Mental illness (Mental Disoder)
Examples of mental illness/disorder- psychosis, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, paranoia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
Mental illness, called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions disorders that affect your mood, feeling, thinking and behavior. They may be occasional or long-lasting (chronic). They can affect your ability to relate to others and function each day. Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. Many people who have a mental illness do not want to talk about it. But mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of! It is a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. And mental health conditions are treatable. We are continually expanding our understanding of how the human brain works, and treatments are available to help people successfully manage mental health conditions.
Examples of mental illness/disorder- depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, paranoia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
Types of Mental illness:
- Dissociation and dissociative disorders.
- Behavioural and emotional disorders in children.
- Paranoia.
- Depression.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Eating disorders.
- Bipolar affective disorder.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder.
The four main areas of mental health.
Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
What is anxiety disorders?
An anxiety disorder is diagnosed if the person’s response is not appropriate for the situation, if the person cannot control the response, or if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning.People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread, as well as with physical signs of anxiety or panic, such as a rapid heartbeat and sweating. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.
What is mood disorder?
Mood disorders, also called affective disorders, involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuations from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. The most common mood disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymic disorder.
What is eating disorder?
Eating disorder -involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common eating disorder.
What is psychotic disorder?
Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder.Psychotic disorders- involve distorted awareness and thinking. Two of the most common symptoms of psychotic disorders are hallucinations- the experience of images or sounds that are not real, such as hearing voices – and delusions which are false fixed beliefs that the ill person accepts as true, despite evidence to the contrary.
What is Addiction and Impulse Disorders?
People with impulse control disorders are unable to resist urges, or impulses, to perform acts that could be harmful to themselves or others. Pyromania (starting fires), kleptomania (stealing), and compulsive gambling are examples of impulse control disorders. Alcohol and drugs are common objects of addictions. Often, people with these disorders become so involved with the objects of their addiction that they begin to ignore responsibilities and relationships.
What is the OCD?
OCD- obsessive compulsive disorder.
People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes their hands.
What is the personality disorder?
People with personality disorders have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and/or cause problems in work, school, or social relationship. In addition, the person’s patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the expectations of society and are so rigid that they interfere with the person’s normal functioning.
Examples include antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder,and paranoid personality disorder
What is the PTSD?
PTSD– Post-traumatic stress disorder .
People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event, and tend to be emotionally numb.PTSD is a condition that can develop following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster.
What is the sexual and gender disorder?
These include disorders that affect sexual desire, performance, and behavior. Sexual dysfunction, gender identity disorder, and the paraphilias are examples- of sexual and gender disorders.
What is stress response syndrome?
Stress response syndromes usually begin within three months of the event or situation and ends within six months after the stressor stops or is eliminated.Stress response syndromes occur when a person develops emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to a stressful event or situation. The stressors may include natural disasters, such as an earthquake or tornado, events or crises, such as a car accident or the diagnosis of a major illness, or interpersonal problems, such as a divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, or a problem with substance abuse.
What is the Factitious Disorder?
In which conditions a person knowingly and intentionally creates or complains of physical and/or emotional symptoms in order to place the individual in the role of a patient or a person in need of help.
The symptoms of mental illness .
Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviors
Examples –
1) Extreme mood changes of highs and lows.
2) Feeling sad or down.
3) Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping.
4) Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate.
5) Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people.
6) Sex drive changes.
7) Problems with alcohol or drug use.
8) Major changes in eating habits.
9) Suicidal thinking.
Some symptoms physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headaches, or other unexplained aches and pains.
Causes of mental illness
cause of most mental illnesses is not known, it is becoming clear through research that many of these conditions are caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.Most mental illnesses don’t have a single cause. Instead they have a variety of causes, called risk factors. The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to develop a mental illness. Sometimes, the mental illness develops gradually. Other times, it doesn’t appear until a stressful event triggers it.
-Environmental exposures before birth.
-Brain chemistry.
What is the treatments for mental disorders?
More intensive treatment. You may need to go to a psychiatric hospital. This could be because your mental illness is severe.. Or it could be because you are at risk of hurting yourself or someone else. In the hospital, you will get counseling, group discussions, and activities with mental health professionals and other patients.usually involves some type of therapy. You may also take medicines. Some people also need social support and education on managing their condition.Treatment depends on which mental disorder you have and how serious it is. You and your provider will work on a treatment plan just for you.
What risk for mental disorders?
Stress, genetics, nutrition, perinatal infections and exposure to environmental hazards are also contributing factors to mental disorders .Mental disorders are common. More than half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some time in their life.
What is Health and support?
support from health-care services, people with mental illness require social support and care. They often need help in accessing educational programmes which fit their needs, and in finding employment and housing which enable them to live and be active in their local communities.further compounding problem is the poor quality of care for many of those who do receive treatment. Health systems have not yet adequately responded to the burden of mental disorders.
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