What is the main purpose of DSM-5?

• A. To provide treatment guidelines
• B. To measure intelligence
• C. To understand the nature of psychiatric illnesses and associated symptoms
• D. To grade severity of symptoms

Answer: (C)

The main purpose is to provide standardized diagnostic criteria for mental disorders to understand and classify psychiatric illnesses and their associated symptoms. This framework helps clinicians determine whether a patient meets specific disorder criteria, ensures consistent diagnoses across practitioners, and supports clear communication, research, and coding. It’s not primarily about treatment guidelines, measuring intelligence, or grading the overall severity of symptoms, though some disorders may include specifiers; the core function is diagnostic classification and understanding of conditions.