Psychiatric Diagnostic

The DSM-5-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision) provides standardized diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders based on categorical classification with dimensional specifiers. Psychiatric diagnosis requires systematic clinical assessment integrating the biopsychosocial model: biological factors (genetics, neurotransmitter dysfunction, medical conditions), psychological factors (cognitive patterns, personality traits, coping mechanisms, trauma history), and social factors (relationships, employment, cultural context, socioeconomic status). The diagnostic process begins with a comprehensive psychiatric interview assessing chief complaint, history of present illness (symptom onset, duration, severity, functional impact, precipitants), psychiatric history (previous diagnoses, treatments, hospitalizations, suicide attempts), substance use history (using AUDIT/DAST), medical history (ruling out organic causes of psychiatric symptoms — hypothyroidism, Cushing disease, pheochromocytoma, SLE, MS, brain tumors, medication-induced conditions), family psychiatric history, developmental and social history, and a complete mental status examination. The NP applies DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria while maintaining cultural sensitivity (distinguishing cultural expressions of distress from pathology), considers comorbidity (psychiatric conditions frequently co-occur), assigns appropriate severity specifiers, and formulates a differential diagnosis that includes medical conditions mimicking psychiatric illness.