."--Jane Close Conoley, PhD, Dean and Professor of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara "Graduating students and those studying for their licensing exams often ask me to recommend a book on the DSM. Morrison's updated classic is the book I will now recommend. Following the outline of DSM-5, Morrison gives a brief overview of each diagnosis, describes its essential features, and presents a relevant case vignette. I particularly like this method of teaching from a case level. Graduate students, new professionals, and even seasoned clinicians will benefit from Morrison's clinical experience and practice wisdom. If you are searching for a practical, comprehensive, and easy-to-use text on DSM-5, look no further--this is your book."--Mark J. Brenner, PhD, ACSW, LICSW, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, School of Social Work, Bridgewater State University "This wonderful book is an excellent resource for practicing clinicians of all backgrounds and levels of experience. Reading DSM-5 Made Easy is like having an insightful colleague to consult on navigating DSM-5 and ICD-10-CM. Concise, thorough and extremely practical, the book is richly illustrated with quick guides, case discussions, and tables. Morrison has succeeded in providing an accessible guide to the often confusing task of diagnosing mental health problems. I will recommend this book to my students."--Denise D. Davis, PhD, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
