Mood, psychotic, and personality disorders
Some disorders mainly affect mood, others affect contact with reality or long-standing patterns of relating to people. This lesson is for learning about psychology, not for diagnosing yourself or anyone else; if you are struggling, talk to a qualified professional.
Mood disorders
Major depressive disorder involves persistent low mood or loss of interest for at least two weeks, along with symptoms such as changes in sleep and appetite, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness. Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression alternating with mania, periods of unusually elevated mood, energy, and impulsive behaviour. Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders worldwide.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia involves psychosis, a loss of contact with reality. Positive symptoms are additions to normal experience, such as hallucinations (perceiving things that are not there) and delusions (strongly held false beliefs). Negative symptoms are reductions, such as flat emotion and reduced speech or motivation. It usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood.
Personality and neurodevelopmental disorders
Personality disorders are long-lasting, inflexible patterns of thinking and behaving that cause problems in relationships and functioning, such as borderline or antisocial personality disorder. Neurodevelopmental disorders begin in childhood and include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder.
Flashcard
Persistent low mood or loss of interest with other symptoms
Check your understanding
Hearing voices that no one else hears is an example of: