What does Failure to Function Adequately Mean?
- Behaviour is abnormal if it interferes with a person's ability to cope with everyday demands, EG: Education, holding down a job or social relationships, or if it prevents them from pursuing their goals in life.
- Example: Alcoholism or other addictions can result in social or occupational impairment; an extreme fear of flying may interfere with one's goal of travelling for work or pleasure.
- Inability to function adequately tends to cause the individual distress, and/or may distress others too.
- In extreme cases, abnormal behaviour my become a danger to the person's own, or others' safety and wellbeing, EG: self-harm or anorexia are both dangerous to the self, while extreme paranoia may result in violence towards others.