Once we discussed symptoms as those sensations of discomfort or pain experienced by our body and/or our mind. Clinical psychology encompasses all the rules that allow us to act as "investigators" to determine the cause of symptoms, as well as the best way to treat them.
In psychology, there is also clinical psychology. The tool that psychologists use to determine if the set of symptoms reported by an individual defines a disorder is called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, abbreviated as DSM.
The DSM lists all the mental disorders recognized by the scientific community. It specifies the criteria that each disorder must meet, such as the number of symptoms a person must exhibit, the duration of those symptoms, and their impact on the person's quality of life.
The part in which the psychologist investigates the symptoms is called the diagnostic examination. The diagnostic examination can be described as the set of questions that the psychologist asks to understand the symptoms and the experiences of the individual. In this case as well, the DSM provides guidance on best practices depending on the situation. For example, the questions directed at an adult may not be the same as those directed at children.
In the upcoming posts, we will explore as many disorders as possible. For now, I'll tell you that the DSM categorizes disorders into 19 main categories.
| Neurodevelopmental Disorders | Dissociative Disorders | Gender Dysphoria |
| Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders | Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders | Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders |
| Bipolar and Related Disorders | Feeding and Eating Disorders | Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders |
| Depressive Disorders | Elimination Disorders | Neurocognitive Disorders |
| Anxiety Disorders | Sleep-Wake Disorders. | Personality Disorders |
| Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders | Sexual Dysfunctions | Paraphilic Disorders |
| Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders |
Additional mental disorders and conditions not covered by the previous categories are also included.
Sources:
- American Psychiatric Association (2013) - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
You likely knew the word "clinic" in the context of medicine. Do you recognize any similarities between medical and psychological clinics?
If you'd like me to explain a topic in psychology in my own words, please feel free to ask.
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