"Physicians make diagnosis looking at a person's physical symptoms". How are psychological disorders diagnosed?
Psychological disorders are diagnosed using standard classification systems that group disorders based on shared characteristics. This enables psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to communicate and understand the causes of these disorders.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has published the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). It presents discrete clinical criteria which indicate the presence or absence of psychological disorders.
Additionally, the classification scheme officially used in India and elsewhere is the ICD-10 Classification of Behavioural and Mental Disorders, prepared by the World Health Organisation (WHO). For each disorder, it provides a description of the main clinical features or symptoms, along with other associated features and diagnostic guidelines.
Explanation
The answer explains that unlike physical symptoms, psychological disorders are diagnosed using standardized classification manuals like DSM-5 and ICD-10, which provide clinical criteria and descriptions of symptoms for accurate identification.