Symposium
Plenary Hall: Lomond Auditorium
Plenary Hall: Lomond Auditorium
Monday, June 29, 02:50 PM – 04:05 PM
Symposium 28:
The Future DSM: Designing a Valid, Inclusive, and Practical Diagnostic Manual for Biological Psychiatry
The Future DSM: Designing a Valid, Inclusive, and Practical Diagnostic Manual for Biological Psychiatry
The long-standing tension between categorical labels and dimensional psychopathology, between reliability and validity, and between biological and social determinants of mental health underscores the need for a more integrative, clinically relevant framework for psychiatric nosology. This symposium will outline a translational and globally informed roadmap for a next-generation diagnostic system that reflects advances in neuroscience, social science, and digital technology while retaining practical clinical utility.The symposium will illustrate the proposed diagnostic framework’s research utility in better identifying the boundaries of psychiatric conditions. The framework seeks to encourage exploration of clinical subtypes within disorders based on biological or other factors and also of broader constructs that transcend diagnostic boundaries and may assist in identification of more valid boundaries between diagnoses. Such an approach may aid in the refinement or even reconceptualization of mental disorders.
Dr. Jonathan Alpert will framing the conceptual and structural foundations for a Diagnostic and Scientific Manual. He will describe a model that integrates contextual, biological, and dimensional constructs across psychiatric disorders. His presentation will address how harmonization with ICD-11, HiTOP, and RDoC frameworks can improve coherence across research, regulatory, and clinical domains. Dr. Alpert will emphasize how diagnostic modernization can maintain usability for clinicians and researchers while improving alignment with real-world patient experiences.
Dr. Martien Kas will discuss the readiness and responsible inclusion of biomarkers and biological factors into diagnostic and prognostic frameworks. Drawing on evidence from genetics, neuroimaging, inflammation, and cognitive neuroscience, she will outline criteria for determining when a biological measure is sufficiently validated for clinical or research application. Her presentation will also explore opportunities and ethical boundaries related to digital biomarkers, AI-driven phenotyping, and personalized treatment prediction.
Dr. Diana Clarke will focus on embedding functioning, quality of life, and social determinants into diagnostic formulations. She will review evidence supporting these domains as key indicators of illness burden and recovery, and discuss how cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influence symptom presentation and outcomes across disorders. Dr. Clarke will present practical approaches to integrating functioning and social context into diagnostic assessment, training, and quality improvement metrics.
Together, the speakers, who are citizens of 4 different countries (Canada, Netherlands, Spain, US), will engage participants in reimagining the DSM as a living, science-guided, and inclusive system to be re-envisioned as Diagnostic and Scientific Manual.
Through moderated discussion and audience participation, attendees will explore how dimensional, biological, and contextual elements can be synthesized into a coherent framework that will look forward to improving mental health care.
Dr. Jonathan Alpert will framing the conceptual and structural foundations for a Diagnostic and Scientific Manual. He will describe a model that integrates contextual, biological, and dimensional constructs across psychiatric disorders. His presentation will address how harmonization with ICD-11, HiTOP, and RDoC frameworks can improve coherence across research, regulatory, and clinical domains. Dr. Alpert will emphasize how diagnostic modernization can maintain usability for clinicians and researchers while improving alignment with real-world patient experiences.
Dr. Martien Kas will discuss the readiness and responsible inclusion of biomarkers and biological factors into diagnostic and prognostic frameworks. Drawing on evidence from genetics, neuroimaging, inflammation, and cognitive neuroscience, she will outline criteria for determining when a biological measure is sufficiently validated for clinical or research application. Her presentation will also explore opportunities and ethical boundaries related to digital biomarkers, AI-driven phenotyping, and personalized treatment prediction.
Dr. Diana Clarke will focus on embedding functioning, quality of life, and social determinants into diagnostic formulations. She will review evidence supporting these domains as key indicators of illness burden and recovery, and discuss how cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influence symptom presentation and outcomes across disorders. Dr. Clarke will present practical approaches to integrating functioning and social context into diagnostic assessment, training, and quality improvement metrics.
Together, the speakers, who are citizens of 4 different countries (Canada, Netherlands, Spain, US), will engage participants in reimagining the DSM as a living, science-guided, and inclusive system to be re-envisioned as Diagnostic and Scientific Manual.
Through moderated discussion and audience participation, attendees will explore how dimensional, biological, and contextual elements can be synthesized into a coherent framework that will look forward to improving mental health care.