Why is it important to understand psychological disorders?
It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
How is a psychological disorder defined?
A psychological disorder is a condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Psychopathology is the study of psychological disorders, including their symptoms, etiology (i.e., their causes), and treatment. The term psychopathology can also refer to the manifestation of a psychological disorder.
What are the key elements of a psychological disorder?
It is generally accepted that a psychological disorder is defined by significant disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; these disturbances must reflect some kind of dysfunction (biological, psychological, or developmental), must cause significant impairment in one’s life, and must not reflect culturally …
How do psychologists decide what behavior is considered abnormal and may be a psychological disorder?
Whether a given behavior is considered a psychological disorder is determined not only by whether a behavior is unusual (e.g., whether it is “mild” anxiety versus “extreme” anxiety) but also by whether a behavior is maladaptive—that is, the extent to which it causes distress (e.g., pain and suffering) and dysfunction ( …
How is abnormal behavior diagnosed?
PSYCHOLOGISTS AND OTHER mental health professionals use clinical interviews and a variety of other means to assess abnormal behavior, including psychological testing, behavioral assessment, and physiological monitoring.
What is psychologically abnormal behavior?
Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which could possibly be understood as a mental disorder. Although many behaviors could be considered as abnormal, this branch of psychology typically deals with behavior in a clinical context.
What is abnormal thinking?
Mental illness is a brain disorder that causes abnormal ways of thinking, feeling, or acting. Symptoms of abnormal thinking include: Delusions. This means believing things that are not true. A person might think someone wants to kill or hurt him or her.
What is an example of normal behavior?
For example, normal college student behavior may be to party and drink alcohol, but for a subculture of religious students, normal behavior may be to go to church and pursue religious activities. Subcultures may actively reject “normal” behavior, instead replacing society norms with their own.
How do we decide what is normal?
Deciding what is normal is usually based on statistics. A large group of people are tested, and normal is the result 95% of those people show. The number of people that are tested and who these people are will affect the results, so careful consideration needs to be given to these issues.
What does abnormal test results mean?
Positive or abnormal, which means the disease or substance was found. Inconclusive or uncertain, which means there wasn’t enough information in the results to diagnose or rule out a disease. If you get an inconclusive result, you will probably get more tests.
Which term means inflammation of a nerve?
Neur
What is excessive development?
hypertrophy – hyper/trophy: over or excessive development.
What is the technical term for an abnormal skin inflammation?
Dermatosis: a disease or abnormal condition of the skin. The term is often used to refer to diseases that do not feature inflammation, because inflammation of the skin is referred to as dermatitis.
Which of these conditions is a contagious bacterial skin infection?
Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial skin infection. It can appear anywhere on the body but usually attacks exposed areas. A boil is a skin infection that starts in a hair follicle or oil gland.