Accounting for Social Processes in the Development of Diagnostic Classification Systems: Commentary on the “Standards and Guidelines for the Development of Diagnostic Nomenclatures and Alternatives in Mental Health Research and Practice”

Abstract

Diagnostic classifications of mental disorders are complex systems that integrate both scientific and social priorities. The Task Force on Developing Humanistic Approaches to Psychological Diagnosis of the Society for Humanistic Psychology has released a set of guidelines intended to guide the development of mental health classifications. This commentary argues that the attention paid in the guidelines to social processes is a desirable and inherent component of the development of any classification. Social influences regarding the definition of the concepts and the processes by which people develop them are integrally intertwined, contrary to the common view that nonscientific factors should be excluded from classification systems as much as possible. These guidelines offer a much needed resource for developing future mental health classifications.