Practice Briefs

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychological Association [APA], 2013) as a disorder that can occur following exposure to actual or threatened death...

Sue et al. (2007) described racial microaggressions as ‘‘brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights...

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is categorized as a Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder in the fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).

Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations (most commonly auditory), disorganized thinking or speech, disorganized or abnormal motor behavior, and negative symptoms (e.g., flat affect; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).

In the United States, an estimated 50 million students are enrolled in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Another 15 million students attend colleges and universities across the country.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth 10–24 years of age. In 2014, suicide accounted for 5,504 deaths among young people and almost 157,000 hospital visits for self-inflicted injuries were documented.

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined as developmentally inappropriate and excessive distress or anxiety that involves a fear of separation from those to whom an individual is attached (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013, p. 190).

A sexual offender is a legal, non-psychological term used to describe an individual who has been convicted by a court of law of a sexual offense, which may include abuse of another individual.

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association (2013) categorizes specific learning disorder (SLD) as a neurodevelopmental disorder.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as “…a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.”