Many scientific and methodological advances made in the last two decades could play an important role in the DSM-V in order to facilitate their inclusion in the next nomenclature, a research agenda developed in concert with the APA, NIH, and WHO is providing new approaches and stimulation the empirical research toward that end. The goals of this effort have included: 10 ensuring greater clinical utility and relevance, 2) utilizing a developmental approach across the life span, 3) incorporating new knowledge from the neurosciences and the behavioral sciences in elucidating risk factors and prodromal features of disorders; and 4) adopting methodological strategies utilizing both dimensional and categorical approaches.

We are re-evaluating the structure of the manual itself to facilitate both clinical practice and better research criteria to guide clinical trials, genetics, imaging, and treatment guideline developments. More specifically, we anticipate that we will have a structure that contains "receptors" for new biological, neurocognitive, and environmental risk factors as they emerge to guide future research and clinical practice. As a result, we anticipate that the DSM-V will be a living document with a permanent revision infrastructure to enable revisions of specific diagnostic areas where new evidence is replicated and reviewed as ready for adoption. Consistent with this approach, the Workgroup on Mood Disorders has focused their attention on incorporating appropriate changes to be recommended for DSM-V.