Psychopathology is a
term which refers to either
the
study of
mental illness or mental distressthe manifestation of behaviours and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment.
It is also the name of an academic journal that specialises in the understanding and classification of mental illness in
clinical psychiatry.Psychopathology as the study of mental illness
The many different professions may be involved in studying mental illness or distress. Most notably, psychiastrists and clinical psychologists are particularly interested in this area and may either be involved in
clinical treatment of mental illness, or research into the origin,
development and manifestations of such states, or often, both. More
widely, many different specialties may be involved in the study of
psychopathology. For example, a neurosciectist may focus on brain changes related to mental illness. Therefore, someone who is referred to as a psychopathologist, may be one of any number of professions who have specialised in studying this area.
Psychiatrists in particular are interested in descriptive psychopathology, which has the aim of describing the symptoms and syndromes of mental illness. This is both for the
diagnosis of individual patients (to see whether the patient''s experience fits
any pre-existing classification), or for the creation of diagnostic
systems (such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) which define exactly which signs and symptoms should make up a diagnosis, and how experiences and behaviours should be grouped in particular diagnoses (e.g. clinical depression, schizophrenia).Psychopathology as a descriptive term
The term
Psychopathology may also be used to denote
behaviours or experiences which are indicative of mental illness, even
if they do not constitute a formal diagnosis. For example, the presence
of an hallucination
may be considered as a psychopathological sign, even if there are not
enough symptoms present to fulfill the criteria for one of the
disorders listed in the DSM.
In a more general sense, any behaviour or experience which causes impairment, distress or , disability particularly if it is thought to arise from a functional breakdown in either the cognitive and neurocognitive systems in the brain, may be classified as psychopathology.The academic journal Psychopathology
Originally founded in 1897 and named Psychiatria Clinica, the journal changed its name to Psychopathology in 1984.
It bills itself as the ''International journal of experimental
psychopathology, phenomenology and psychiatric diagnosis'' and aims to
''elucidate the complex interrelationships of biology, subjective
experience, behavior and therapies''.
More summaries about the what is Psychopathology