What is a psych disorder? & different types of psych disorders
Psychiatric disorders affect people by influencing their behaviour and thought processes. Psychiatric disorders include various types of emotional and behavioural problems such as phobias, drug abuse, depression and schizophrenia.
The term ‘psychopathology’ is commonly used to describe the manifestation of a psychiatric disorder in someone. It is not necessarily meant as an insult; it just means that certain behaviours displayed by the affected person are abnormal or harmful to themselves or others.
While psychiatric disorders may be influenced by social factors – for example, why many mental health issues seem to run in families – they cannot always be attributed to nurture and upbringing alone (as some theories claim). For example: children who experience abuse and trauma may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or go on to abuse their own children in turn. People displaying violent behaviour due to the influence of drugs such as alcohol may not be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but instead given an addiction diagnosis.
Unlike physical diseases and disorders, psychiatric disorders cannot always be unequivocally proven with medical tests such as blood tests or biopsies. Psychiatrists and other clinicians can diagnose some forms of psychiatric disorders based on:
– The person’s reported thoughts and feelings (interview)
– Their observable behaviours (and changes in these over time)
– Results of personality assessments
– Information from family members/other people who know the affected person well
Psychiatric disorders affect people by influencing their behaviour and thought processes. Psychiatric disorders include various types of emotional and behavioural problems such as phobias, drug abuse, depression and schizophrenia.
