Psychological Disorders

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Every since civilization started many people have been suffering from psychological
disorders such as sadness and strange and awkward behavior. There have been many
of scientists that have tried to figure out the cure for them and treat these disorders.
Classifying psychological disorders have their roots back far in ancient times with the
Romans and the Egyptians.

Even today, classifying psychological disorders follow a medical type model.

However, classifying psychological disorders is not very easy and is harder than it
sounds and is very controversial. Even though the classification system has
disadvantages, I think it’s safe to say that the classification system outweighs the
disadvantages.

It provides a means of effective communication between psychologists. Also, the

classification system can help psychologists make predictions such as the probability
that a disorder will occur and about the individuals that are more likely to develop a
certain mental disorder and about the rules for treatment.

To help make classifying psychological disorders easier the American Psychiatric

Association came out with the first system of grouping psychological disorders in the
United States in 1952. This manual was known as the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

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The 1994 edition is the most current version that I’m aware of and includes 17 major
classifications and describes more than 200 disorders. The DSM had undergone
changes and probably will go more in the future which shows the advancement in
knowledge of psychological disorders over the years.

The DSM-IV has added and dropped categories from its manual which has caused
some major controversial by psychologist you relied heavily on those techniques. An
important feature of the DSM-IV is its multi axis features. It has five axes to
accurately diagnose an individual with a mental disorder by characterizing them in
terms of a number of factors. The five axes of DSM-IV include:

Axis I: Every diagnostic category except for personality disorders and mental
retardation.
Axis II: Mental retardation and personality disorders.
Axis III: Most medical conditions
Axis IV: Social and environmental complications.
Axis V: Current functioning abilities.

Axes I-II describes the majority of psychological disorders, and Axes III-V is not
really needed in diagnosing a psychological disorder but they are there to consider the
person’s over all life situation. For example, an individual may have high blood
pressure which is an example of Axis III, which needs special precautions to
treatment because some mediation can worsen the symptoms for individuals. The
DSM-IV was put together by a number of mental health professionals and included a
diverse range of audiences which was something missing in the previous manuals
because the majority consisted of mostly white male psychiatrists.

The biggest controversial part about the DSM-IV is that the symptoms are still
described in a psychiatric manner. Even though more psychologists have participated
in it then ever, it still shows a medical model of diagnosing patients which puts less
emphasis on external factors such as environmental effects on mental disorders.

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There are some common issues with labeling in the DSM-IV. Some of the categories
for mental disorders are what some people would include to be everyday harmless
activities. For example, if someone has a hard time learning mathematics, or writing
skills than that could be labeled as a mental disorder.

Also, an addiction to some substances like a nice cappuccino from Starbucks would
be classified as a mental disorder because the individual will be viewed as having a
substance abuse problem. Furthermore some individuals that do not have a mental
disorder may turn out to believe that they do by a simple misdiagnoses.

The term that refers to when people believe that they believe something when it is
told to them is known as the self fulfilling prophecy. Labels can also have harmful
side effects on the individual and cause them to lose self esteem when they think that
they are mentally ill.

A lot of time, individuals will avoid seeking help to avoid these labels because they
don’t want people to think of them differently. The DSM-IV may have its critiques
and inaccuracies but it’s still the most comprehensive mental categorizing system
currently available. Like mentioned earlier, there are many categories for mental
disorders.

A very common one that affects close to 19.1 million Americans is anxiety disorders.
If you constantly worry than that could be an indicator that you have some type of
anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder is a psychological disorder that can cause a
variety of abnormalities in the motor function. Examples of anxiety disorder include
generalized anxiety disorder, phobic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic
disorder, post-traumatic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. I’m going to discuss
generalized anxiety disorder first because its one of the more common anxiety
disorders.

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Take this case study for example. Amy is a thirty year old woman and ever since she
and her husband have been arguing she has developed a lot of built up tension and
nervousness everytime she goes out in public. She feels trembling and usually be
perspiring when she comes back from shopping.

These are the common symptoms of an anxiety disorder. With phobic disorders on
the other hand, the individual has an intense fear of a particular object or thing. A lot
of people are informed about some common ones such as the fear of spiders or
Arachnophobia, and the fear of closed tight spaces or Claustrophobia.

However there are a lot more bizarre ones that people may not be informed about
such as Dikephobia or the fear of justice and Geliophobia or the fear of laughter. A
very interesting psychological disorder is obsessive compulsive disorder and the
individual has these obsessions to do things in a particular way or order and it is
causing them mental distress. For example, they may have a need to get dressed and
take their clothes off in a particular manner and if they mess up than they must start
over again because they ruined the sequence.

These rituals will consume up a vast majority of the individual’s time. Panic disorder
is when the individual has periods of deep fear. This usually doesn’t last too long and
some symptoms are the individual will tremble and experience a shortness of breath.

Next, post traumatic disorder is the feelings of emptiness and depression an

individual will experience after a traumatic event such as after a plane crash or
abuse/rape.

Even though men and women can experience this disorder is more likely to exist with
females. Last, a social anxiety disorder is a fear of being in social situations and being
evaluated by others. A classic example is being extremely uneasy and nervous during
a job interview.

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Resource Guide
Recommended Reading
Free Daily Quotations By Email
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Life is a Do-It-Yourself Project

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his
plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his
wife and enjoy his extended family.
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Wendy's Gift - Do Take Time To Enjoy Living

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive
to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to
close in on me.
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The Man With Encouraging Thoughts

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was
allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from
his lungs.
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Can I Borrow 9 Dollars - For Busy Parents

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old
son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah,
sure. What is it?" replied the father.
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