Viable, Even if Not Valid: Greg Neimeyer on Diagnosis, Dimensions, and the Future of the DSM
Therapist ConfidentialShow Notes
“In a dimensional approach, no person is left behind … no two people fit in exactly the same place.”
Host Travis Heath talks with Dr. Greg Neimeyer, CEO of the Performance CE Institute and former APA associate executive director for continuing education, about why diagnosis is shifting from categories toward dimensions, why the DSM and ICD are converging, and what a constructivist makes of a manual built on a neurobiological assumption. Greg explains why the DSM has been slower than ICD-11 to adopt a dimensional model of personality disorders, how a label can bring relief or become an identity, and the role culture and social determinants of health play in diagnosis, past and present. They also explore AI and diagnostic reliability, and the different ways clinicians handle the power of a diagnosis.
It’s a nuanced conversation for anyone tired of their love-hate relationship with the DSM, and for anyone drawn to models that keep the whole person intact.
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