Psychopathology is the study of mental illnesses and disorders, including their manifestation in individuals. Mental health professionals use diagnostic manuals to identify symptoms and diagnose conditions, but misdiagnosis is common. Ongoing research suggests a fluid approach to the subject is more helpful.
Psychopathology is an interesting term that is often erroneously referred to as the study of psychopaths. While the term might include the study and descriptions of the manifestation of mental illness among some psychopathic or sociopathic people, it is by no means limited to that. It is the study of what are called mental illnesses or disorders, and it is also what emerges when these disorders manifest themselves in the individual. For example, a person with certain characteristics such as manic and depressive states might have a psychopathology (group of symptoms) indicative of bipolar disorder, or other psychopathologies might be suggested with the addition of other symptoms.
The description of mental illnesses is usually found in places like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Through study of this book and in clinical practice many mental health professionals are able to diagnose certain mental illnesses by description. This description is part of psychopathology as the intense study of mental illnesses tends to lead to describing the general characteristics of each illness. Mental health professionals who are able to diagnose don’t start from scratch and are delivered symptom results instead. They know what to look for from previous research and findings from other professionals, just like most doctors diagnose certain diseases based on the findings of others.
The presence of a disease affecting mental processes does not necessarily mean that the disease originates in the mind. Continuing research into different forms of illnesses that manifest mental symptoms suggests the continuing work of the psychopathologist. Increasingly, assessments of different bodily functions may indicate causes of mental illnesses that occur elsewhere anatomically and may require different treatments than those specifically targeting neurotransmitters.
The other way the term is used as a descriptor of mental disorders creates a common language for mental health professionals to share patient care. Yet no doctor can make a diagnosis unless symptoms manifest. The way symptoms manifest can be different for each mental disorder, and sometimes the psychopathologies are immediately apparent, while other times they can be difficult to observe at first. Having access to diagnostic manuals and having significant experience can make some professionals better at diagnosing than others. Misdiagnosis is not uncommon, as a number of mental conditions share similar psychopathological signs.
In one sense or another, most mental health professionals have some degree of regular contact with psychopathology. They can study it for a living or they can see it appear in patients and be expected to diagnose it. The main criticism of this area of healing tends to be when people study it or see it as a rigid thing. Numerous volumes of the DSM have added new conditions, added more symptoms for diagnosis, suggested different treatments, and updated or scaled down the severity with which certain conditions are viewed. As with all other medicines, ongoing research in psychopathology continually produces new information and ideas, suggesting that a fluid approach to the subject is more helpful.
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