An internalizing disorder ( or internalising disorder) is one type of emotional and behavioral disorder, along with externalizing disorders, and lower incidence disorders. People who have an internalizing disorder will keep their problems to themselves, or internalize the problems.

Signs and symptoms

Behaviors that are apparent in those with internalizing disorders include depression, withdrawal,

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

, and loneliness. There are also behavioral characteristics involved with internalizing disorders. Some behavioral abnormalities include poor

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...

, suicidal behaviors, decreased academic progress, and social withdrawal. Internalizing one's problems, like sadness, can cause the problems to grow into larger burdens such as social withdrawal, suicidal behaviors or thoughts, and other unexplained physical symptoms.

DSM-5

The internalizing disorders, with high levels of

negative affectivity In psychology, negative affectivity (NA), or negative affect, is a personality variable that involves the experience of negative emotions and poor self-concept. Negative affectivity subsumes a variety of negative emotions, including anger, contem ...

, include depressive disorders,

anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...

, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, trauma and stressor-related disorders, and

dissociative disorder Dissociative disorders (DDs) are a range of conditions characterized by significant disruptions or fragmentation "in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior. ...

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...

, and

anorexia Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

come under this category, as do

dysthymia Dysthymia ( ), known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD) in the DSM-5-TR and dysthymic disorder in ICD-11, is a psychiatric condition marked by symptoms that are similar to those of major depressive disorder, but which persist for at leas ...

, and somatic disorders (in Huberty 2017) and

posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

(in Huberty 2004).

Treatment

Some treatments for internalizing disorders include

antidepressants Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathisia, sexu ...

electroconvulsive therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatry, psychiatric treatment that causes a generalized seizure by passing electrical current through the brain. ECT is often used as an intervention for mental disorders when other treatments are inadequ ...

, and

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

References

Source

{{cite book , last= , first= , author-link= , date=2011 , title=Internalizing Disorder , url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/internalizing-disorder , location=Encyclopedia of Adolescence , publisher=sciencedirect.com , page= , isbn= - Huberty 2004, 2017

External links

Depression
at

National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...