Understanding And Treatment Of Psychological Disorders

The definition, understanding and treatment of psychological disorders have changed over time. In the dark ages or mid-evil times, people who behaved abnormally were quickly labelled as being mad or being possessed by spirits. The individuals were often held in isolation with their treatments being very cruel and harsh. In the eighteenth century, a French physician named Philippe Pinel challenged the cruel treatment methods and promoted a gentler and more humane approach. According to the American Psychiatric Association, a psychological disorder is a â€Å"syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation or behavior.† (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some people use the term psychological disorder in the same context as a mental illness or disorder. It is a behavior that leads to distress in an individual and prevents him or her from living a normal life to the point that they cannot perform daily chores. Certain behaviors have normal acceptable characteristics and if the behavior falls outside of this acceptable range, it can be considered a disorder. The behavior can be painful as well as harmful to the individual. One thing to note is that the behavior should not be something that is caused by a sudden stressful experience such as grief due to the death of a loved one. (Myers, 506) A psychologist can use The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to help determine the criteria forShow MoreRelatedPsychological And Psychological Treatment Of Psychological Disorders1709 Words   |  7 Pagesefficacy of psychological (non-pharmacological) interventions for psychological disorder? Discuss with reference to difficulties in measuring the effects of psychological treatment. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the different theoretical approaches in the treatment of psychological disorder with the help of psychological treatments. 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