https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167819884135 Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1–6 © The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0022167819884135 journals.sagepub.com/home/jhp Diagnostic Alternatives Introduction to the Fifth Special Issue on Diagnostic Alternatives Sarah R. Kamens 1 , Brent Dean Robbins 2 , and Elizabeth H. Flanagan 3 Keywords mental disorders, diagnostic alternatives, International Classification of Diseases It is an honor to introduce the fifth and final issue in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Issue Series on Diagnostic Alternatives. As described in our introductions to the previous issues in this series (Kamens, Flanagan, & Robbins, 2017, 2018; Kamens, Robbins, & Flanagan, 2017, 2018), diagnos- tic alternatives can be defined as approaches, practices, blueprints, or frame- works that might serve as alternatives to the conventional diagnostic model found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) and the mental and behav- ioral disorders section of the International Classification of Diseases (World Health Organization, 1992a, 1992b). Some alternatives represent adjust- ments, modifications, and improvements to the current paradigm. Others, in contrast, propose new diagnostic models or systems intended to replace or supplement the categorical system that appears in the DSM-5 and International Classification of Diseases. Last but not least, other alternatives are nondiag- nostic approaches and practices that seek to overcome the problems inherent to diagnosis itself, including the pathologization and labeling of human 1 SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, USA 2 Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA 3 Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA Corresponding Author: Sarah R. Kamens, NY, USA. Email: srkamens@gmail.com 884135JHP XX X 10.1177/0022167819884135Journal of Humanistic PsychologyKamens et al. research-article 2019