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A Comprehensive Overview of
Psychological Disorders
A List of Psychological Disorders
The term "psychological disorder" is sometimes used to refer to what are more frequently known as mental disorders or psychiatric disorders. Mental disorders are patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life and create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms. While not a comprehensive list, the following includes some of the major categories of disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Neurodevelopmental disorders are typically diagnosed during infancy, childhood, or adolescence. These include:
Intellectual Disability (or Intellectual Developmental Disorder) : Characterized by limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors, often identified through IQ tests. Global Developmental Delay : A temporary diagnosis for developmental disabilities in children under 5, relating to cognition, social functioning, speech, language, and motor skills. Communication Disorders : Disorders that impact the ability to use, understand, or detect language and speech, including language disorder, speech sound disorder, childhood onset fluency disorder (stuttering), and social (pragmatic) communication disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder : Characterized by persistent deficits in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) : Characterized by a persistent pattern of hyperactivity-impulsivity and/or inattention that interferes with functioning in multiple settings.
Bipolar and Related Disorders
Bipolar disorder is characterized by shifts in mood, activity, and energy levels, involving both elevated (manic or hypomanic) and depressive episodes.
Mania : Characterized by feelings of excessive excitement, distraction, irritability, and overconfidence, sometimes leading to risky behaviors. Depressive Episodes : Characterized by intense sadness, guilt, fatigue, and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, which can include thoughts of suicide.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive and persistent fear, worry, anxiety, and related behavioral disturbances.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) : Marked by excessive worry about everyday events that interferes with well-being and functioning. Social Anxiety Disorder : Involves an irrational fear of being watched or judged, making it difficult to function in social settings. Specific Phobias : Extreme fears of specific objects or situations, such as spiders, heights, or medical procedures. Panic Disorder : Characterized by panic attacks that seem to strike out of the blue, leading to anxiety and avoidance of situations where attacks may occur. Separation Anxiety Disorder : Excessive fear or anxiety related to being separated from attachment figures, which can interfere with normal functioning.
Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders
These disorders involve exposure to a stressful or traumatic event, and include:
Acute Stress Disorder : Characterized by the emergence of severe anxiety and dissociative symptoms within one month of a traumatic event. Adjustment Disorders : Can occur in response to a sudden change or loss, and are characterized by symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and depressed mood. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) : Develops after experiencing a stressful life event, with symptoms including reliving the event, avoidance, feeling on edge, and negative thoughts. Reactive Attachment Disorder : Resulting from insufficient care and neglect during early childhood, leading to withdrawn behavior and social/emotional disturbances.
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders involve a dissociation or interruption in aspects of consciousness, including identity and memory.
Dissociative Amnesia : Temporary loss of memory, often as a result of psychological trauma. Dissociative Identity Disorder : Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, involving the presence of two or more distinct identities or personalities.
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Depersonalization/derealization disorder is characterized by experiencing a sense of being outside of one's own body (depersonalization) and being
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are characterized by obsessive concerns with weight and disruptive eating patterns that negatively impact physical and mental health.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by restricted food consumption that leads to weight loss and a very low body weight. Those who experience this disorder also have a preoccupation and fear of gaining weight as well as a distorted view of their own appearance and behavior.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa involves binging and then taking extreme steps to compensate for these binges. These compensatory behaviors might include self-induced vomiting, the abuse of laxatives or diuretics, and excessive exercise.
Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorder is marked by regurgitating previously chewed or swallowed food in order to either spit it out or re-swallow it. Most of those affected by this disorder are children or adults who also have a developmental delay or intellectual disability. Additional problems that can result from this behavior include dental decay, esophageal ulcers, and malnutrition.
Pica
Pica involves craving and consuming non-food substances such as dirt, paint, or soap. The disorder most commonly affects children and those with developmental disabilities.
Binge-Eating Disorder
Binge-eating disorder was first introduced in the DSM-5 and involves episodes of binge eating where the individual consumes an unusually large amount of over the course of a couple hours. Not only do people overeat, however, they also feel as if they have no control over their eating. Binge eating episodes are sometimes triggered by certain emotions such as feeling happy or anxious, by boredom, or following stressful events.
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sleep disorders involve an interruption in sleep patterns that lead to distress and affects daytime functioning.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a condition in which people experience an irrepressible need to sleep. People with narcolepsy may experience a sudden loss of muscle tone.
Insomnia Disorder
Insomnia disorder involves being unable to get enough sleep to feel rested. While all people experience sleeping difficulties and interruptions at some point, insomnia is considered a disorder when it is accompanied by significant distress or impairment over time.
Hypersomnolence Disorder
Hypersomnolence disorder is characterized by excessive sleep during the day or prolonged nighttime sleep. People with this condition may fall asleep during the day at inappropriate times such as at work and school. In addition to this excessive sleepiness, people with hypersomnolence may also experience anxiety, memory problems, loss of appetite, slow thinking, and disorientation upon waking.
Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders
Breathing-related sleep disorders are those that involve breathing anomalies including sleep apnea and chronic snoring that can occur during sleep. These breathing problems can result in brief interruptions in sleep that can lead to other problems including insomnia and daytime sleepiness.
Parasomnias
Parasomnias involve disorders that feature abnormal behaviors that take place during sleep. Such disorders include sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sleep talking, and sleep eating.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome is a neurological condition that involves having uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move the legs in order to relieve the sensations. People with this condition may feel tugging, creeping, burning, and crawling sensations in their legs resulting in excessive movement which then interferes with sleep.
The latest edition of the DSM also provides more emphasis on coexisting conditions for each of the sleep-wake disorders, underscoring that the individual has a sleep disorder warranting independent clinical attention, in addition to any medical and mental disorders that are also present.
Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Substance-related disorders are those that involve the use and abuse of different substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates and alcohol. These disorders may include substance-induced conditions that can result in many associated diagnoses including intoxication, withdrawal, the emergence of psychosis, anxiety and delirium.
Alcohol-Related Disorders
Alcohol-related disorders involve the consumption of alcohol, the most widely used (and frequently overused) drug in the United States.
Cannabis-Related Disorders
Cannabis-related disorders include symptoms such as using more than originally intended, feeling unable to stop using the drug, and continuing to use despite adverse effects in one's life.
Inhalant-Use Disorder
Inhalant-use disorder involves inhaling fumes from things such as paints or solvents. As with other substance-related disorders, people with this condition experience cravings for the substance and find it difficult to control or stop engaging in the behavior.
Stimulant Use Disorder
Stimulant use disorder is a new category now found in the DSM-5 that involves the use of stimulants such as meth, amphetamines, and cocaine.
Tobacco Use Disorder
Tobacco use disorder is characterized by symptoms such as consuming more tobacco than intended, difficulty cutting back or quitting, cravings, and suffering adverse social consequences as a result of tobacco use.
The DSM-5 also includes gambling disorder under this classification, reflecting the increasing and consistent evidence that some behaviors, such as gambling, activate the brain reward system with effects similar to those of drugs of abuse.
Neurocognitive Disorders
Neurocognitive disorders are characterized by acquired deficits in cognitive function. These disorders do not include those in which impaired cognition was present at birth or early in life.
Delirium
Delirium, also known as acute confusional state, develops over a short period of time (usually few hours or a few days) and is characterized by disturbances in attention and awareness.
Major and Mild Neurocognitive Disorders
Major and mild neurocognitive disorders have the primary feature of acquired cognitive decline in one or more areas including memory, attention, language, learning, and perception. These cognitive disorders can be due to medical conditions including Alzheimer's disease, HIV infection, Parkinson's disease, substance/medication use, vascular disease, and others.
Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are characterized by an enduring pattern of maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can cause serious detriments to relationships and other life areas.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a long-standing disregard for rules, social norms, and the rights of others. People with this disorder typically begin displaying symptoms during childhood, have difficulty feeling empathy for others, and lack remorse for their destructive behaviors.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Avoidant personality disorder involves severe social inhibition and sensitivity to rejection. Such feelings of insecurity lead to significant problems with the individual's daily life and functioning.
Personality Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder is associated with symptoms including emotional instability, unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, unstable self-image, and impulsive behaviors.
Dependent Personality Disorder
Dependent personality disorder involves a chronic pattern of fearing separation and an excessive need to be taken care of. People with this disorder will often engage in behaviors that are designed to produce care- giving actions in others.
