Models
“All Models are Wrong, but some are Useful”
-George Box
Models help us understand how things work, and they’re generated from information gathered in the world. Because our ability to sample our environments for information is inherently limited, a Model is only as good as the data that composes it. The quotation above is an axiom in the field of Statistics, and it highlights this important limitation - yet, a Model can be useful even if it is not 100% correct.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM, is one such Model. Colloquially referred to as the “Bible of Psychiatry,” the DSM is used by nearly all board-certified Psychiatrists. It contains a wealth of information and is an invaluable instrument for any mental health practitioner. The manual specifies diagnostic criteria in terms of symptom dimension, quality, frequency, duration, and related parameters for various disorders.
However,
…distinction should be drawn between various - and all disorders.
I.e. any single Model will not, and cannot, comprehensively account for every condition.
