Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorders

Syndromes marked by clinically significant disturbances in cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that are maladaptive or dysfunctional and accompanied by distress.

Ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings, or actions that are: 3 Ds 

Deviant

Behaviors that are different from what is considered normal in one's culture.

Distressful

Behaviors or symptoms that cause distress to the person or others.

Dysfunctional

Behaviors that interfere with normal day-to-day life.

Medical Model

The belief that psychological disorders have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and possibly cured.

Biopsychosocial approach

The interaction of one's biological, psychological, and social-cultural environment in forming behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.

Epigenetics

The study of environmental influences on gene expressions that occur without a DNA change.

DSM-5

The American Psychiatric Association's 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a common tool for describing disorders and estimating their frequency of occurrence.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

A disorder that combines autism and Asperger's syndrome.

Intellectual Disability

Replaced the term mental retardation in the DSM-5.

Anxiety Disorders

Characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety and maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A state of tense, fearful, and autonomic nervous system arousal, accompanied by symptoms such as persistent worry, being jittery, and difficulty concentrating.

Panic Disorder

Unpredictable episodes of intense dread, accompanied by chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations, followed by worry over a possible next attack.

Phobias

Characterized by irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and actions or behaviors (compulsions).

Compulsive behaviors

Actions or behaviors that are responses to obsessive thoughts.

Comorbidity

The co-occurrence of two or more disorders or conditions in the same individual.

How do we classify disorders? 

Attempt to predict the future course of a disorder