What do you think about when you hear the term psychological disorder? Do you think of a terrifying murderer like Charles Manson? Do you imagine people who hear imaginary voices? The fact is that not everyone who is diagnosed with a psychological disorder has dramatic effects like those two examples.  Also, the diagnoses of a psychology disorder are often not as clear-cut as a physical disorder.

A psychological disorder is a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms responsible for impacting multiple areas of life. You may have heard of psychological disorders referred to as mental or psychiatric disorders. These disorders create distress for the person who is experiencing the symptoms and often require treatment.

While there are many psychological disorders, this module will cover abnormal behavior, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While you are studying these disorders, you also explore the causes of the disorder and the possible treatments or therapy.

Getting Started

Meanwhile, at Woodlawn Heights High School, Mr. Baker’s psychology class was about to begin. As soon as the bell rang, Donnie rushed in to Mr. Baker’s desk to discuss a local news story that was disturbing to him. In the community, a man had broken into a few cars at a local convenience store. The man, who suffered from a mental disorder, was labeled as “crazy” by the local media. In this interactivity, observe the conversation that took place between Donnie and Mr. Baker about psychological disorders. Click the player to begin.

View a printable version of the interactivity.

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

 

agoraphobia	dysthymia	paranoid schizophrenia
bio-psycho-social model	generalized anxiety disorder	post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
bipolar	hallucination	schizophrenia
catatonic schizophrenia	major depression	seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
delusion	maladaptive	vulnerability theory
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders	obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)	word salad
disorganized schizophrenia	panic disorder