EDITORIAL Anticipating DSM-V: Should Psychosis Risk Become a Diagnostic Class?

In this issue, Woods et al1 report data analyses that sup-port the validity of the criteria for identifying the prodrome stage of psychotic disorders. We have previ-ously placed emphasis on this issue with a special theme.2–8 Questions related to the development of Diag-nostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-V) now emerge. Should clinical practice move in the direction of early detection of risk status? Do research findings warrant interventions at the prodrome stage in general clinical practice? If the answers are yes, thenDSM-V and International Classification of Diseases, Twelfth Revision, will be challenged to provide clinicians with a diagnostic category to support this shift in prac-tice. This will be an essential step for providing education, encouraging clinical intervention, and supporting research on these clinical activities. The DSM-V work-group responsible for psychotic disorders is considering creating a new diagnostic class for this purpose. Although I chair the DSM-V Psychoses Workgroup, this editorial represents personal views, not recommendations, of the Psychosis Workgroup or official decisions of the DSM-V Task Force. These views are informed, however, by discussions with workgroup member