Psychological Disorder
A psychological disorder is a condition marked by upsetting, problematic, or unusual thoughts, feelings, and actions. The study of psychological problems, including their symptoms and causes, is known as psychopathology. The appearance of a psychological condition is often referred to as psychopathology. Mental health experts must agree on the sorts of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are abnormal in the sense that they point to the presence of psychopathology, even if reaching a consensus can be challenging (Zhou et al., 2020). It is simple to categorize specific patterns of behavior and inner experience as uncomfortable, hindering, or abnormal, and, more obviously, indicate some psychological disorder.
Psychological Abnormality
A person is considered abnormal if their conduct is highly odd and out of the ordinary. A person is considered normal if their conduct is consistent with that of most people. Abnormal psychology has the responsibility of defining abnormality. This branch of psychology focuses on “atypical” or “abnormal” behavior (Zhou et al., 2020).
There are issues with the terminology used to describe abnormal psychology and mental health since none is neutral or value-free. In and of itself, breaking cultural norms is not a reliable indicator of the presence of psychiatric disease. Given that behavior differs among cultures, what may be expected and regarded as suitable in one culture may not be in another (Zhou et al., 2020).
Recognizing Disorders and Abnormalities
A disorder manifests as a high-profile feature that rationalizes and compromises an individual’s mentality (Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2011). Examples of psychological disorders include:
- Anxiety disorders
- Behavioral and emotional disorders in children
- Bipolar affective disorder
- Depression
- Dissociation and dissociative disorders
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Paranoia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
It is crucial to remember that defining normalcy is subjective and always entails a judgment, as it varies from person to person. When identifying and diagnosing mental health concerns, this is where the actual complexity resides. What one person may describe as usual, another person may not. Because it is sometimes seen to be simpler to describe what we consider abnormal, behaviors that belong under this category are frequently linked to deviant behavior or mental health problems.
References
Kosslyn, S. M., & Rosenberg, R. S. (2011). Introducing Psychology: Brain, Person. Group.
Zhou, Y., Wang, W., Sun, Y., Qian, W., Liu, Z., Wang, R., Qi, L., Yang, J., Song, X., Zhou, X., Zeng, L., Liu, T., Li, Z., & Zhang, X. (2020). The prevalence and risk factors of psychological disturbances of frontline medical staff in China under the COVID-19 epidemic: Workload should be concerned. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 510–514.