When Symptoms Overlap: Mastering Differential Diagnosis with DSM-5-TR Mental Disorders

Course overview

Accurately diagnosing mental disorders can be challenging due to the significant overlap of symptoms across DSM-5-TR categories. Shared features, such as impaired concentration, irritability, or sleep disturbance, often appear in multiple conditions, requiring clinicians to engage in a systematic and nuanced differential diagnosis process. In this presentation, Dr. Margaret Bloom will provide mental health professionals with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to differentiate among complex clinical presentations and identify the most accurate DSM-5-TR diagnoses. The training reviews current DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria, introduces online assessment tools, and outlines a four-step diagnostic framework to improve precision and clinical reasoning. Participants will examine common sources of diagnostic error, including cognitive biases and cultural misinterpretations, and learn strategies to strengthen diagnostic accuracy. Through visuals, case studies, and guided practice, attendees will analyze differential diagnoses related to depressive, anxiety, psychotic, and impulsive symptom clusters. Participants are encouraged to bring the DSM-5-TR Manual for use throughout the seminar.