The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been used for decades as a guide to diagnosing mental disorders in clinical settings. As disorders and diagnoses evolve, new versions of the manual are published. This tends to happen every 10 years or so, since the first manual (DSM-I) was published in 1952. For the purposes of this discussion, we will look at the DSM-IV, which was originally published in 1994, and the latest version, DSM-5, published in May 2013. Each version of the DSM contains “three major components: diagnostic classification, diagnostic criteria, and descriptive text” (American Psychiatric Association, 2012). Within the diagnostic classification you will find the list of disorders and codes that healthcare professionals use when the diagnosis is made. The diagnostic criteria will list the symptoms of the disorders and inform professionals how long a patient would have to show those symptoms to meet the criteria for diagnosis of a disorder. Finally, descriptive text will describe the disorders in detail, including topics such as “Prevalence” and “Differential Diagnosis” (APA, 2012). The recent update of the DSM from version IV-TR to 5 was controversial for many reasons. Some of these reasons include the overall structure of the DSM to the removal of certain disorders from the manual. One change that has been met with disdain is the removal of the multiaxial rating system contained in the DSM-IV. The multi-axial system was a rating format with five different axes listed in numerical order. The different axes included the following topics: Axis I – major mental disorders, Axis II – disorders of personality and mind...... middle of the document...... offers perspective, “the DSM-5 balances the dimensional and the categorical framework better than any previous version” (Ozonoff, 2012, p. 1093). I have to admit; While researching this article, it was the first time I had a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in my hands. After comparing the overall structure of the two versions, DSM-IV and DSM-5, I would conclude that the DSM-5 layout is easier to use. Many of the changes appear to be a step in the right direction and will hopefully inspire new research that provides new insights into mental disorders. Change usually meets resistance in any form because it causes individuals to step out of their comfort zone. If doctors and professionals can overcome the initial embarrassment of being inconvenient to use, I am confident that the DSM-5 will improve the process of diagnosing and treating mental disorders.