TheMediaCollective.org presents…

a Bored? Let’s Play… production

DSM-IV the Game!

This is a work of serious. Get it?

Introduction:

A beautiful way to engage and learn about yourself, family, and friends. An ice breaker at your next holiday gathering.

Hold a mirror to yourself and others.

Items Needed:

DSM Access (books or Wikipedia)
One literate person
People for which to analyze.

How to Play:

1. Choose a disorder from your DSM source.
2. Read the criteria for the selected disorder aloud.
3. Depending on which style of play you are using (next page), proceed accordingly.
4. Continue through the remaining criteria or until you or the group want to explore another disorder in the DSM.
5. The game session ends when one hour has elapsed.

Solo Play: Self-diagnosis

On a sheet of paper, take notes about how you feel regarding each of
the criteria and numeric value for how much you display that symptom. At
the end of the disorder, add up your score, divide by the number of
criteria you evaluated yourself on. This your disorder index. Continue
through the disorder.

Multi-Player: Group Therapy

Go around the circle in a designated order. Verbally discuss each player’s
exemplification of the current symptom. Give examples of incidents
when these were symptomatically displayed. Continue through the
disorder.

Multi-Player: Psychiatrist(s) and Patient

Played in the same manner as Group Therapy, except one individual is chosen as the focus for the disorder. Bonus: If a player feels another player exemplifies this disorder, the focus of the current session can be switched to them by way of range voting. Continue through the disorder.

Two Sample Disorders from Wikipedia:

Major Depressive Episode

The player reports a depressed mood/appears depressed to others. They express feeling sad, depressed, empty, “down in the dumps,” hopeless. The player is in denial about these feelings, yet appears to be on the verge of tearfulness, has a depressed facial expression and disposition, or appears to be overly irritable.

Delusional Disorder

The player expresses an idea or belief with unusual persistence or force. The individual tends to be humorless and oversensitive, especially about the belief. An attempt to contradict the belief is likely to arouse an inappropriately strong emotional reaction, often with irritability and hostility.

Download the PDF. || Learn to fold your copy of DSM-IV the Game!

Please let us know if you plan a DSM-IV the Game! Night.