Mental Disorders

Made by @agreyr

Mental disorders

Persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behavior, thoughts, or emotions that causes significant distress or impairment; interferes with daily functioning

How are mental disorders diagnosed?

On the basis of behavioral symptoms; DSM-5-TR is the current manual for diagnosing psychiatric illness

Prevelance of mental disorders

Approximately 12% of the world deals with a mental disorder; rate is closer to 20% in North America

Demographics of mental disorders

There are gender differences in some disorders; handful of disorders tend to appear in adolescence or early adulthood

DSM-V

Lists specific criteria that must be present to diagnose with a disorder

Comorbidity

Co-occurrence of two or more disorders

Most common disorders

Anxiety & mood disorders; impulse control & substance abuse

The medical model

Conceptualizes abnormal psychological experiences as illnesses that have biological and environmental causes, defined symptoms, and possible treatments

Diagnosis

Determine nature of the illness

Signs

Objectively observed indicators of a disorder

Symptoms

Subjectively reported behaviors, thoughts, and emotions

Dangers of labeling

Negative stigma associated with mental disorders (e.g., dangerous); may affect how the individual sees themselves (adopt a helpless attitude —> not great for recovery); person-first language