DSM‐5 and the ‘Psychosis Risk Syndrome’: Eight reasons to reject it

There are numerous problems with the Proposed DSM?5 category of Psychosis Risk Syndrome. It should not be included in DSM?5. Problems with the proposed category include: the name of the category ? a syndrome rather than a disorder; the relationship between Psychosis Risk Disorder, Brief Psychotic Disorder, Schizophreniform Disorder, and Schizophrenia; the fact that only one symptom is required; the fact that most or all cases could be accounted for by existing disorders; the unaddressed question of why there will be no Risk Syndrome in other sections of DSM?5; problems with the NOS category and Psychosis Risk Syndrome; problems with the threshold for the disorder in clinical practice; and the likelihood that the category will stimulate an increase in polypharmacy for children.