Mental Health Disorders
What are Mental Health Disorders
Mental health disorders are characterized by unbalanced emotions, intellectual ability, behaviors, and cognitive functions. The rise in stress and anxiety, lack of social support, substance abuse, and comorbid health conditions are the prime reasons behind the increasing prevalence of mental health disorders. Every fifth person in the US is suffering from diagnosable mental health disorders. Despite being prevalent, mental health disorders do not acquire enough attention. The healthcare focus is usually diverted towards nutritional and communicable diseases, and mental health disorders go unnoticed.
The underlying reasons for reduced rates of treatment targeting mental health are the societal stigma, lack of self-awareness, lack of social support, socioeconomic status, and lack of acceptance among the patients. People who are affected by mental health disorders demonstrate poor academic and work performance and are less productive than mentally healthy individuals. Being one of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, and disability worldwide, it is vital to eliminate barriers that prevent access to quality mental healthcare services.
The treatment options of mental health disorders range from medications to psychological therapy. Medications include antidepressants, antipsychotics, and drugs that regulate the neurotransmitters in the brain. Psychological treatment is concerned with cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Common Mental Disorders
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in today's time. One in every 15 adults is affected by this disorder. Women are more likely to suffer than men. It is a severe condition in which the affected person feels sadness so intense and persistent that they cannot navigate through life. They lose all interest and pleasure in any activities. Depression negatively affects the way you think, feel, and act. Symptoms can vary from a change in appetite and sleeping habits. Fatigue and loss of concentration are also reported. The patient feels worthless or guilty, which leads to thoughts of suicide and death. The cause of depression is unknown, although genetics, personal lookout, environmental factors, and fluctuation in brain chemicals are suspected of playing a role. Although it is the most prevalent of mental disorders, it is also one of the most treatable. A thorough evaluation is done by a medical expert. All the predisposing factors are identified, and the possible reasons are explored. The goal is to derive a definite diagnosis that will help outline the course of treatment.
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Anxiety is a feeling of fear and dread. It makes you feel uneasy and induces restlessness. It is a natural reaction to any stressful situation. But suppose this reaction is extreme enough to interfere with your daily life and lasts for more than six months. In that case, it is diagnosed as an anxiety disorder. For a person affected by anxiety disorders, this feeling of fear cripples the individual and can affect their quality of life. Physical symptoms caused by Anxiety include, chest pain, fast heart beat. shortness of breath, poor concentration, sleep problems, and numbness/tingling in hands. These are debilitating and get worse with time if left untreated
Anxiety disorders can be of different types like:
Generalized anxiety disorder GAD. Excessive fear of everyday life events.
Panic disorders: repeated sudden episodes of intense fear
Post-traumatic stress disorder: anxiety after a traumatic event.
Phobias: an intense fear of something that may not pose any real threat.
Like many other mental disorders, the cause of anxiety is also unclear. General brain chemistry and environmental factors may play their part. Treatment may include a combination of medication and counseling to change negative thinking patterns and behavior.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Manic-depressive disorder or bipolar disorder is a chronic brain disorder that causes extreme changed in mood and behavior. Individuals with bipolar disorder may feel elevated and happier or more sad than usual. Signs and symptoms of manic-depressive disorder include easily angered, more active than normal, need for decreased sleep, poor decision making, unable to complete new task, weight changes, feeling tired, fell bad about yourself or thoughts of self-harm. The period between the onset of these episodes is marked by less severe symptoms. Bipolar disorders can be classified into two types depending on the nature of bipolar episodes and their duration. Type I bipolar disorders are characterized by a minimum of one manic episode while depressive episodes are common in this type of bipolar disorder. Type II bipolar disorder occurs when an individual experiences a minimum of one hypomanic episode and there should be no manic episodes previously.
Despite clinical differences between manic and hypomanic symptoms, they are treated with the same medications to stabilize mood.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Also called OCD, this psychiatric condition is characterized by disturbing thoughts that make an individual feel stress and anxious is called obsessions. Constant feeling of discomfort and distress affects the routine activities and the overall wellbeing of an individual. People who suffer from stress and anxiety opt for certain rituals that can reduce stress and anxiety which is known as compulsions.
The significance of genetic factors can be justified by the fact that almost 45-60% of OCD patients are genetically susceptible to this mental health disorder. Other causes include infections. Bacterial toxins and other products initiate an autoimmune cascade of neuropsychiatric conditions including OCD.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a mental health disorder caused by exposure to death, trauma, and/or sexual abuse. PTSD is one of the most threatening health disorders following trauma, natural or artificial calamity, and sexual assault. Patients suffering from PTSD experience flashbacks of the concerned event and highly intense negative emotions. PTSD patients are prone to sleep disorders, impaired social adjustments, poor work performance, and hyper-reactivity upon exposure to the triggering factors associated with the previous traumatic event.
While acute PTSD lasts for a shorter duration, chronic PTSD is a long-term mental health disorder. Chronic PTSD arises in those individuals who don’t demonstrate adaptive behavior, hence, there is inadequate recovery from the traumatic event.
ADHD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a psychiatric condition that influences the attentiveness, concentration, organization, and task completion of an individual. Children who suffer from ADHD demonstrate poor behavior towards task-oriented activities. The children may be inattentive in some aspects while in other conditions, these children demonstrate hyperactive and impulsive behavior, or a combination of both .Common symptoms of ADHD include careless mistakes, difficulty following multi-step tasks, messiness, easily distracted, fidgets/squirms, talks excessively and being “on the go” Research shows theses symptoms can persist into adulthood for the majority people diagnosis with ADHD. As these children grow up into adults, their inattentive and impulsive traits prevent them from landing stable jobs and healthy relationships.
Treatment may include, therapy, medication, family counseling, and parenting classes.
Per the Ohio Revised Code, nurse practitioner owned practices are prohibited from prescribing stimulants. However, there are many other medication options in the treatment of ADHD.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
A borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental condition characterize by unstable relationships, impulsive, impaired thought process extreme mood changes of rage, deep sadness or emptiness, and cause harm to self or others. These people exhibit extreme reactions when things don’t proceed according to their desires and their rigid behavior makes social adjustment a very difficult task. Approximately 1.6% of the population suffers from a borderline personality disorder in their lifetime. Among these people, women tend to suffer from this disorder three times more often than men.
The causes of borderline personality disorder are similar to other mental health disorders. Genetic predisposition is one of the leading causes of this disorder. Childhood abuse of any sort have a significant association with this BPD. Studies show that 70% of borderline personality disorder patients have a history of abuse and maltreatment during their childhood. It also impairs the ability of these patients to evaluate the importance and maintain stability for interpersonal relationships in the long run.
Early diagnosis and treatment of borderline personality disorder is crucial for the safety of patients as well as to manage comorbid health conditions. These include eating disorders, substance abuse, stress, and anxiety as well as ADHD and bipolar disorders. Psychotherapy is an effective treatment option for borderline personality disorder patients. Medication can be used to stabilize acute symptoms, however, dialectical behavior therapy or DBT is the gold standard of treatment for BPD. DBT helps patients manage their emotions as well as be mindful of their actions. Research shows that many people with BPD get much better over time when patient is fully engaged in treatment. Therefore, favorable outcomes are achieved with early intervention.
Psychotic Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Mental problems that affect the working of the mind are known as psychotic disorders. It involves the thinking of the patient. How the brain sees things is distorted, leading to misjudgment, difficulty in communication, and understanding. It makes the patient behave abnormally. The patient loses touch with reality, and it becomes tough for them to manage even the simplest tasks in life.
Schizophrenia is commonly known example. It is more prevalent in young patients. It involves hallucination, delusions, and distorted reality. The patient also shows signs of impairment of speech, loss of interest in personal hygiene, social awkwardness, anxiety, and mood swings.
Psychotic disorders can have many causes ranging from genetics, medicine-induced psychosis, brain injury, and emotional trauma. After a thorough evaluation, the patient is referred to the psychiatrist, who develops a complete management plan for the patient.
Substance Use Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Substance Use Disorder
Substance use disorder (SUD) is the uncontrolled use of mentally harmful substances excessively, which can potentially lead to addiction and health problems. These substances can be legal (prescribed drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco) or illegal (heroin, etc.). Substance misuse results in health deterioration, social issues, and serious consequences. Prolonged misuse of alcohol or drugs can ultimately result in a diagnosis of a SUD. It affects the brain's ability to control the use of legal or illegal drugs or medicine. The affected person becomes incapable of stopping the substance misuse even though it may harm them. The most common substances that are misused are:
- Alcohol
- Prescription medicine
- Heroin
- Tobacco
- Marijuana
Most people with substance abuse issues may have other mental disorders co-occurring, and the use of alcohol or drugs can potentially aggravate the underlying mental condition and worsen it. Medication can help treat certain substance abuse disorders that can cause significant medical problems when experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. However, other approaches can lead to addiction recovery when combined with therapy, 12-step programs, and spiritual care (attending church, prayer, scriptural meditation, or volunteering).
While your road to recovery may not be easy, it becomes brighter and more meaningful when you have hope. With hope, you will be motivated to keep going, striving, and fighting for your health, happiness, and recovery from addiction.