Earlier quoted context omitted.
> So these folks are implying that the rework of the DSM-4 into DSM-5 was tainted in some way by association of the authors with pharma or other industries? Yes This has been known to economists for a long time Medicine generally has had its progress (as a general good) held back by misaligned incentives for a long time See "neglected tropical diseases" As true in psychiatry as anything else
> As true in psychiatry as anything else Wouldn't we expect it to be more true the fewer objective measures there are? Like if a treatment is supposed to improve blood sugar, and we can measure blood sugar cheaply in real time... we should expect misaligned incentives to have diminished effect compared to something where there is less ability to objectively measure, such as pretty much anything in psychiatry.
If there is money to be made the medical establishment will put much more effort into that area than if there is not
Bringing it back to the DSM: The more human states of mind that can be classified as a "psychiatric illness" the more money there is to be made in marketing various therapies
This is glaringly obvious in drug development but it applies to all forms of therapy that can be done in a way with a gate keeper who can charge a toll