Psychological Disorders: The DSM-IV

161 Words1 Pages
The cartoon is making fun of how it seems like everyone has a disorder nowadays, even little kids. Psychological disorders are harmful dysfunctions in which behavior is judged to be atypical, disturbing, maladaptive, and unjustifiable. Medical models, when applied to psychological disorders, assume that these mental illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms and cured through therapy. To classify psychological disorders, the DSM-IV, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is a widely used system. The DSM-IV discusses neurotic disorders, which are psychological disorders that is usually distressing but that allows one to think rationally and function socially. The DSM-IV also