Common Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders

1. Chapter 21 Mental Health Diseases and Disorders

2. Common Signs and Symptoms Typically begin with behavioral changes Slow-developing and very subtle May not be noticed early in development of disorder Forgetfulness, anxiety, and temper tantrums

3. Diagnostic Tests Physiologic tests Laboratory tests, brain scans, EEGs, and MRIs Referral to psychiatrist for psychological testing Aptitude and personality tests

4. Developmental Mental Health Disorders Intellectual disability Cause: Often unknown Genetic Acquired Symptoms: May not show up until entry into school Decreased ability to learn and developmental slowness Prevention: Two preventable causes: fetal alcohol syndrome and kernicterus

5. Developmental Mental Health Disorders Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Disorder characterized by: Inability to concentrate Hyperactivity Impulsiveness Cause unknown, but seems familial Treatment: Amphetamines and behavior modification

6. Developmental Mental Health Disorders Eating disorders Compulsion to eat or avoid eating that affects individual’s mental and physical condition Most common: Anorexia nervosa – self-imposed starvation Bulimia – episodes of binge eating followed by purging Cause: Unknown

7. Developmental Mental Health Disorders Tic disorders Sudden, rapid muscle movement or vocalization E.g., eye blinking, facial grimacing, neck or shoulder jerking, throat clearing, snorting, grunting Enuresis Bedwetting Urinary incontinence after toilet training More common in first-born male children

8. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Substance-related mental disorder is the diagnosis used instead of drug addiction Common terms: Addiction Dependency Tolerance Withdrawal

9. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Alcohol Alcoholism Physical and mental dependence on alcohol One of the most common disorders Chronic Causes damage to nearly every organ system Heart disease, hypertension, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, peripheral neuropathy, gastrointestinal problems Symptoms: Intoxicated, withdrawal, hallucinations, delirium tremens Often fatal

10. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Marijuana Also known as pot Euphoric effect Cocaine One of the most addictive drugs – stimulant Anesthetic Methamphetamine Fastest growing abused drug today Addictive potent CNS stimulant

11. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Caffeine and nicotine Most common addictive substances Both are stimulants Sedatives or depressants Antianxiety medications Amphetamines Stimulant – causes release of epinephrine, leading to increased heart rate, respiration, and digestion

12. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Hallucinogens Also known as psychedelic drugs E.g., lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, phencyclidine (PCP) Narcotics Depressants primarily prescribed as analgesics E.g., Demerol, methadone, morphine, heroin, opium

13. Substance-Related Mental Disorders Inhalants Abused legal substances E.g., glue, nail polish, lighter fluid Taken by huffing, snuffing, and bagging Anabolic steroids Abused by athletes to produce increases in muscle strength, lean body mass, and improved performance Dangerous long-term effects Steroid rage

14. Organic Mental Disorders Associated with physical cause Affect cognition and ability to think, remember, and make judgments May be temporary or permanent

15. Organic Mental Disorders Dementia Deterioration of mental abilities due to physical changes in brain Delirium Not a disease, a clinical syndrome or set of symptoms caused by: Medications, alcohol, fever, or illness Alzheimer’s disease Progressive, irreversible form of dementia

16. Psychosis Disintegration of one’s personality and loss of contact with reality Symptoms: Delusions Hallucinations Impaired communication skills Inability to deal with life’s demands

17. Psychosis Schizophrenia Split mind Serious type, not split personality Lose touch with reality and act on imagined or fantasized reality Treatment: Medicaiton, monitoring, rehabilitation

18. Psychosis Delusional disorders Firm belief in delusion in otherwise normally adjusted and balanced personality Delusional types: Grandiose Jealous Erotomanic Persecutory Somatic Treatment: antipsychotics

19. Mood or Affective Disorders Depression Prolonged feeling of extreme sadness, unhappiness, despair, or discouragement Seasonal affective disorder Depressive condition during winter months Bipolar disorder (manic depressive) Extreme depression and mania occur Mood disorder questionnaire (MDQ) aids physician in identifying symptoms

20. Dissociative Disorders Escape of reality in involuntary or unhealthy ways Suppressing memories Assuming alternate identies Types: Psychogenic amnesia Psychogenic fugue Depersonalization Multiple personality

21. Anxiety Disorders Anxiety Usual temporary response to stress becomes chronic May be related to genetic factors, severe stress, biochemical alterations, and in some cases, physical causes E.g., hyperthyroidism

22. Anxiety Disorders Types: Generalized anxiety disorder Panic disorder Phobia disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder

23. Somatoform Disorders Physical symptoms, but no organic cause found Conversion disorder Hysterical neurosis Hypochondriasis (hypochondriacs) Abnormal anxiety about one’s body and health Pain disorder Pain does not have physiologic cause

24. Somatoform Disorders Malingering False display of symptoms for financial or personal reward Munchausen syndrome Simulation of illness for no other reason than to receive treatment Munchausen by proxy Same as Munchausen syndrome except parent projects disorder onto a child

25. Personality Disorders Personality is developed during early years of life affected by genetics and environmental factors. Personality is fixed by time of adulthood Types: Paranoid Schizoid Antisocial Narcissistic Histrionic

26. Gender Identity Disorder Individual uncomfortable or distressed with sexual identity Affected children might state a preference for being the opposite sex, cross-dress, choose members of opposite sex for best friends Adults may seek hormonal or surgical intervention for sex change

27. Sexual Disorders Cause: Many theories; may be formed during sexual development; social development has somehow gone off course leading to an inability to develop relationships Types: Exhibitionism Fetishism Transvestic fetishism Frotteurism Pedophilia Sexual sadism Sexual masochism Voyeurism

28. Sleep Disorders Sleep disorders (somnipathy) are medical disorders of sleep Types: Insomnia Narcolepsy Sleep apnea Nightmare disorder Sleep terror Sleepwalking

29. Trauma Grief Natural process of coping with loss A healthy process People grieve differently in different cultures Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Suicide Major concern for teenagers Feelings of depression, guilt, hopelessness, helplessness

30. The Older Adult Many of these disorders can affect the older adult. Symptoms such as memory lapses, behavior changes, and confusion may mimic symptoms of mental health, but are physiologic disorders Important to distinguish if actual mental health problem or symptoms of the normal process of aging Most common problems include: depression, insomnia, isolation, stress, and disorders related to other system diseases Medications may also cause symptoms of mental health problems