"Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life" (NAMI, 2010).
Definition(s)/Description
As you will see below, there are many interchangeable terms that are used for this disability such as:
According to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), the federal term used is "Emotional Disturbance" (ED). An emotional disturbance is a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
-An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
-An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
-Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
-A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
-A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Children who are diagnosed with schizophrenia also fall under this term. This does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance (IDEA, 2004).
These characteristics have occurred over a long period of time and have a direct negative impact on school performance. Students that have an emotional disturbance represent a wide range of severity.
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorder
- Emotional Disturbance
- Emotional Impairment
- Emotional Disability
- Emotional Disorder
- Mental Illness
- Mental Disorder
- Behavioral Disability
According to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), the federal term used is "Emotional Disturbance" (ED). An emotional disturbance is a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
-An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
-An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
-Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
-A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
-A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Children who are diagnosed with schizophrenia also fall under this term. This does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance (IDEA, 2004).
These characteristics have occurred over a long period of time and have a direct negative impact on school performance. Students that have an emotional disturbance represent a wide range of severity.
According to IDEA, there are many symptoms of students with emotional disturbances (Burgess, 2012). They include:
- Learning difficulties
- Difficulties to focus or concentrate
- Inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships
- Inappropriate types of behavior
- Pervasive mood of unhappiness
- Depression
- Physical Symptoms of fears associated with personal or school problems
Other Descriptions of the Disability
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, 2004) identifies this disability as an emotional/behavioral disorder in the following way:
"A condition in which behavioral or emotional responses of an individual in school are so different from his/her generally accepted, age appropriate, ethnic, or cultural norms that they adversely affect performance in such areas as.."
An emotional/behavioral disorder may also include children or youth with schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, or who have dealt with disturbances of conduct, attention, or adjustment (Lehr & McComas, 2005) |
The National Dissemination Center for Chidren with Disabilities (NICHCY, 2013) refers to mental disorders using "umbrella" terms such as emotional disturbance, behavioral disorders, or mental illness. There is a wide-range of specific disorders that fall under this category and include:
The National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) definition of an emotional disturbance is: "A disability characterized by behavioral or emotional responses in school so different from age appropriate, cultural, or ethnic norms and affect educational performance."
This definition of emotional disturbances was never passed by federal law, but it is mostly preferred by psychologists (School Psychology, 2012). |
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Dr. Brent Daigle from Mercer University gives an overview of "Emotional Behavioral Disorders" in this short video clip. Check it out! |