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Mental Illness in Adults
Depression
Most people feel great sadness at some time in their
lives, but if sadness or a depressed mood continues for a long
time, it may be a sign of clinical depression. Clinical
depression is more than feeling sad or “blue.” It
can make people feel worthless, hopeless or even like giving up.
The good news is that depression is an illness that can
be treated. You don’t have to live your life feeling
anxious, sad or irritable. With help, the dark cloud of depression
can lift- there is hope!
There are three main types of depression. They
are:
- Clinical or Major Depression- a common,
but severe type of depression
- Dysthymia- a milder form of depression that
is long lasting
- Bipolar Disorder- a disorder that includes
periods of depression and periods of excessively “high”
feelings
Who gets Clinical Depression?
Each year, about one in ten people have bouts with major depression.
For some people, one single event, such as losing a job or leaving
a relationship can bring on the illness. For others, a number
of events may contribute to the cause. People can also become
depressed without warning.
Depression can happen to anyone at any age.
Many factors may contribute to clinical depression,
including:
- Sex- Women get depression twice as often
as men.
- Family history- When other people in your
family have major depression, you have a higher chance of
also getting depression
- Certain medications-Some prescriptions
or over the counter mediations can make you depressed.
- Difficult life events- such as divorce,
retirement or the death of a loved one.
- Presence of other illnesses- such as Alzheimer’s,
cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorder, Parkinson’s
or a stroke. Also, other mental disorders such as an eating
disorder or anxiety disorder.
- Abuse of alcohol and drugs- People who
have a drug or alcohol problem are more likely to develop
major depression.
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What are the Signs of Clinical Depression?
No one becomes depressed in the same way. Some people have only
a few symptoms. Other people have many.
Symptoms of Depression
- Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
- Sleeping too much or too little, middle of the night or
early morning waking
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite
and weight gain
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex
- Irritability or restlessness
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating, remembering or making
decisions
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Persistent physical symptoms that don’t respond to
treatment (such as chronic pain or digestive disorders)
- Thoughts of death or suicide, including suicide attempts
- Feeling inappropriate guilt, hopelessness, or worthlessness
Call 1-800-LIFENET (1-800-543-3638) right away if:
- You have had 5 or more of these symptoms for two weeks or
longer
- The symptoms are getting in the way of your daily activities
- You are thinking about suicide
How is Depression Treated?
The most common ways to treat clinical depression are mediation,
psychotherapy, or both.
The choice of treatment may depend on:
- How severe the symptoms are
- The history of the illness
- What the person prefers
Some people are afraid to get help for depression. They may worry
that people will see their illness as a sign of weakness. Others
believe depression will go away by itself. Such ideas are simple
not true.
As with any other serious illness, only a professional can treat
clinical depression. And the earlier treatment begins, the faster
a person begins to feel better.
Depression is one of the most treatable medical illnesses. More
than 8 out of 10 people with depression can be helped.
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Medication
The most commonly used medications for depression are called
antidepressants. They act on pathways in the brain that are related
to your mood. They are not habit-forming.
Medication Tips
- Some people may feel side effects from the medicine. Be
sure to tell you doctor how you are feeling
- Give the medicine time to work. Some people find it takes
3 to 4 weeks before they start to feel better. It can take
as long as 6 to 8 weeks for others
- Your doctor may suggest that you take more or less medicine
in the beginning until you find the amount that works for
you.
- Most people with clinical depression find they need to
take antidepressants for at least 4 to 9 months after the
symptoms have improved.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy or “talk” therapy, behavioral therapy
and interpersonal therapy are three types of therapy that may
benefit someone who has clinical depression. People who have mild
depression often find it helpful to talk to a mental health professional
to learn ways to handle problems.
With severe depression, people tend to do better when they go
to therapy and take antidepressants.
A Note for Family and Friends:
Sometimes people with depression don’t have the will and
energy to get treatment. Or they may have trouble seeing their
own symptoms clearly. If you think a loved one could have clinical
depression, tell him or her about your concerns. Offer to call
a mental health professional for an appointment, and offer to
go to the appointment with them. You can find help 24 hours a
day by calling 1-800-LifeNet.
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Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental
illness involving one or more episodes of serious mania and depression.
The illness causes a person’s mood to swing from excessively
“high” and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, with
periods of normal mood in between.
Bipolar disorder can be extremely distressing and disruptive for
those who have this disease, their spouses, family members, friends
and employers. Without effective treatment, the illness is associated
with an increased risk of suicide.
How common is Bipolar Disorder?
More than 2 million American have bipolar disorder.
What causes bipolar disorder?
Although a specific genetic link to bipolar disorder has not
been found, studies show that 80% to 90% of those who suffer from
bipolar disorder have relatives with some form of depression.
It is possible that people may inherit a tendency to develop the
illness, which can then be triggered by environmental factors
such as distressing life events.
The presence of bipolar disorder indicates a biochemical imbalance,
which alters a person’s mood. This imbalance is thought
to be caused by irregular hormone production or to be a problem
with certain chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters,
which act as messengers to our nerve cells.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is often difficult to recognize and diagnose.
It cases a person to have a high level of energy, unrealistically
expansive thoughts or ideas, and impulsive or reckless behavior.
These symptoms may feel good to the person, which may lead to
denial that there is a problem.
Symptoms of Mania: The symptoms of mania, which last
up to 3 months if untreated, include:
- Excessive energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts
and rapid talking
- Denial that anything is wrong
- Extreme “high” or euphoric feelings- a person
may feel “on top of the world” and nothing, including
bad news or tragic events, can change this “happiness.”
- Easily irritable or distracted
- Decreased need for sleep- an individual may last for days
with little or no sleep without feeling tired.
- Unrealistic beliefs in one’s ability and powers-a
person may experience feelings of exaggerated confidence or
unwarranted optimism. This can lead to over-ambitious work
plans and the belief that nothing can stop him or her from
accomplishing any task.
- Uncharacteristically poor judgment- a person may make poor
decisions which may lead to unrealistic involvement in activities,
meetings, and deadlines, reckless driving, impulsive behavior,
spending sprees and unsound business ventures.
- Sustained period of behavior that is different from usual-
a person may dress and/or act differently than he or she usually
does, become a collector of various items, become indifferent
to personal grooming, become obsessed with writing, or experience
delusions.
- Increased sex drive
- Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol or sleep
medications
- Provocative, intrusive or aggressive behavior- a person
may become enrages or paranoid if his or her grand ideas are
stopped or excessive social plans are refused.
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Symptoms of Depression
Some people experience period of normal mood and behavior following
a manic phase; however, the depressive phase will eventually appear.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
- Sleeping too much or too little, middle of the night or
early morning waking
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite
and weight gain
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex
- Irritability or restlessness
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating, remembering or making
decisions
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Persistent physical symptoms that don’t respond to
treatment (such as chronic pain or digestive disorders)
- Thoughts of death or suicide, including suicide attempts
- Feeling inappropriate guilt, hopelessness, or worthlessness
Treatment
Treatment is critical for recovery. A combination of medication,
professional help and support for family, friends and peers help
individual with bipolar disorder stabilize their emotions and
behaviors. Most people with bipolar disorder can be treated with
medication. There are many medications that effectively treat
Bipolar Disorder. The right medication or combination of medications
is different for each individual. It is not advisable to stop
taking medications or change doses without advice of a doctor.
Mental health professionals can also provide guidance, education
and support to help deal with relationships, maintain a healthy
self-image and ensure compliance with treatment. Support and self-help
groups are also invaluable resources for learning coping skills,
feelings acceptance and avoiding social isolation. Friends and
families should join a support group to better understand the
illness. Getting support and information can help family and friends
continue to offer encouragement and support to their loved ones.
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Schizophrenia
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a devastating illness now known to be a disorder
of the brain. Schizophrenia affects an estimated 1.3% of American
adults between the ages of 18 and 54 in any given year. Most people
with schizophrenia suffer chronically or episodically throughout
their lives. People with schizophrenia are often stigmatized because
of a lack of public understanding about the disease.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
The first signs of schizophrenia, which typically emerge in
young people in their teens and early 20’s, are confusing
and often shocking to family and friends.
Symptoms include:
- Distorted perceptions of reality, including hallucinations
and delusions
- Disordered thinking
- Blunted emotional expression
- Unusual behavior or speech
- Social withdrawal
These symptoms seriously impair an individual’s ability
to function in everyday life.
While suicide is a serious and common danger in people
who have schizophrenia, most with the illness are not violent
toward others. Most typically, they are withdrawn
and prefer to be left alone. As in people who do not have mental
illness, substance abuse significantly raises the risk of violence
in people with schizophrenia. In addition, people suffering from
paranoid symptoms, which can become worse if medication is stopped,
may also be at higher risk for violent behavior.
What causes schizophrenia?
Many years of family, twin, and adoptions studies indicate that
vulnerability to schizophrenia is inherited. But Environmental
influences, perhaps occurring during fetal development, also play
a role.
What treatments are available for schizophrenia?
A number of new, effective medications for schizophrenia with
fewer side effects than older medications have been introduced
in the past decade. The newer drugs-known as atypical antipsychotics-are
very effective in the treatment of psychosis, including hallucinations
and delusions, and may also be helpful for treating reduced motivation
or blunted emotional expression.
About one in five people with schizophrenia recover completely,
and many more have been helped by the new medications and other
treatments. Learning new coping skills and receiving social support
are important. Over time, many people learn successful ways of
managing even severe symptoms.
Because of the nature of the disorder, some people with schizophrenia
may deny that they need medications and may either refuse to take
them or stop taking them because of undesired side effects. Remembering
to take medications may be difficult because of the disorganized
thinking characteristic of people with schizophrenia. Working
closely with a psychiatrist to monitor medications in vital.
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Panic Disorder
What is Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected
and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical
symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, and
shortness of breath, dizziness or abdominal distress. These sensations
often mimic symptoms of a heart attack or other life-threatening
medical conditions. As a result panic disorder is frequently not
diagnosed until extensive and costly medical procedures fail to
provide relief.
How common is panic disorder?
An estimated 1.6% of American adults ages 18-54 suffer from panic
disorder in a given year.
What are the symptoms of panic disorder?
Many people with panic disorder develop intense anxiety between
episodes. It is not unusual for a person with panic disorder to
develop phobias about places or situations where panic attacks
have occurred. As the frequency of panic attacks increases, the
person begins to avoid situations where they fear another attack
may occur or where help would not be readily available. This avoidance
may eventually develop into agoraphobia, an inability to go beyond
know and safe surroundings because of intense fear and anxiety.
What are the causes?
Panic disorder typically strikes in young adulthood. Roughly
half of all people who have panic disorder develop the condition
before age 24. Women are twice as likely as men to develop panic
disorder. Heredity, other biological factors, stressful life events
and thinking in a way that exaggerates relatively normal bodily
reactions are all believed to play a role in the onset of panic
disorder.
What treatments are available?
The treatments for panic disorder include: medications, cognitive-behavioral
therapy, or the combination of the two. The selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are now the first line of medication
treatment for panic disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can
enable a person to view panic attacks differently and reduce anxiety.
Appropriate treatment can reduce or prevent panic attacks in 70
to 90% of people with panic disorder.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in
which people suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts
(obsessions) or rituals (compulsions) that they feel they cannot
control.
What are the symptoms?
Rituals such as hand washing, counting, checking or cleaning
are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts
or making them go away. Performing these rituals only provides
temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.
Eventually, if untreated, these obsessions and rituals can take
over a person’s life.
What are the causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
OCD typically begins during adolescence or early childhood. It
is often a chronic, relapsing illness afflicting an estimated
2.4% of American adults. Men and women are equally likely to develop
OCD. There is growing evidence that OCD represents abnormal brain
functioning. OCD is not caused by family problems or attitudes
learned in childhood.
What are the treatments?
Treatments for OCD, which combine medications and behavioral
therapy, are often effective. If one drug does not work well another
should be tried. A type of behavioral therapy known as “exposure
and response prevention” is frequently used under the guidance
of a skilled therapist. This approach deliberately exposes the
person to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts. The person
is then is taught techniques to avoid performing the compulsive
rituals.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder,
which can be an extremely debilitating condition. It can occur
after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave
physical harm occurred or was threatened. About 3.6 percent of
American adults suffer from PTSD in a given year.
What are the symptoms?
Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in
the form of flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening
thoughts, especially when they are exposed to events or objects
reminiscent of the trauma. People with PTSD also experience emotional
numbness and sleep disturbances, feelings of guilt, depression,
anxiety, and irritability or outbursts of anger. Most people with
PTSD try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of the ordeal.
What are the causes?
Traumatic events that trigger PTSD include: violent personal
assaults such as rape or mugging, or natural or human caused disasters,
accidents, or military combat. People who witness traumatic events,
and families of victims can also develop PTSD.
What are the treatments?
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral
therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy, in which the patient
repeatedly relives the frightening experience under controlled
conditions to help them work through the trauma. Medication can
also help ease associated symptoms of depression and anxiety and
help promote sleep. Lastly, some studies show that debriefing
people very soon after a catastrophic event may reduce some of
the symptoms of PTSD.
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