The 9 types of psychological symptoms (and characteristics)
When we speak of a mental or psychological disorder, we are referring to a set of characteristics and inferable elements of the analysis of an individual’s behaviour and responses that cause significant discomfort and represent a handicap, disqualification or difficulty of adaptation for the person himself or his environment.
There are a great number of elements that can be observed in different dimensions of the person, and these can be grouped into different types of psychological symptoms .
What is a symptom?
In order to be able to talk about the different types of symptoms we can find, it is useful to first define what a symptom is.
A symptom is understood as the element or characteristic that could be signalling the presence of a medical or psychological problem . Therefore, it is not an objective and totally visible indicator, as could be the lack of a body part, but we would be talking about an indication that something is happening.
Although it could be very useful to be able to directly detect any condition, unfortunately this is rarely possible. Bearing in mind that mental processes are not directly observable physical entities (and even if they were, their meaning could be diverse), obtaining unequivocal signs of the presence of a disorder is not possible, so it is necessary to resort to the observation of behaviours and expressions that allow us to visualise the thoughts, emotions and beliefs that make us who, what and how we are.
Different types of psychological symptoms
The human psyche is a complex structure in which multiple systems interact and perform various functions, with which there is a great variety of aspects that could end up resulting in a maladaptive relationship with oneself or with the world.
This also implies that there is a great variety of possible psychological symptoms , which we could group into the following.
1. Perceptive
The perception or absence of it of the stimuli coming from the real world and the differentiation between these and contents produced by the mind are some of the most characteristic symptoms of certain disorders. Within this category would fall both perceptual deceptions, in which something is perceived that does not exist in the external world, and perceptual distortions in which a stimulus existing in the environment is captured in an anomalous way.
This type of symptom can also include difficulties in recognizing through the senses the stimuli that are presented to us despite the fact that our senses act correctly at a biological level, agnosias.
2. From the way of thinking
Although when talking about cognitive symptoms we usually think about “what” we think, it is equally relevant to consider “how” or “in what way” we do it . This type of symptom refers to the way we think, that is, the way we reason, which is visible through language.
Lack of logic and internal coherence, use of words for characteristics that have nothing to do with their meaning, loss of associations, accelerations and/or inability to follow a line of thought to its conclusion, or excessive use of elements that have little to do with what is intended are some of the psychological symptoms of this type.
3. On the content of thought
As a living entity that has to make an active effort in order to survive and remain in the world, the human being captures and perceives the information of the environment in order to be able to act in relation to the events and circumstances that may affect him. To do this, it is necessary to work with the information received, being able to make judgments about it and use these to respond to the environment. The interaction with the environment and with ourselves brings into play the beliefs of each one, which we will use as a basis to establish a plan of action in the face of what may happen.
However, some people have fixed, intense, distant from reality and inflexible beliefs that cause great anguish or difficulty in the individual’s life, and behaviour may be an indicator of the presence of a problem at this level. Within this type of psychological symptoms fall mainly delusions, obsessive ideas and overrated ideas.
4. Of conscience
Although when we talk about psychological symptoms the first thing we think of is constructs linked to perception, thought or emotion, in order to experience all these things it is necessary to have a certain level of conscious activity .
It is important to take into account that we can also find symptomatological elements in this aspect, with a possible decrease in their level (as in stupor or in extreme cases coma), a narrowing of what we are aware of, making the cognitive and behavioural aspects dissociated (multiple personality being an example of this), the introduction of strange elements such as confusion or delirium or even the excess of consciousness that can accompany substance consumption.
5. Attention
Even if we have a sufficient level of consciousness to capture the stimuli, we must be able to focus on them and/or move our cognitive resources away from them.
Therefore, another type of psychological symptoms to be considered are those referring to the ability to focus, direct, sustain and withdraw attention . Within this type of symptom we can find both incapacity, difficulty or excess in concentrating, directing attention, selecting the stimuli to which to direct it or reacting to possible stimuli.
6. Of memory and recognition
Memory and recognition are vital elements for the human being, being basic to be able to learn and modify our behavior or acquire skills to respond to situations of our daily life.
Psychological symptoms that indicate an alteration in this area include difficulty in remembering past events (anterograde amnesia), coding and storing new information (retrograde amnesia), mental processing that is taken for granted (as in confabulation), or an extreme ability to remember events or stimuli (hypermnesia).
7. Of language
As the main communication tool, language, both verbal and non-verbal, allows us to establish links with the environment and with other living beings, and even to organize our thoughts. Aspects considered as symptoms in the area of language include difficulties in intonation, rhythm, expression or comprehension .
8. Psychomotor skills
The human being is an animal that needs to be able to move or move parts of its body in order to perform most actions. The inability or difficulty in movement, the emission of stereotyped patterns of involuntary movements or an excess of movements or motor agitation are typical psychological symptoms of this area.
9. Affective
One of the types of symptoms that have the greatest effect on a person’s subjective well-being and that are most present in most disorders is emotion- and affection-related symptoms. They refer to characteristics that show that there is an alteration in the subjective assessment of the individual.
Excessive joy or sadness, anxiety, impulsiveness, indifference, decontextualization, inability to express oneself, lack of emotion, excessive rigidity or variability are typical psychological symptoms.
Bibliographic references:
- Baños, R. and Perpiña, C. (2002). Psychopathological exploration. Madrid: SÃntesis.
- Santos, J.L. (2012). Psychopathology. CEDE PIR Preparation Manual, 01. Madrid.