DSM-5: implications for mental health nursing education

Three broad areas related to changes in DSM-5 are addressed in this article, and their implications for mental health nursing (MHN) education are discussed. The first area is the changes in structure and in the classification and description of mental disorders; knowledge of these is necessary so that nurse educators can teach students about the new faces of pathology in DSM-5 and what these changes mean for their future practice. Second, nurse educators must prepare advanced practice nurses to deal with the realities of the issues, criticisms, and concerns surrounding use of the DSM, including the influence of market forces on diagnosis, the validity and reliability of diagnosis, and cultural bias in diagnosis. Finally, there are additional concerns in preparing primary care nurses (nurse practitioners [NPs]) for the changes to DSM-5. It is not only psychiatric mental health (PMH) advanced practice nurses who must be aware of DSM changes and issues. The majority of mental health care in the United States is given in primary care settings and NPs must be prepared to assess and diagnose psychiatric disorders. The challenge to PMH nursing education is twofold: upholding the clinical role of advanced practice nurses in delivering mental health care, and maintaining the humanism and emphasis on quality care that has long characterized PMH nursing practice.