The American Psychiatric Association abbreviated as APA is a professional and scientific organization that represents trainee psychiatrists and psychiatrists in the United States of America. Thereafter conducting a critical research and analysis, the American Psychiatric Association defines psychological disorder as a condition that results to significant disturbances in feelings, thoughts and behaviors (American Psychiatric Association 23).
The disturbances are believed to reflect on some kind of psychological, developmental or biological dysfunction. In most cases, the disturbances lead to disability or distress and they do not reflect on culturally or expected approved responses in regards to certain events (American Psychiatric Association 31). A good example of a pattern of behavior that might appear to be a disorder but does not meet APA’s conditions is Autophagia. Fundamentally the indicated condition is a disorder where one fails to resist drives, temptation and impulses to perform acts that are harmful to themselves or others.
Next in order, specific phobia refers to a form of anxiety disorder that leads to irrational or unreasonable fear that is related to specific situations and objects (Anthony " Martin " David 33). The word specific is used to show that the person affected is afraid of limited or specific things in the society. Based on a recent research, it was observed that most people acquire phobias through conditioning, stressful experiences and frightening events. In some cases, children develop the same phobias as their parents.
Last but not least, psychotherapy is a technique that involves using psychosocial methods so as to help a person reform and overcome different problems in ways that are desirable. On the other hand, behavior therapy is the use of behaviorist techniques to look at learned, specific behaviors and how the environment plays a role in this behaviors (London 47). Based on this definition, psychotherapy and behavior therapy relate in that their main focus is analyzing, learning and controlling behavior.
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association. American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: compendium 2006. American Psychiatric Pub, 2006.
Antony, Martin M., and David H. Barlow. "Specific phobia." International handbook of cognitive and behavioural treatments for psychological disorders (1998): 1-22.
London, Perry. The modes and morals of psychotherapy. Taylor " Francis, 2014.
