ABSTRACT
Diagnostic error was due to the failure of clinicians and the psychiatric nosology to conform to the full agenda of technical rationality. The assumptions about the nature and sources of diagnostic error were fundamental to the entire strategy and rationale for developing DSM-III, because they suggested that these errors were remediable through technical solutions. Developing successful plans and courses of action is much easier when there are few uncertainties within the organization or in its external environment. Only a small fraction of respondents were unaware of any occurrence of these types of deliberate misdiagnoses. If misdiagnosis is as widespread as is suggested, it is puzzling that it has hardly been recognized in the literature on DSM and on diagnostic errors. Explanations must be sought in the social context of clinical work. DSM-III and a variety of other remedial efforts have been undertaken to reduce diagnostic errors that are made unintentionally.
