Psychopathology

Psychopathology is the study of mental illness, which can include a wide range of elements such as symptoms, behaviours, causes (genetics, biology, social, and psychological), course, development, categorization, treatments, and strategies.

Some of the signs that a person may be suffering from psychopathology are as follows:

•    Changes in eating habits
•    Mood swings 
•    Excessive worry, anxiety, or fear
•    Distressed feelings 
•    Inability to concentrate
•    Anger or irritability
•    Tiredness or a lack of energy
•    Disruptions to sleep
•    Suicidal or self-harming thoughts
•    Having difficulty coping with daily life
•    Withdrawal from activities and relationships

Some examples of psychopathology include, but are not limited to:

•    Trauma
•    Substance-related disorders
•    Somatic symptom disorders
•    Depressive disorders
•    Bipolar disorders
•    Anxiety disorders
•    Sleep disorders
•    Schizophrenia 
•    Personality disorders
•    Obsessive-compulsive disorders
•    Neurodevelopmental disorders
•    Neurocognitive disorders
•    Eating disorders
•    Dissociative disorders
•    Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders

At the clinical level, many different types of professionals are attempting to use the diagnostic systems that are in place to provide effective treatments to people suffering from psychopathology. These can include:

•    Clinical psychologists
•    Psychiatrists 
•    Counselors
•    Criminologists
•    Family and marriage therapists
•    Nurse practitioners 
•    Psychiatry Nurse
•    Sociologists

Deviance, distress, malfunction, and risk are all conditions that might be classified as psychiatric diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental disease at some point in their lives.

The following are the most generally used methods in the United States for classifying mental illness.

1.    Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
2.    International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
3.    Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)