Biological psychopathology is the study of the biological etiology of abnormal cognitions, behaviour and experiences. Child psychopathology is a specialisation applied to children and adolescents. Animal psychopathology is a specialisation applied to non-human animals.
Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding. Lawrence Erlbaum. McMaster University. (2011). Psychological disorders. In Discover psychology (pp. 154–155, 157–158, 162–164) [Introduction]. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education. Sims, A. (2002) Symptoms in the Mind: An Introduction to Descriptive Psychopathology (3rd ed). Elsevier.
Behavior-genetic research supports a genetic basis for these connections, indicating that personality and psychopathology are linked at an etiological level ( Krueger, 2005 ). The modern DSM s have been fundamentally helpful in psychopathology research. They have provided explicit definitions of categories of psychopathology.
There is not a single cause for psychopathology. There a number of factors that can increase the risk of mental illness, including: It is also important to realize that mental health can change over time.