Which diagnostic criterion involves experiencing negative feelings like anxiety, isolation, confusion and fear?

Which diagnostic criterion involves experiencing negative feelings like anxiety, isolation, confusion and fear?

• A. Distress
• B. Dysphoria
• C. Eustress
• D. Mania

Answer: (A)

Negative emotional suffering that impairs functioning is captured by the concept of distress. When someone experiences feelings like anxiety, isolation, confusion, and fear, these are signs of emotional pain and potential impairment, which is what distress describes in diagnostic contexts. Dysphoria refers to a generally uncomfortable or unhappy mood, but it’s more specifically about mood state rather than a broader cluster of negative emotions like fear or confusion. Eustress is positive or beneficial stress that can motivate performance, not a negative emotional experience. Mania involves an abnormally elevated mood and high energy, not the negative feelings described. So the symptoms described align with distress, the best match for negative emotional suffering in a diagnostic sense.

Negative emotional suffering that impairs functioning is captured by the concept of distress. When someone experiences feelings like anxiety, isolation, confusion, and fear, these are signs of emotional pain and potential impairment, which is what distress describes in diagnostic contexts.

Dysphoria refers to a generally uncomfortable or unhappy mood, but it’s more specifically about mood state rather than a broader cluster of negative emotions like fear or confusion. Eustress is positive or beneficial stress that can motivate performance, not a negative emotional experience. Mania involves an abnormally elevated mood and high energy, not the negative feelings described.

So the symptoms described align with distress, the best match for negative emotional suffering in a diagnostic sense.