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The Diagnostic Spectra Study Group was chaired by Steven E. Hyman, M.D. This study group was charged with examining the ways in which disorders in DSM-5 might be organized. This organizing framework reflects our current and best understanding of how disorders are related to one another, which is important for both clinicians and researchers. DSM-IV disorders were, for the most part, grouped together based on similarity in symptoms. However, advances in neuroscience, brain imaging, and genetics suggested that alternate methods of organization may be more appropriate. The Spectra Study Group developed a list of validators, or factors that work groups used in reviewing the literature to assess the relatedness of groups of disorders. These validators include:
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shared genetic risk factors (whether specific genes are associated with the occurrence of a disorder);
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familiality (the degree to which a disorder occurs amongst family members);
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shared specific environmental risk factors;
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shared neural substrates;
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shared biomarkers;
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shared temperamental antecedents;
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shared abnormalities of cognitive or emotional processing;
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symptom similarity;
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high rates of co-occurrence between disorders;
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course of illness;
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and treatment response.
Members
Steven E. Hyman, M.D. (2007-2012), Harvard University
William T. Carpenter Jr., M.D., University of Maryland
Jan A. Fawcett, M.D., University of New Mexico
Helena C. Kraemer, Ph.D., Stanford University
David J. Kupfer, M.D., University of Pittsburgh
William E. Narrow, M.D., M.P.H., American Psychiatric Association
Charles O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., Brown University
Darrel A. Regier, M.D., M.P.H., American Psychiatric Association
Maritza Rubio-Stipec, Sc.D., University of Puerto Rico