Mental illnesses:

Question 1

Common mental illnesses:

Answer 1

• Bipolar
• Depression
• Mania
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety
• Personality Disorder

Question 2

Bipolar:

Answer 2

• Is a cycle between episodes of mania and depression.

- Medication used in treatment are mood stabilisers.

Question 3

Depression:

Answer 3

• A depressed mood and/or inability to feel pleasure or happiness from normal pleasurable things lasting more than 2 weeks.
  = Minor depression - Depressive symptoms just below the threshold for diagnosis.
  = Dysthymia - Chronic lowering of mood that doesn’t fulfil criteria for recurrent depressive disorder.
  = Postnatal depression - Affects women after birth.
  = Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - Depression associated with change of seasons e.g. going into winter.

Question 4

Mania:

Answer 4

• State of abnormal elevatiom or irritable mood, arousal and/or energy levels.
• Can be a feature of bipolar disorder but can be diagnosed by itself.
• Can vary from hypomania (mild) to full-blown mania.
• Symptoms can include = hallucinations, suspiciousness, aggression, preoccupied thoughts or plans, insomnia, over indulgence.

Question 5

Schizophrenia:

Answer 5

• A psychotic disorder diagnosed after 6 months of symptoms.
• Characterised as a breakdown of thought processes and poor emotional responsiveness.
• Symptoms = Hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech, catatonic behaviour.

Question 6

Anxiety:

Answer 6

• Abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety.
• Includes = physical tension (clenched jaw, tense shoulders)
  = Mental apprehension (fear of something bad happening, dread)
  = Physical symptoms (headaches, trembling, neusea, diarrhoea)
  = Dissocitive anxiety (altered sense of consciousness, trance).

Question 7

Personality Dirorder:

Answer 7

• An enduring pattern of inner experience and behaviour.
  -Includes:
  = Antisocial personality disorder - Disregard for other peoples rights.
  = Borderline personality Disorder - Instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect.
  = Narcissistic Personality Disorder - Need for admiration and lack of empathy.
  = Avoidant Personality Disorder - Complex pattern of feeling of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to what people think of them.
  = Dependent Personality Disorder - Need to be taken care of, fear of abandoned or separation from important individuals.

Question 8

Positive symptoms: Add to the person.

Answer 8

• Delusions
• Thought disturbance
• Hallucinations
• Confused talk
• Changed feelings
• Changed behaviour

Question 9

Negative symptoms: Take away from the person.

Answer 9

• Loss of motivation.
• Social isolation.
• Reduced emotion.
• Reduced speech.
• Loss of interest in pleasurable things.