Psychiatric Diagnosis

What's Normal and What's a Psychiatric Disorder?

An important issue is where the line should be drawn to distinguish what is normal from what is abnormal. Low mood. Nervousness. Insomnia. Poor appetite. Feeling tired. Feeling anxious about saying something stupid when speaking before a group of people. Having a nightmare after a very upsetting event. All of these are normal human emotions, feelings, thoughts and reactions that you may have experienced. No one would suggest that it is a sign of mental illness for you to be anxious and have a restless night's sleep before an important exam, or to be upset and depressed after finding out that your spouse has been unfaithful.

The boundary between normality and mental disorder is generally defined by four factors: 

1. how long the symptoms last (symptom duration), 
2. how severe they are (symptom intensity), 
3. how upsetting the symptoms are (personal distress), and 
4. how the symptoms disrupt your life (impairment in functioning). 

It is normal for you to feel depressed and upset after a long relationship ends. It is abnormal when your symptoms of depression (poor appetite, sleep difficulty, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, decreased interest and enjoyment in usual activities) occur daily for several weeks or more and significantly interfere with your work and/or performing chores around the house. When symptoms persist and cause you distress or impair your functioning then they qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis.

Knowing your diagnosis

Back   |   Psychiatric diagnosis