The first classification of mental disorders involved ________
A) identifying the biological causes of the disorders, so a person could be tested for them.
B) understanding the theoretical descriptions of different disorders.
C) recognizing symptoms that occurred together often enough to be regarded as a type of mental disorder.
D) identifying the types of thoughts that people with different mental illnesses tended to have.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first classification of mental disorders was based on recognizing symptoms that occurred together often enough to be regarded as a type of mental disorder. This approach is still used in modern diagnostic systems such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). A and D are incorrect because biological causes and types of thoughts were not yet understood at the time of the first classification. B may have been considered, but without a systematic way of identifying and grouping disorders based on symptoms, theoretical descriptions would not have been helpful in classifying disorders.

The First Classification of Mental Disorders Involved ________