Question

What are the major psychological disorders

Answer 1

Psychological disorders or mental illness is a pattern of behavior that causes significant distress and impairment in day to day functioning and marked impairment in occupational life, personal life and emotional life. American Psychological Association(APA) has classified five major mental illnesses which are:

1. Schizophrenia - schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, and other cognitive impairments. People suffering from schizophrenia seems like they have lost a touch with reality and as a result it affects the way they think, feel and behave. Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental illness causing impairment in all domains of person's life.

2. Major depressive disorder- it is characterised by persistent feeling of low mood for two weeks, feeling of helplessness, worthlessness, and hopelessness is common in patients with major depressive disorder. The person suffering from this disorder loose interest in pleasurable activities of day to day life and affect many areas of life significantly.

3. Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder- this disorder is marked by ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity causing interference in daily functioning and development.

4. Autism- it is a neurological and developmental disorder characterised by challenges in social skills, repetitive behavior, improper speech and non verbal communication. It affects how a person perceive the world and interact with others.

5. Mood disorders- it involves how the patient think and feel about oneself and others. Mood disorders include a wide variety of disorders: Hypomania, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder(SAD) and cyclothymic disorder. It affects the emotional state of a person severely and makes a person to loose interest in important areas of life.