Why isn’t misophonia in the DSM?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM] is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is the go-to diagnostic guide for mental health professionals in the United States and throughout much of the world.

There are many reasons and factors involved in understanding why misophonia is not currently in the latest version of the DSM, which is known as the DSM-5-TR [the fifth edition which includes a text revision].

The DSM is not published frequently [around every 10-15 years], so newer conditions have to wait to be included. It also takes a long time and requires a lot of people and funding to arrive at consensus diagnostic criteria for new disorders. This is being worked on for misophonia but, as of this writing, has not been completed. Also, the DSM is a manual of mental health disorders and there is still heated debate among researchers and the public on whether misophonia is or is not a mental health disorder. It might be something else, such as a neurological disorder or a complex combination of numerous things.

The situation was addressed well in Psychology Today by Dr. Jennifer Jo Brout in this article from 2020.