I appreciate these disorders originate in the brain, but the term “brain disorder” connotes an irreversible lesion. Mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders involve a dysregulation of brain activity, perhaps a disorder of connectivity or a “brain arrhythmia,” but not (yet) an identifiable lesion. And relative to some neurodegenerative disorders, people can recover from mental disorders. On the other hand, “brain disorder” accurately conveys the serious nature of the problem. There is a risk that the term “mental disorder” means a mild or moderate condition that is neither deadly nor disabling.
