Download Mental Illness

Mental Illness
Mental disorders can be classified under two headings:
Classification
Description
Organic
These disorders are caused by, or associated
with, disease of the brain tissue. An
example of an organic disorder is a tumour
Functional
There is no clear physical cause for
these disorders. They can result from an
individual’s inability to adapt to his/her
environment
Organic mental illness
Organic mental disorders are those caused by or associated
with disease of the brain tissue. They may be acute, chronic or
congenital.
Classification
Description
Organic acute
Acute organic brain disease is due to
infection, trauma or tumour
Organic chronic
Chronic organic brain disease can be due to
blood clots from the neck arteries. It occurs
in the elderly and is usually irreversible.
Chronic organic brain diseases include senile
dementia and alzheimer’s disease
Chronic
congenital
Children born with brain damage such as
Downs Syndrome may have difficulty with
gait and speech. This is often accompanied
by mental impairment
Functional mental illness
Some people are more prone to functional mental illness than
others. Psychiatrists have put forward some reasons for this.
Various personality types are identified as being at risk.
Examples are:
Personality
type
Definition
Obsessive
The person is compulsive, a perfectionist,
unable to relax
Hysterical
The person is excitable, emotional
Inadequate
The person has chronic dependence on
others
Paranoid
The person is hypersensitive, suspicious
The two main areas of functional disorder are psychoneurosis
and psychosis.
Psychoneurosis
This refers to a group of disorders involving disturbed emotional
responses, but lacking gross impairment of judgement.
The person is aware (generally) that something is wrong and
their reasoning is not impaired.
Psychoneurosis is often due to circumstances such as
bereavement, divorce, moving home, etc.
It is a reactive disorder. It can present itself in several ways:
Reaction
Description
Anxiety neurosis
Intense prolonged anxiety, depression,
nausea and insomnia
Phobic reactions
Unrealistic fears concerning particular
situations or aspects, for example, fear
of snakes, cancer phobia, etc
●
Faulty home environment (for example, an alcoholic father)
●
History of mental illness in a parent
●
Only child
These are generally reactive disorders.
●
Only boy in a family of girls
Psychosis
The human personality is the basis for all functional mental
disorders. It develops from the person’s genetic composition
and the environment to which he/she is exposed, particularly in
childhood.
Persistent recurrence of irrational acts or
Obsessive
compulsive neurosis thoughts
In psychotics, the disturbance of the mind is so great there may be
a disintegration of the personality. They are unaware of anything
being wrong and lose touch with reality. During acute attacks,
odd behaviour occurs. This condition is generally not a reaction to
circumstances and frequently no external cause can be identified.
When there are defects in the personality development,
disorders can occur.
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Psychosis can present itself in several ways.
Psychotic
group
Description
Manic
depressive
psychosis
Main symptoms are elation (excitement),
talkative, tireless etc. There may also be
bouts of deep depression (bi-polar disorder)
Melancholia
Severe state of depression which occurs
after the age of 45. Symptoms are
weeping, pessimism, irritability etc
Schizophrenia
Symptoms are delusions, hallucinations
etc. Schizophrenia means split personality.
The person has a tendency to withdraw
from reality. Thought problems and
disorientation are also characteristic
Alcoholic
psychoses
A group of disorders caused by alcoholic
abuse. They can include symptoms
like delirium, convulsions, terrifying
hallucinations and memory loss
Pathologic
intoxication
Affects people who only drink moderate
amounts of alcohol. It causes a confused,
disorientated state with subsequent
amnesia or memory loss.
Methods to investigate whether a patient is suffering from
psychosis are as follows:
Method
Description
Consultation
A doctor talks to the patient to
ascertain their current mental state.
A psychiatrist may be consulted
Electroencephalogram
(EEG)
This will show the electrical activity
of the brain, and reveal any excessive
or abnormal activity. This is only used
occasionally
People in some psychotic groups have a high suicide rate.
Treatments for this include
●
Hypnotics (sleeping tablets)
●
Anti-depressants
●
Anxiolytics
These drugs can give relief and control of symptoms. However,
some may be addictive and some of the stronger drugs for
psychosis may produce side effects. Other treatments include:
●
Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). Electrodes are placed on
the head and electric waves are passed through the brain to
treat intractable depression
●
Hospitalisation
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