"If He Isn't Our Unsub, He Has All the Makings to Become One Someday."

Unit 5 - DSM Evaluation

The DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in itself is an ongoing series of books that update as new information is found that classifies disorders. The DSM Evaluation is first introduced in DSM-III, and it is five different levels for determining diagnosis. DSM-IV updated the axes with other incorporations. In my own life, I am high considering going into Criminal Profiling, and believe the Axis will be an inportant part of the field one way or another. By knowing which characteristics of a disorder go with which Axis, I can more easily determine what type of disorder someone has. I could even just write down the key terms of each Axis and use it for reference. This reason is also why I chose it, it may be an old system, but it's still used and can be an easy system for psychiatrists and other people is such fields.

(In a crime show like 'Criminal Minds' where characters need to psychoanalyze just about everyone, it can be determined that, once they assume which Axis the suspect is in, they focus on it. If they believe someone to be bipolar (Axis II), they don't tend to deter off into thinking he is depressed (Axis I) once they agree he is bipolar. The Axis may not be mentioned, but it is still obvious in their assumptions.)