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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the primary tool used by mental health professionals to classify and diagnose psychological disorders. Published by the American Psychiatric Association, it provides standardized criteria that ensure consistent diagnosis across different practitioners and settings. The DSM-5 replaced earlier systems with a more streamlined approach that focuses on clinical presentation and severity. This standardization is crucial for research, treatment planning, and insurance coverage of mental health services.

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Anxiety Disorders- When Worry Takes Over

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Anxiety Disorders- When Worry Takes Over

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Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychological conditions, affecting millions of people worldwide. This category includes generalized anxiety disorder (characterized by excessive worry about everyday situations), panic disorder (featuring sudden, intense episodes of fear called panic attacks), social anxiety disorder (extreme fear in social situations), and specific phobias (intense fear or particular objects or situations). These disorders share the common feature of excessive fear or anxiety that interferes with daily functioning and is disproportionate to the actual threat present.

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Mood Disorders - The Emotional Roller Coaster

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Mood Disorders - The Emotional Roller Coaster

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Mood disorders primarily affect a person's emotional state and include conditions like major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Major depression involves persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable. Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania (elevated mood, increased energy, and impulsive behavior). These conditions significantly impact a person's ability to function in work, school, and relationships, but are high treatable with proper intervention.

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Personality Disorders - Patterns That Persist

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Personality Disorders - Patterns That Persist

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Personality disorders involve enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that deviate significantly from cultural expectations and cause distress or impairment. The DSM-5 organizes personality disorders into three clusters: Cluster A (off or eccentric behavior, including paranoid and schizoid disorders), Cluster B (dramatic or erratic behavior, including borderline and narcissistic disorders), and Cluster C (anxious or fearful behavior, including avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders). Unlike other mental health conditions, personality disorders typically emerge in adolescence or early adulthood and remain relatively stable over time.

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Psychotic Disorders - When Reality Becomes Distorted

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Psychotic Disorders - When Reality Becomes Distorted

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Psychotic disorders involve a loss of contact with reality and may include symptoms such as hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there), delusions (false beliefs), disorganized thinking, and abnormal motor behavior. Schizophrenia is the most well-known disorder in this category, but it also includes brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, and substane-induced psychotic disorder. These conditions require immediate professional intervention and often involve a combination of medication and psychosocial treatments to help individuals manage their symptoms and maintain functioning.

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Schizophrenia and Dissociative Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #32

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Why Classification Matters in Mental Health

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Why Classification Matters in Mental Health

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Proper classification of psychological disorders serves multiple critical purposes in mental health care. It enables healthcare providers to communicate effectively about patient conditions, develop appropriate treatment plans based on evidence-based practices, and conduct meaningful research to improve understanding and treatment of mental illness. Classification also helps reduce stigma by providing a scientific framework for understanding mental health conditions as legitimate medical concerns rather than person weaknesses. Additionally, it ensure that individuals receive appropriate insurance coverage for their treatment and help identify patterns in mental health that can inform public health initiatives.

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American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

Blog: Aurora Public Library Blog. (2021). Auroragov.org. https://www.auroragov.org/blog/One.aspx?portalId=7870236&postId=17672105&portletAction=viewpost

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, October 15). DSM-5: What it is & what it diagnoses. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/dsm

CrashCourse. (2014). Schizophrenia & Dissociative Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #32. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxktavpRdzU

Guy-Evans, O. (2023, November 9). The Various Types of Mood Disorders. Www.simplypsychology.org. https://www.simplypsychology.org/mood-disorder.html

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Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024, March 12). Mental illness. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

Personality disorders: clusters, types and symptoms. (n.d.). Priory. https://www.priorygroup.com/mental-health/personality-disorder-treatment/types-and-symptoms-of-personality-disorders

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Psych Hub Education. (2020). Anxiety Disorders [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtUdHOx494E

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World Health Organization. (2022, June 8). Mental disorders. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders

Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, February 1). DSM-5. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5

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