--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook…" description: "\"“The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that sells for $99...There are currently 374 mental disorders. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-dsm-iv-tr-is-a-943-page-textbook-pub_3162043.png" --- # The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the… ![“The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that sells for $99...There are currently 374 mental disorders. I bought the book...and leafed through it...I closed the manual. "I wonder if I've got any of the 374 mental disorders," I thought. I opened the…” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-dsm-iv-tr-is-a-943-page-textbook-pub_3162043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-dsm-iv-tr-is-a-943-page-textbook-pub_3162043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-dsm-iv-tr-is-a-943-page-textbook-pub_3162043.png) > ““The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that sells for $99...There are currently 374 mental disorders. I bought the book...and leafed through it...I closed the manual. "I wonder if I've got any of the 374 mental disorders," I thought. I opened the manual again. And instantly diagnosed myself with twelve different ones.”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker humorously illustrates how self‑diagnosis using a psychiatric manual can lead to over‑identifying disorders, highlighting the pitfalls of self‑labeling. **In simple terms:** Self‑diagnosing from a manual can cause over‑identification of disorders. Key Takeaway Be cautious about self‑diagnosis; seek professional evaluation. Themes psychology self‑diagnosis mental health humor Mood skeptical reflective Type cautionary humorous When to use this quote - reading a DSM - online mental‑health forums - personal health concerns Key Concepts diagnostic criteria confirmation bias medicalization Questions to Reflect On - How reliable is self‑diagnosis? - What drives people to label themselves? A Different Perspective Self‑diagnosis may ignore context and professional expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Psychiatric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-psychiatric-2167159/) [Disorders Bought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorders-bought-5720097/) [Disorders Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorders-thought-399015/) [Mental disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorder/) [Mental Disorders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorders-399017/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mental-disorders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorders/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Textbook Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/textbook-published-5720098/) ## Related quotes > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Many so-called disorders of the mind are simply disorders of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/many-so-called-disorders-of-the-mind-are-simply-disorders-of-thought/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [“You can't compare men or women with mental disorders to the normal expectations of men and women in without mental orders. Your dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-t-compare-men-or-women-with-mental-disorders-to-the-normal/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“I was much crazier than I had imagined. Or maybe it was a bad idea to read the DSM-IV when you're not a trained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-was-much-crazier-than-i-had-imagined-or-maybe-it-was-a-bad-idea-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“maybe the American Psychiatric Association had a crazy desire to label all life a mental disorder. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/maybe-the-american-psychiatric-association-had-a-crazy-desire-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I hadn’t realized what a collage of mental disorders my whole life has been,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-hadn-t-realized-what-a-collage-of-mental-disorders-my-whole-life/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Myers MF, Gabbard GO. The physician as patient: a clinical handbook for mental health professionals. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.; 2008b. p. 196.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-j-brower/myers-mf-gabbard-go-the-physician-as-patient-a-clinical-handbook-for/) [Kirk J. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-j-brower/) > [Mental disorders don't really live 'out there' waiting to be explained. They are constructs we have made up - and often not very compelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-frances/mental-disorders-don-t-really-live-out-there-waiting-to-be-explained/) [Allen Frances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-frances/) > [Addictions and mental disorders are like a disease, and they need treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syesha-mercado/addictions-and-mental-disorders-are-like-a-disease-and-they-need/) [Syesha Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syesha-mercado/) > [“vegetarianism perpetuates (or even exacerbates) mental disorders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-durant/vegetarianism-perpetuates-or-even-exacerbates-mental-disorders/) [John Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-durant/) > [You can't put people in jail for having mental disorders. You can't do that, and they should not be held there. They need rehabilitative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/you-can-t-put-people-in-jail-for-having-mental-disorders-you-can-t-do/) [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) > [“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-of-mental-disorders/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [ The man Hillary \[Clinton\] introduced at the meeting goes so far as to say that no amount of trauma to children - or poor… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-man-hillary-clinton-introduced-at-the-meeting-goes-so-far-as-to/) [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) > [It happens that there are a lot of people who are very talented who also happen to have a mental disorder. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-a-berlin/it-happens-that-there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-are-very-talented-who/) [H. A. 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As soon as you're not feeling yourself, reach out and get some help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-trudeau/the-secret-is-to-nip-any-mental-disorder-in-the-bud-as-soon-as-you-re/) [Margaret Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-trudeau/) > [“Let’s take a quick look at what a psychopath is. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) no longer uses this term, much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkconnell/let-s-take-a-quick-look-at-what-a-psychopath-is-although-the-american/) [Robert Kirkconnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkconnell/) > [“When you’ve had a psychotic breakdown it’s always so difficult making that decision. 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Which brings me to something no one believes. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/meantime-other-feminist-bibles-had-appeared-simone-de-beauvoir-s-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Browse all 140 Mental disorder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that sells for $99...There are currently 374 mental disorders. I bought the book...and leafed through it...I closed the manual. \"I wonder if I've got any of the 374 mental disorders,\" I thought. I opened the manual again. 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