When Deficits Pose as Disorders

Deficit vs. Disorder

It is easy to confuse a lack of skills with what looks like a mental disorder, especially when we are talking about social, emotional, or mental issues. For example, if we are highly anxious in social settings, some would equate this with social anxiety disorder. But what if we never learned effective social skills in the first place? After all, we cannot know what we never learned.

Deficits Over Time

Not everyone was blessed with warm, supportive childhoods and parents who could teach healthy, prosocial skills or how to resolve conflict. Over time, such deficits may lead to increasingly troubled behavior such as aggression or social withdrawal. While we make look "disordered," the original problem developed from an absence of skills and skill deficits compound over time.

New Skills Matter

The great news is that it's never too late to learn mental fitness skills! No matter how long we've "practiced" negative behaviors, learning positive skills will help turn the tide. With repeated practice over time, we literally rewire our brains to enable new thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, changing the landscape of how we see ourselves and others. Now is a great time to start. You can do this!