Why do we call it a Disorder?

In mental health conversations, you’ll often hear conditions like depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia referred to as disorders rather than diseases. This distinction is not random but it reflects how psychology and psychiatry understand human behavior, emotions, and brain functioning.

Disease in the Traditional Sense

In medicine, a disease is typically linked to a clear biological cause. For example:

• Malaria is caused by a parasite.
   
• Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium.
   

Diseases can usually be detected through lab tests or scans, and they often have a fairly predictable progression and treatment.

Why Mental Health Issues Are Called Disorders

Most mental health conditions don’t neatly fit into the “disease” category because:

• No single clear cause - Depression may stem from a mix of brain chemistry, genetics, stress, and life experiences. Anxiety can be triggered by biology, trauma, or learned behavior.
   
• Complex interactions - Mental health challenges are influenced not only by the brain and body but also by thoughts, emotions, environment, and relationships.
   
• Variability -Two people with the same diagnosis (say, bipolar disorder) may show very different symptoms and responses to treatment.
   

That’s why the term “disorder” is used — it literally means a disruption of normal order or functioning. In psychology, it indicates that something in thought, emotion, or behavior has become dysregulated.

Examples of Psychological Disorders

• Depressive Disorders – disturbances in mood, energy, and motivation.
   
• Anxiety Disorders – excessive worry, fear, or avoidance.
   
• Personality Disorders – enduring patterns of thinking and behavior that affect relationships and functioning.
   
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders – such as ADHD or autism, which affect growth and development of the brain.
   

None of these have a single biological test that can “prove” them, which is why we don’t label them as diseases. Instead, diagnosis relies on structured assessments, clinical interviews, and standardized criteria (like those in the DSM-5 or ICD-11).

In psychology, we call it a disorder because mental health struggles are not simply about one biological defect or germ. They’re about disruptions in the complex system of mind, brain, and environment.