Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Disorders
Introduction
Overview
Overview
In medicine, a disorder is a functional abnormality or disturbance.[1][2]
In many cases, the terms “disorder”, “disease” and “illness” are used interchangeably.[3] However, the term “disorder” is often considered more value-neutral than the term “disease”, and is preferred by some patients with these conditions.
Medical disorders can be categorized into mental disorders or physical disorders. Mental disorder is the far more common term and physical disorder is mostly used just for distinction purposes.