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Categories of Mental Disorders
| CATEGORY |
CHARACTERISTICS |
EXAMPLE DISORDERS |
| Mood Disorders |
A disturbance of mood |
Depression
Bi-polar disorder |
| Anxiety Disorders |
Characterized by apprehension usually accompanied by palpitations, and shortness of breath. |
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Panic attack
Post traumatic stress disorder
Agoraphobia
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| Psychotic Disorders |
Characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior |
Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, Delusional disorder |
| Substance-Related Disorders |
These disorders result from taking a substance: i.e. a drug of abuse, the side effects of a medication, and toxin exposure. |
Substance Dependence
Substance Abuse |
| Disorders usually first seen in infancy, childhood, or adolescence |
Some people with these disorders are not diagnosed until adulthood. |
Retardation
Autism
Learning Attention deficit
Disruptive behavior
Feeding |
| Cognitive Disorders |
Dysfunctions of the brain caused by neurological problem and/or drug abuse. |
Delirium, Dementia, Memory disorders |
| Eating Disorders |
Severe disturbances in eating behavior. |
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa |
| Personality Disorders |
An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that is pervasive since adolescence is inflexible and leads to distress or impairment. |
Paranoid, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Schizotypal, Dependent personality disorders |
Notes:
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Diagnosis of more than one mental disorder is possible.
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In general, a general medical condition is ruled out before making a diagnosis of a mental disorder
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Categories of DSM mental disorders not included in this chart: Sleep, Sexual and Gender Identity, Impulse Control, Factitious (intentionally produced), Dissociative (consciousness, identity, perception), and Somatoform (unexplained physical symptoms)
Source: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition
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