Editorial: What's in a name? Drawing on the examples of autism and schizophrenia, some reflections on diagnostic labels and their future role in child and adolescent psychiatry

Abstract

Ten years have passed since the release of DSM-5, which brought with it some notable changes in diagnostic labels. In this editorial, the impact of labels, and the changes in labels used in child and adolescent psychiatry, are discussed, with examples drawn from autism and schizophrenia. The diagnostic labels that children and adolescents receive feed into their treatment access and future potential but also to their self-identities. Outside of medicine, extensive budgets and time are spent to test how consumers identify with the labels of products. Diagnoses are not commercial products, of course, but the choice of labels used in child and adolescent psychiatry should remain a priority, in light of their impact on translational science, treatment and on individuals, alongside the ever-evolving nature of language itself.