What quaifies something as a psychological disorder?

Answer 1

You don't always have to have a disorder to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. I went to one 3 years ago because my mother was acting very strange towards me (I didn't realize she had Dementia and she was 70 when she started to really mistreat me) and I had to make the decision to stay away from me. I was riddled with guilt because this wasn't normal to me and before this my mother and I always got along together and did a lot of things together. I really didn't want to discuss it with friends (sometimes they have a tendency to tell another friend) as it was very personal to me, so I used the expertise of the psychologist who helped me put things into perspective and give me some tools to live with. People that are depressed; suicidal; feelings of numbness towards them self and others; doing drugs too much (including street drugs and alcohol); fighting with their partner too much; go into fits of anger over nothing that important; have feelings of low self-esteem. The list goes on and on. If you aren't sure then go to a psychologist (they treat the human aspect of things and can't prescribe medications) whereas Psychiatrists take more schooling in medications and less in human reactions. You may just need a "kick start" as I call it. We work on our bodies and tune it up and we should do that with our minds as well. Sometimes we can discuss it with a Priest, Minister, good friend or family member, but sometimes we just feel we need the advice from someone that isn't involved in the problem.