In psychology, a mental disorder is a mental condition characterized by abnormal behaviors or thinking patterns. It can result from a variety of causes, including social, biochemical, or genetic factors. A subset of psychopathology is behavior disorder. Listed below are some types of behavioral disorders. Some are more severe than others. If you or a loved one exhibits symptoms that may be symptomatic of a disorder, you should contact a doctor for diagnosis.
Currently available diagnostic criteria have a Euro-American bias. This bias is demonstrated by the introduction of cultural factors into the DSM-IV. Meyer’s bio-psychosocial approach frames psychological illness as’reaction types’. Other psychiatrists, such as Emil Kraepelin, saw psychological symptoms as a disease. Nonetheless, these approaches have significant limitations. For example, cultural bias may impede the ability to recognize and treat a psychological disorder.
When you suspect you or a loved one may be suffering from a psychological disorder, your healthcare provider may refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Psychiatrists are specially trained to diagnose and treat a variety of mental conditions. They evaluate the history of the patient, their physical state, and their observed behavior. A physician may diagnose a patient based on the exclusion of a physical illness, or based on their observation of the patient’s behavior.
Some people suffer from mental disorders because their genes are incompatible with their environment. Stress, environmental factors, and even substance abuse may contribute to mental illnesses. Some genetic factors are responsible for a high risk of mental illness, and it’s important to understand what causes it. Fortunately, psychological illness can often be treated with counseling. So, what is psychological illness? And how can you identify it if it’s a disorder? There are many signs and symptoms that can indicate that you might have a psychological disorder.
In the past, the treatment of psychological illness for men has largely been dominated by men, as the dominant medical model of the disorder favored strong providers. During this time, most physicians were male and were largely subject to the same constraints as their male patients. In fact, many male patients suffer from psychiatric disorders despite the fact that women are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. Despite this, women are still twice as likely to commit suicide as men, and 75 percent of suicides are male.
Nevertheless, in high-income countries, primary care serves as the first level of mental health care. In the U.S., primary care practices are most likely to have mental health workers, and nearly one-third of all patients have had a medical diagnosis at some point. In contrast, in the Netherlands and Switzerland, fewer than 10 percent of adult citizens reported seeing a mental health professional. It seems that cultural norms and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care may be the primary cause for the low prevalence of such treatment in the U.S.
Many people suffer from psychological illness, including social anxiety disorder. While this condition affects both men and women, it is usually present in childhood, when symptoms first appear. Women are twice as likely as men to develop social anxiety disorder. Approximately seven million adults in the U.S. suffer from specific phobias. One-third of them seek treatment for their disorder, and about half of them are diagnosed by age 30. For women, traumatic experiences in their childhood are more likely to result in an adult diagnosis of PTSD.