The human brain is the most complex object in the known universe. It contains 100 billion nerve cells. Considering how complex that is, it goes wrong remarkably rarely. But go wrong it sometimes does. Which is why, since 1952, the American Psychiatric Association has published its "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", the dsm. This book, the newest version of which will hit the shops on May 22nd (see page 71), contains the association's thinking on what constitutes a disorder of the mind. It is consulted not only by psychiatrists, but also by insurance firms, drug companies and anxious patients and parents-not only in America, but around the world. It has become the industry standard for defining what is and is not a mental illness, and thus who gets treated, and who pays for treatment.
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