The current state of society is distressing, and the debate on mental health has grown over the past decades. This topic is traditionally addressed within the fields of psychology and psychiatry, which do not always align in their assumptions, theories, or practices. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its fifth edition (DSM-5-TR), is the hegemonic tool for addressing mental health issues, facilitating communication among professionals and holding significant value across these disciplines, as well as in common sense discourse. Given this scenario, the proposal for this chapter is to take a step back and examine the fact that there is no clear or shared definition of what mental health, or mental illness, actually means. To do so, an analysis will be conducted on the DSM’s foundations, assumptions, and practical implications, focusing on the spectrum between understanding mental disorders as social constructs or medical conditions.