Key Words

inquiry into the relationships between DSM panel mem-bers and the pharmaceutical industry demonstrates that there are strong fi nancial ties between the industry and those who are responsible for developing and modifying the diagnostic criteria for mental illness. The connec-tions are especially strong in those diagnostic areas where drugs are the fi rst line of treatment for mental dis-orders. Full disclosure by DSM panel members of their fi nancial relationships with for-profi t entities that manu-facture drugs used in the treatment of mental illness is recommended. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel Medical journals began introducing confl ict-of-inter-est (COI) disclosure requirements for authors two de-cades ago beginning with articles of original research. A growing awareness of the importance of author disclosure in biomedical publications is refl ected in the rising num-ber of medical journals that have adopted COI policies over the past decade and the support for such policies among professional societies. If fi nancial COI among medical researchers can bias the outcome of a study (as recent research shows) [1, 2] , there is as much reason t