Psychopathology is the symptoms or signs of mental disorders. It literally means the pathology of the minds.Abnormal psychology applies scientific methods to the study of mental disorders.

syndrome is a group of symptoms that appear together and usually assumed to represent a specific type of disorder.

mental disorder is generally defined by the duration of maladaptive behaviors and impairments in social life or with job. For the most part, individuals with a mental disorder experience personal distress. Mental disorders are typically different from the statistical norms. The differences between normal and abnormal behavior are differences in degree for the most part. All mental disorders are shaped, to some extent, by cultural factors. Mental disorders are never entirely due to cultural or social factors. However, psychotic disorders are less influenced by culture than are nonpsychotic disorders. The symptoms of certain disorders are more likely to vary across cultures than are the disorders themselves.

Epidemiology is the scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population. Such studies often reveal gender differences for many types of disorders.

Incidence is the number of new cases in a population that appear in a population during a specific period of time.

Lifetime prevalence is the proportion of people within a population who have been affected by the disorder (or anything you can measure) at some point during their lives.

Comorbidity is the presence of more than one condition at the same time.

Epidemiologists measure disease burden by combining factors of mortality and disability. Psychiatry is a branch branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of mental disorders. They are licensed to practice medicine (they go to medical school) and to prescribe psychotropic medication. Clinical Psychology is concerned with the application of psychological science to the assessment and treatment of mental disorders. Social Work is concerned with helping people achieve an effective level of psychosocial functioning.
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