Symptom cluster-based treatment?

[loveoforganic]

Is there any way that mental illness could viably be treated without using names for disorders? It seems like, from reading on here and reading patients' charts in the past, treatment plans on based almost entirely on symptom clusters with little importance to what the actual diagnosis is. E.g. a patient presents and doesn't qualify for any diagnosis in the DSM. Instead of going with "disorder-NOS so treatment plan is X," saying "symptoms are ABC so treatment plan is X."

I realize this probably is impossible with billing the way it is, but if that were to be disregarded, are there any other significant flaws to this? It seems like it would cut down on labeling stigma, diagnosis bias in future observation, and assignment of a diagnosis that has symptoms beyond what the patient has.

Flaws - research more difficult?

Just a random thought and curious!

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[masterofmonkeys]

One big fear I have about going down that road is massive abuse of polypharm. I'll give you a little zoloft for your depression and a little klonopin for your anxiety and a little seroquel for your impulse control issues and rumination and a little ambien for your sleep and....

It could get out of control pretty quickly I fear.

I also pretty much always fear that as things change we move farther away from therapy. I'm not sure how that directly relates to your post but it keeps me awake at night.