Internalizing Disorders

Internalizing disorders is a term used by researchers and clinicians to describe a group of mental health disorders with similar etiologies and symptoms. Specifically, these disorders are those characterized by feelings or states directed inward (i.e., emotional and behavioral problems characterized primarily by anxious and depressed feelings). Lists of internalizing disorders always include anxiety and depressive disorders, but they may also extend to feeding and eating disorders, elimination disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, bipolar disorders, and suicidal behaviors. Internalizing disorders are often contrasted with externalizing disorders, which generally refer to those mental health disorders involving problematic emotions and behaviors directed outward toward others (e.g., aggression, impulsivity). The differences between internalizing and externalizing disorders have also been described as emotional versus behavioral disorders and as overcontrolled or ...

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