Mental Health Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety refers to a condition where a person feels intense and excessive worry about everyday situations. This feeling of fear and persistent worry is much more intense than average nervousness (which is normal in most people).

Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety affects millions of Americans every single year and is accompanied by a number of different symptoms. They can be triggered by certain events and situations during daily life. Some of these symptoms include:

• Nervousness, tension, and restlessness
• Feelings of danger and panic
• Hyperventilating
• Weak
• Trouble concentrating
• Insomnia
• Rapid heart rate

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that refers to extreme shifts in mood. Bipolar disorder is also called bipolar disease and in some cases, manic depression.

Breaking this term down, ‘manic’ refers to an increased energetic, restless, powerful, and reckless period. This can lead down a dark path after this euphoric state – confusion, anger, and a sense of feeling trapped. ‘Depression’ on the other hand, refers to the opposite mood; sadness, crying, loss of energy, and insomnia.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered after a person experiences a traumatic or intense event. The disorder causes a variety of different negative physical and mental reactions to the event.

PTSD can last anywhere from a couple of months to years, with other triggers that can cause symptoms within the person at any given moment.

Symptoms of PTSD

There are a variety of different intense symptoms that a person might experience after a traumatic event. These symptoms tend to surface a few weeks after the event, sometimes sooner. Some common symptoms of PTSD include:

• Upsetting memories
• Intense nightmares
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Loss of interest in activities
• Feelings of distress when reminded of traumatic experience
• Physical reactions (sweating, nausea, heart rate increase, etc.)
• Avoiding triggers, activities, thoughts, and any reminders of the event

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects how a person perceives and interprets reality. Schizophrenia has a variety of intense symptoms that extremely distorts a person’s thinking and how they function such as hallucinations and delusions.

This mental health disorder typically requires lifelong treatment and it is best to catch it early. Early treatment may be able to get some of the symptoms under control before serious complications develop down the road.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The symptoms of schizophrenia range from cognition, behavioral, and emotional problems. Some of these intense symptoms include:

• Delusions (false beliefs of reality)
• Hallucinations (seeing and hearing things that don’t exist)
• Disorganized thinking and speech
• Disorganized and abnormal motor behavior (unpredictable/hard to focus)
• Loss of interest and ignoring daily obligations (hygiene, lack of emotion)

Symptoms can vary and can become worse over time. It is also possible for the symptoms to be present at all times. It is important to look out for these symptoms because sometimes the person is not aware that they have a problem, or neglect the idea altogether.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that affects a person with unwanted thoughts or sensations or the urge to do something over and over (compulsions). OCD creates obsessive thoughts over specific things like certain numbers or colors being ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Some compulsions and habits can control how someone thinks and acts, and ultimately affects their day-to-day life in work, social life, and school.

Symptoms of OCD

There are many different forms of OCD and differ from person to person. Most cases of OCD fall under one of these four categories:

• Checking – Constantly checking clocks, light switches or thinking you have a medical condition (pregnancy or schizophrenia for example)
• Contamination – An intense fear that things are dirty and need to be cleaned.
• Symmetry and order – Compulsion to have things a certain way or in a certain order
• Ruminations and intrusive thoughts – Obsessed with a specific line of thought (can be violent/disturbing thoughts)

Some obsessive and compulsive thoughts might include:

• Worries about yourself and people around you getting hurt
• Awareness of blinking, breathing, and other body functions
• Suspicious of those close to you (spouses) for no reason
• Doing things in a specific order or a certain number of times
• The need to count things
• Fears of touching certain objects (doorknobs, hands, etc.)

Depression

Depression is a very common and serious mental health problem that affects how you feel, think, and act in a negative way. This mental health disorder makes the person feel hopeless and sad at all times even if they don’t have a reason to be.

Depression causes you to feel unhappy and lose interest in activities you used to enjoy. If left untreated can cause negative emotional and physical problems down the line.

Symptoms of Depression

Determining if you have depression is the first step towards getting help. Understanding that you have depression allows you to seek help. Common symptoms of depression include:

• Irritable
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Restlessness
• Trouble focusing
• Feelings of shame
• Hopelessness or pessimism
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts
• Loss of interest in activities, or pleasure
• A common feeling of sadness, or anxiety

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy or “talk therapy” can provide clarity and a sense of understanding for mental health patients. Psychotherapy can be administered on an individual or group therapy basis. A patient can expect a safe and confidential environment to unpack the causes and symptoms of their condition.

Multiples studies have demonstrated the benefits of a wide variety of mental illnesses. For a comprehensive outcome, a combination of medication and psychotherapy can be most effective.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a commonly practiced form of psychotherapy. CBT explores the relationships between a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A therapist will help guide you to uncover the unhealthy patterns of thought and they affect behaviors.

CBT can help someone replace negative thoughts and behaviors by restructuring the way a patient practices them. Homework is often assigned in CBT to influence the patient to practice what they learned. CBT has the benefit of data collected supporting its effectiveness, along with CBT training for healthcare professionals.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy was initially conceived to treat individuals with chronic suicidal thoughts and bipolar disorder. DBT has evolved to treat other behavioral health disorders. DBT and CBT are similar but DBT focuses on validating and accepting uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When a patient accepts these elements, it reinforces a sense of confidence to challenge them.

With the help of a therapist, DBT allows a patient to guide them towards a plan of recovery. A patient can expect to develop new coping skills, by balancing acceptance and change. Change won’t seem like a mountain to climb as you have unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. DBT has demonstrated consistent positive results and long-lasting change for individuals with mental illnesses.

Medication for Mental Health

Medication is not the end-all-be-all for mental illnesses. Medication for mental illnesses can drastically impact the symptoms a patient experiences from their disorders. Researchers believe that mental illness comes from chemical imbalances in the brain. Medications for mental illness are most effective when paired with psychotherapy.

Medication for mental illness can come in the following forms:

• Antipsychotics – can help reduce unwanted voices and very fearful thoughts
• Antidepressants – can help reduce feelings of sadness, a depressed mood or anxiety
• Mood stabilizers – can help eliminate extreme highs and lows
• Tranquilizers/sleeping pills – can reduce anxiety and insomnia
• Stimulants/related medicine – can have a calming effect and improve concentration