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The disease vs. disorder1 debate is something that still confuses people up to this day. But one thing that is for sure and should be understood is that people having a disorder is different from people suffering from any disease.
Are you someone who wants to know the difference between disease vs. disorder? This article may help you to understand the difference between disease vs. disorder.
What Is A Disorder?
Disorder in general meaning is disorganization. A disorder could take place when there is something that is not in place. When things are not in place or confusing to understand then, it can be called a disorder. Studies showed that disorder might deal with psychological confusions2.
For example, if you are stressed but totally fine physiologically, it can come under disorder. The disorder is different from the disease. The disorder may happen due to irregularities or disturbances in the normal functioning of various organs.
If you are trying to find the difference between disease vs. disorder, you must learn that disorder is totally different from disease. Many people comprehend both of these terms to be similar in meaning. One of the most known disorder is an autoimmune disorder3.
Types Of Disorder:
Autoimmune Disorder
This may occur when your immune system, which is made to shield you, attacks your body. The immune system is responsible for protecting your body from various diseases and unwanted things that may harm your body.
But in autoimmune disorder, your immune system attacks your body. An example of this type of disorder is Rheumatoid arthritis4. This disorder is not transparent. It is somehow confusing and creates perplexity.
Even after the disorder is diagnosed, reaching a perfect clinical treatment may be difficult. Disorders are difficult to understand as they don’t show symptoms immediately. There are disturbances in the normal functioning of your body.
The doctor diagnoses disorders by asking you about your symptoms and signs. You may have to go for some blood test that might help in identifying the disorder. But in mental disorders it is quite difficult to recognize as most mental disorders can’t be identified through physical tests.
It would help if you learned that disorders happen due to internal factors in your body. It may be due to an imbalance of chemicals that are present inside your body. Mental disorder is something that many people suffer from. Disease vs. disorder is one of the controversial comparisons that many people debate about.
Let us comprehend the meaning of mental disorder.
Read more about ginger tea for irritable bowel syndrome.
Physical Disorder
It is a type of disorder that can be identified by doing certain tests. These tests may include brain scans or chemical laboratory tests.
Genetic Disorder
This type of disorder is simply the damage caused to the DNA. This may be the consequence of any prior illness or disease. This may include sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, etc.
Structural Disorder
This type of disorder can be described as damage caused to your organs or parts. Brain damage creates a communication gap; this can be a great example of structural disorder.
Mental Disorder
It is a type of disorder that affects your psychological aspects. A mental disorder may affect the way you think or feel. Whenever it comes to a disorder, the first thing that many people ponder about is mental disorders.
Mental disorder is mainly about behavioral changes. It may be due to anxiety, depression, or mood swings. People who have a mental disorder must consult their doctor for a change if needed.
Read more about mental health.
What Is A Disease?
Disease vs. disorder is one of the most debated topics. Both of these topics are used interchangeably in some cases. A disease is a condition in which people suffer due to external forces. The main causes of disease are living organisms like viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.
It happens due to external factors and has very little to do with the internal body. For example, the common cold, SARS, etc., are caused by living organisms entering our body. These living organisms once enter inside our body spread infections, and that may cause diseases.
The disease is all about medical professional consultation. If one is suffering from any diseases, then it’s time to consult a doctor for treatment. There is no evidence regarding if it is descriptive or evaluative. In some cases, the disease can be both.
Some people say diseases are all about the symptom and biological conditions. In comparison, some people link diseases with the disorder. If you have a disease, then you must be showing some symptoms.
Various people are still dubious about disease vs. disorder. Some people think both of them are similar, and some know the difference. But the disease is a little different form of the disorder. The disease is a process that is caused by living organisms that may show symptoms.
This is how the disease is different from disorder. Before comparing disease vs. the disorder, you must know the meaning of both of them.
Types Of Diseases
Infectious Disease
These can be spread or transferred from one person to another. The main cause of the infectious disease is pathogens. This disease is named infectious as it can infect your body and can be transferred through fluids discharged from an infected person.
These fluids may include mucus through sneezing or coughing. These bacteria may come out through these fluids. Examples of infectious diseases include chickenpox, malaria, typhoid, common cold, etc.
Non- Infectious Disease
This disease may have various other factors except for the microorganisms. Non-infectious diseases can be caused by various other factors such as age, lifestyle, eating habits, weak immune system, the gender of the person, any deficiency of nutrients, etc.
The main examples of non-infectious diseases5 are hypertension (high blood pressure), chronic diseases, diabetes, etc.
How To Recognise If It’s A Disease Or Disorder?
Suppose you are trying to identify if you are suffering from disease or having any disorder; you must know the difference between disease vs. disorder. Try to learn and comprehend the meaning of both these terms. The disease can be recognized by identifying the symptoms. If it is a disease, you must show symptoms.
If it is not a disease and a disorder, then you must not show symptoms easily. You may show symptoms, but before that, your body changes that may be observed easily.
But in case of a mental disorder, you may show psychological symptoms like mood and behavioral changes. But in case of disease, you may show physical symptoms. For example, in the case of malaria, you may have a fever (increase in temperature) and body aches.
If you are trying to make a good comparison between disease vs. disorder, you may learn about the quantum of damage they both can do to our bodies.
Disease vs. disorder may be a herculean task for differentiation because they are quite similar in some aspects.
Disease Vs. Disorder
Doctors always use these two terms. We can say that a disorder may tend to be a disease. For example, if someone has a mental disorder, that particular person may develop some disease.
Mental disorders can have various negative effects on your body that may have negative repercussions. The disorder takes time to be diagnosed. But the disease can be diagnosed easily as it is measurable. A disease is easy to recognize as compared to a disorder. It is difficult to pin down the difference between disease vs. disorder.
But there are some subtle differences that one should note down. This is because the disorder is uncertain without any before fixed medical treatment. But disease, if already identified, may have some prior decided treatment. The disorder is a series of syndromes binding together for a long time.
The disease may be caused immediately one the living organisms attack your body and immune system. The treatment needed for the disease is decided or determined in reference to the abnormalities caused. A disorder may be due to the presence of a disease in your body.
The disease is all about the pathological response by our body from various external aspects. In contrast, the disorder may be the result of any particular disease in our body. Disorder simply means things are jumbled inside our body and not in place.
Some study also shows that diseases are a disorder of the body. But it can be said that diseases may be due to disorder or vice versa. For example, if someone is suffering from the common cold may develop some mental disorder due to anxiety or hormonal changes.
People who have cancer may develop disorders due to stress. In the case of diseases vs. disorder, it can be concluded that both of these can be used interchangeably according to necessity. A patient’s condition must be assessed, and in critical cases, a doctor’s advice may be for the best.
- Shirasu, Mika, and Kazushige Touhara. “The scent of disease: volatile organic compounds of the human body related to disease and disorder.” The Journal of Biochemistry 150.3 (2011): 257-266. ↩︎
- Franz, David J. ““Are psychological attributes quantitative?” is not an empirical question: Conceptual confusions in the measurement debate.” Theory & Psychology 32.1 (2022): 131-150. ↩︎
- Angum, Fariha, et al. “The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: a narrative review.” Cureus 12.5 (2020). ↩︎
- Firestein, Gary S. “Evolving concepts of rheumatoid arthritis.” Nature 423.6937 (2003): 356-361. ↩︎
- Williams, Bruce H. “Non-infectious diseases.” The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents. Academic Press, 2012. 685-704. ↩︎
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