Action Alert: Parental Alienation Still Under Consideration for DSM-5, Your Comments Needed

Short version: The DSM-5 Task Force has extended until July 15 the time for comments from the public. We urge you to comment by clicking here. We suggest you refer to “Parental Alienation Relational Problem” (PARP) or “Parental Alienation” and that you keep your comments brief and to the point. Full version: A coalition of mental health experts led by psychiatrist William Bernet has been at the forefront of an effort to add Parental Alienation Disorder to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5),
the American Psychiatric Association’s “bible” of diagnoses. Fathers and Families wants to ensure that the DSM-5 Task Force is aware of the scope and severity of Parental Alienation. To this end, in 2009 and 2010 we asked our supporters to write the Task Force to urge them to consider including Parental Alienation Disorder in DSM-5. The response was enthusiastic–Dr. Darrel Regier, Vice Chair of the DSM-5 Task Force, told the Associated Press, “We’ve gotten an enormous amount of mail–more than [on] any other issue.” Recently there have been rumors that the DSM-5 Task Force has already decided not to include Parental Alienation Disorder in DSM 5. Dr. Bernet recently checked these statements with members of the DSM-5 leadership, and found that they are not accurate. According to Dr. Bernet, the DSM-5 Task Force is still considering the option of adding “parental alienation relational problem’ (PARP), and perhaps other possibilities. The DSM-5 Task Force has extended until July 15 the time for comments from the public. We urge you to comment by clicking here. We suggest you refer to “Parental Alienation Relational Problem” (PARP) or “Parental Alienation,” and that you keep your comments brief and to the point.