What is a "mental disorder"?

What is a "mental disorder"?

Christopher Reist (Academic Psychiatrist, Co-Author of “Psychiatry”) gives expert video advice on: What is "psychiatry"?; What's the difference between "psychiatry" and "psychology"?; What is a "mental disorder"?

A mental disorder can be defined loosely as a condition that causes distress or dysfunction. I think Freud put it best in saying that a healthy mind is one that can love and work. So I think we try to define mental illness as a condition that results in the inability to love and work, such as <a href="http://www.videojug.com/interview/bipolar-disorder">bipolar disease</a>. In more modern terms this would be defined as a more social or occupational impairment; the inability to have relationships or to be able to work productively.