preview

Mental Health : A Psychological Disorder

Decent Essays

Mental health is an issue which many individuals quietly struggle with in their daily lives. Psychological disorders, although extremely common, are often misunderstood by those who are not educated on the subject, even those who may be suffering from a mental disorder themselves. According to the 13th edition of the textbook Abnormal Psychology (Kring et al., 2015), a psychological disorder is defined as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that impact a person 's life. This definition is not very specific, however, since every behavioral or psychological pattern is not a psychological disorder. Defining what constitutes a psychological disorder can be tricky, however there are several characteristics that qualify a condition as a psychological disorder. Although the symptoms and causes for each psychological disorder are different, the common characteristics that make them difficult to live with can be used to diagnose and define them as a disorder. The common characteristics of a psychological disorder include personal distress, disability, violation of social norms, and dysfunction. These characteristics are generally what make the condition problematic in a persons life, thus requiring them to receive treatment. The movie A Beautiful Mind is a perfect portrayal of a psychological disorder, and can be used to examine the ways in which the characteristics of a mental disorder manifest themselves, as well as how the disorder

Get Access