Download Mental Disorders and Suicide Mental Disorders

Mental Disorders and
Suicide

Over 230 different types of Mental
Disorders are recognized

In 2009, approx. 45 million Americans (1
in 5) had some form of mental illness.
(about 20% of the population).

Approx. 6.1 million Americans went
untreated for their mental illness.
Mental Disorders

Physical (also called “organic disorder”)
◦ Dementia=irreversible loss of brain function.
Can be caused by tumors or prolonged abuse
of drugs or alcohol.

Functional (cannot be traced to physical
causes)
◦ Factors can include: inborn causes, early
experiences, current causes or combo of all 3.
Causes of Mental Disorders

Inborn: Inherited from parents and may
be set in motion by life experiences such
as abuse.

Early Experiences: Result of
experiences in early childhood that had a
negative effect.

Current Causes: Significant events and
people the person is dealing with.
Causes cont.

Anxiety Disorders: Anxious or fearful
tendencies toward objects or situations.
◦ Phobic: Fear of objects or animals.
◦ General anxiety and panic: Cannot specify
the exact cause, but is overcome with physical
symptoms (example: sweating, fast heart rate,
dizziness, etc.)
◦ Obsessive-compulsive: An idea or thought
consumes the mind and the person is unable to
move on from it.
Kinds of Mental Disorders

Somatoform Disorders: A person is
overcome with physical symptoms, but no
cause can be found.
◦ Hypochondria is an example of a somatoform
disorder. A person believes that they feel sick,
but medical doctors cannot find any scientific
basis for it.
Kinds cont.

Eating Disorders: People try to control
their emotions through abnormal eating
habits.
◦ Anorexia Nervosa: Not eating enough energy
to maintain a healthy body weight. Physical
symptoms may include: lower body temp, slow
heart and breathing rates, dry skin and loss of
menstrual cycle.
◦ Bulimia: the purging or vomiting of food that
has been eaten or through the use of laxatives.
Common physical symptoms are dehydration,
kidney damage, bleeding of gums, etc.
Kinds cont.

Mood Disorders: A person whose mood
swings to the extremes and effects their
daily lives.
◦ Clinical Depression: Being overwhelmed by
sad feelings for months and can’t carry out
their daily lives.
◦ Bipolar Disorder: Shifting from one emotional
extreme to the other.
Kinds cont.

Personality Disorders: An inflexible
personality that interferes with a person’s
ability to be happy.
◦ Passive-Aggressive: Depend on others to tell
them what to do, but hate being told what to
do. They will not express anger directly, often
in subtle ways.
◦ Antisocial: Person performs cruel and violent
acts with no guilt. Lack empathy, and often
have criminal records.
Kinds cont.

Dissociative Disorders: A person loses the
ability to identify themselves or
surroundings.

Amnesia is the most common type of
dissociative disorder. This is where a person
“forgets” who or where they are.

Multiple personality disorder is where a
person switches between 2 or more different
personalities. Most people confuse this with
Schizophrenia.
Kinds cont.

Schizophrenia: Unpredictable changes in
thinking, mood, awareness and behavior.

Schizophrenics are often said to have a
“split mind” and suffer from irrational
fears that someone or something controls
their thoughts.
Kinds cont.
Approximately 4,400 youths commit
suicide each year.
 Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death
among teenagers. (1st=Motor vehicle
crashes, 2nd=Homicide)
 Some warning signs are the same as
clinical depression. Other signs may be a
sudden increase in injuries or risk-taking
behavior.

Suicide
Psychiatrists: A physician who
specializes in mental disorders. Since
they are medical doctors, they can
prescribe drugs.
 Clinical Psychologists: Specialize in the
extreme and abnormal Mental Disorders.
They are NOT medical Doctors, so they
can’t prescribe any medication. Often
work with Psychiatrists.

Treating Mental Disorders
Social Worker: Specialize in helping
mentally ill and their families by offering
counseling. Often work with hospitals,
clinics or family agencies.
 Other Specialists: May include
Occupational Therapists (Help patients
become productive again). Pastoral
Counselors (members of the religious
community).

Treatment cont.

Psychotherapy: involves conversations
with a therapist who helps the individual
understand and overcome fears.

Drug Therapy: The drugs administered
will not cure the mental illness, but will
help alleviate the physical symptoms.

Hospitalization: For patients who need
constant supervision or are in danger of
hurting themselves.
Treatment cont.