DSM-5-TR in Verse
When loss endures for more than a year,
Prolonged Grief Disorder draws near.
A heart still aching, a mind that roams,
Searching for solace where memory homes.
Unspecified Mood Disorder hides in between,
Symptoms unclear, yet felt and seen.
Neither depression nor bipolar exact,
A shifting tide, a mood abstract.
Stimulants cloud cognition’s bright light,
Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Stimulant-Induced in sight.
Thoughts once steady now slip and sway,
A subtle fog that lingers each day.
Seventy plus disorders revised with care,
DSM-5-TR brings clarity rare.
Cultural context, bias, and strife,
Now acknowledged in the mapping of life.
Self-harm and suicidal thoughts coded anew,
Behavior classified, understood in view.
Each page a mirror, each word a guide,
To navigate the mind, with compassion beside.
Poet: Vynolyn Naidoo
© 2025 Vynolyn Naidoo. All rights reserved. Published online, created with care and passion.
