How to transition to Research Domain Criteria for Social and Behavioral Science Research
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Workshop
Start Date
13-1-2021 10:15 AM
End Date
13-1-2021 11:05 AM
Abstract
Qualitative researchers often rely upon the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) for the classification of mental disorders for their research. Many qualitative researchers have assumed that these classifications are scientifically sound since they come from medical sources. Recently, however, the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) has determined that no research will be funded that is based upon DSM diagnostic criteria. The DSM is actually a consensus-derived system without strong scientific evidentiary support. NIMH is now requiring Research Domain Criteria for diagnoses. This workshop will expose participants to what constitutes Research Domain Criteria (RDC) and will aid them in the transition from DSM to RDC. We will expose qualitative researchers to how to do qualitative research within the RDC criteria which are based upon brain circuitry that serve specific functions. For example, the familiar categories such as major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder, do not exist in RDC. Examples of circuits include story brain or social brain, the attention network, executive function network, sadness network, social belonging network, fear network, and more. The activity of these networks can be measured and can be mapped with specific interview techniques and questionnaires. For qualitative researchers, this means a completely different orientation to psychiatric diagnoses. Instead of using the standard categories of which we are all accustomed, we select the brain circuits that are under or over-functioning and find ways to categorize people in that way for selection in research studies.
Keywords
Research Domain Criteria, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, American Psychiatric Association, NIMH, brain circuitry, neurotransmitters, research
How to transition to Research Domain Criteria for Social and Behavioral Science Research
Qualitative researchers often rely upon the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) for the classification of mental disorders for their research. Many qualitative researchers have assumed that these classifications are scientifically sound since they come from medical sources. Recently, however, the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) has determined that no research will be funded that is based upon DSM diagnostic criteria. The DSM is actually a consensus-derived system without strong scientific evidentiary support. NIMH is now requiring Research Domain Criteria for diagnoses. This workshop will expose participants to what constitutes Research Domain Criteria (RDC) and will aid them in the transition from DSM to RDC. We will expose qualitative researchers to how to do qualitative research within the RDC criteria which are based upon brain circuitry that serve specific functions. For example, the familiar categories such as major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder, do not exist in RDC. Examples of circuits include story brain or social brain, the attention network, executive function network, sadness network, social belonging network, fear network, and more. The activity of these networks can be measured and can be mapped with specific interview techniques and questionnaires. For qualitative researchers, this means a completely different orientation to psychiatric diagnoses. Instead of using the standard categories of which we are all accustomed, we select the brain circuits that are under or over-functioning and find ways to categorize people in that way for selection in research studies.