Download Mental Disorder Notes File

Mental Disorders
Mental Disorder:
An illness that affects the mind and prevents a person from being productive,
adjusting to life situations, or getting along with others.
Most mental disorders are characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, or
behaviors that make people uncomfortable with themselves or at odds with
others.
Abnormal:
Behaviors, feelings, or thoughts that are highly unusual and inappropriate in
a given situation
Ex: Washing hands is normal. Washing hands 100 times is abnormal.
Causes of Mental Disorders:
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Physical Factors: ex: tumor, injury, exposed to poison (ADD, Alzheimer’s)
Heredity: ex: schizophrenia, depression
Early Experiences: ex: child neglected or abused
Recent Experiences: ex: death of loved one, financial problems, drug abuse
Kinds of Mental Disorders
1. Anxiety Disorders:
fear that does not have an identifiable source or fear caused by a danger that no
longer exists. Exaggerated fear.
A) Phobia: When anxiety is related to a specific situation or object.
Ex: claustrophobia: fear small closed places, pyrophobia: fear fire
B) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): person feels anxious but cannot
recognize the source of the anxiety
C) Panic Disorder: Attacks of extreme anxiety that come and go for no reason.
Person has extreme physical symptoms. Ex: sweating, shaking, dizzy, racing heart.
D) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): An unwanted thought or image that
takes control of the mind is an obsession. An obsession can lead to a compulsion ,
an unreasonable need to behave in a certain way to prevent a feared outcome. OCD
interferes with life. Ex: fear of germs, hand washing, violent thoughts
E) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Surviving a life-threatening event
causes extreme fear in situations that remind them of the event. Can have
flashbacks, nightmares, horror, extreme fear. Ex: War, surviving a fire, abuse,
robbery
2. Mood Disorders
A person whose moods or emotions become extreme and interfere with daily life.
A) Clinical Depression: feelings of extreme sadness and hopelessness. Can’t carry
out daily activities. Ex: withdrawn, suicidal, cutting
B) Bipolar Disorder: Manic-depressive. Moods shifts from one emotional extreme
to the other. Manic(extreme excitability, dangerous behavior) Depressive (extreme
sadness)
3. Dissociative Disorder:
A person becomes disconnected from their former identity.
A) Schizophrenia: severe disturbances in thinking, mood, awareness, behavior.
Mind is separated from reality. Ex: irrational fears not based in reality
B) Multiple Personality Disorder: switching between two or more separate
personalities. Unaware of other personalities existing in their mind. Can’t control
when personality switches.
3. Where to get help:
Psychiatrist: Medical doctor that diagnoses and treats mental disorders.
Can treat and prescribe medication.
Neurologist: a doctor that treats organic disorders of the brain and nervous
system. (Alzheimer’s ,ADD, tumor).
Clinical Psychologist: treats abnormal behavior. Can’t prescribe medication,
but does have 2 years of training in hospital setting.
Social Worker: councils patients and provides a link between patient and
treatment center.
Addition sources of help: a relative, parent teacher, school counselor,
physician, religious leader, school psychologist, community resources and hot
lines.
Most disorders are treated with a combination of medications and
therapy.