How can one describe mental illness?
Mental illness is often defined as a difference in an individual’s demeanor, emotional reaction, or rational thoughts that could steer them in the direction of discomfort or difficult challenges while attempting to function within any social setting, employment area, or even within their family lifestyle. There are millions of individuals affected by mental illness every year. Many families have been torn apart due to mental illness.
During the last century, there have been multiple diverse types of mental illnesses. Anyone can read the treatment and diagnosis decision based on the profile of each mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), issued by the American Psychiatric Association.
Various Types of Mental Illnesses.
This article is written to show several of the most frequent types of mental illness seen today. Unfortunately, these are not all of the mental illnesses known throughout the medical field today.
●Anorexia Disorder
●Antisocial Personality Disorder
●Anxiety Disorder
●Bipolar I Disorder
●Bipolar II Disorder
●Borderline Personality Disorder
●Bulimia Disorder
●Delusional Disorder
●Mania Depression Disorder
●Narcissistic Personality Disorder
●Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
●Panic Disorder
●Parkinson’s Disease Disorder
●Postpartum Anxiety Disorder
●Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
●Schizoaffective Disorder
●Schizophrenia Disorder
●Schizophreniform Disorder
●Schizotypal Personality Disorder
●Depression Disorder
●Mania Depression Disorder
●Panic Disorders
●Schizophrenia Disorder
●Schizoaffective disorder
●Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Most individuals in society often wonder what can cause a person to have a mental illness. Scientists/ doctors/ or research programs are still in the dark when it comes to understanding the real reason behind an individual who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. Truth be told, there is no single cause for mental illness.
One of the most popular myths over the years has been the fact that the “chemical imbalances” within your brain play a major part in being completely responsible for contributing to all mental illness. We are going to break this down a little bit further, but according to research, your brain has “neurotransmitters” that are considered the chemical messengers that help to pass information between your nerve cells. Examples of these neurotransmitters include the following: norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
The chemical imbalance in your brain has been associated with mental illness conditions and mood swings. But today, researchers still have not provided enough evidence to support the fact that chemical imbalances alone are the main cause of mental health conditions. Lately, doctors/scientists/and research programs have considered several other factors that could contribute to mental health conditions.
Here is what is at the top of my list.
● Genes……also called “genetics” or your family’s hereditary factors. Which is “what” is considered passed down from the bloodline through your family to you, just like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, and some forms of cancer?
●Trauma…… emotional, physical, or mental abuse. What happens to you throughout your life, starting from birth and up, can affect your mental outcome in life.
●Medications…… that can alter your train of thought, personality, and ability to function in a normal way.
●Illegal drugs and alcohol…… play a big part in changing an individual’s ability to think or act appropriately.
●Even loneliness or isolation…… from family, friends, associates, co-workers, etc, can cause a mental breakdown. People often need others to interact with daily at some point and time to be able to live and thrive in a normal functioning manner.
What are the most common warning signs of mental illness?
●Severe mood swings, from high to low.
●Displaying happiness to sadness in a short or lengthy period.
●Suicidal, even sometimes homicidal. Threatening to harm oneself or others.
● Fearful of everyone or everything around you.
● Lack of self-care. Not taking care of your body, such as bathing, brushing your hair, or changing into clean clothes.
●Refusing to eat or drink anything. Being afraid that someone is poisoning you!
●Delusional. Believing in things that are not real.
●Hallucinations. False perceptions of things that are not true.
●Withdrawn from interacting with family, friends, employment, and other social activities.
Common Medications Used to Treat Mental Illness.
In today’s world, there are many unusual types of medications used to treat the symptoms of mental illness. How well they work will depend on several factors and the individual taking them. I strongly believe that the most important thing for all individuals suffering from any type of mental illness is to have a fanatical support system. Whether it is family, friends, church members, neighbors, teachers, or co-workers. But at the top of my list, it is always a strong “family member support that is best!”
Here is a list of several common medications used for the treatment of mental illness and some examples of “why” they are used.
● Stimulants-Used to treat the earlier onset of psychosis, ADHD, substance use disorders, and other mental health issues.
● Mood Stabilizers-Commonly used to treat high and low mood swings, in bipolar disorder (Manic depression). Helps to reduce sleep disorders, delusions, hallucinations, agitated behaviors, and repeated relapses from occurring.
● Antidepressants-Used to treat depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, and other mental health issues.
●Antipsychotics-Used for individuals suffering from schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychosis. The primary use of these drugs is to treat individuals experiencing hallucinations, delusions, depression, and bipolar nerve disorders. They are also used as mood stabilizers.
●Anti-anxiety medications-Commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder.
Seeking help for your mental illness.
For any individual suffering from a mental illness, regardless of what type of mental health condition you are experiencing, the best or most important thing you can do for yourself is to seek help as soon as possible. Do not put this off and think you will get better on your own, nor should you ever try to treat your mental health problems with street drugs. Find a doctor(s) that you can relate to and feel comfortable interacting with them.
Make sure you are upfront and honest with your doctor(s) and medical health providers. This is particularly important so they can make the correct diagnosis. Only then can they find the best option for treating your mental illness. Even then there may still be a need to change your medications until the right medication is found that will help you to control your symptoms without making you feel like a walking zombie. Remember that everyone is different.
Summary
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Again, it is a medical problem, just like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, or different forms of cancer. In the references listed in this article, there are several sites that you can visit to read more information about different areas of medications used to treat mental illness, as well as the book, “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”
References:
1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022) “Diagnostic and statistical Manual of mental disorders” (5th ed., text rev.) https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
2. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Antipsychotic Médications. https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/antipsychotic-medication
3. Everyday Health. Which Medications Are Best for Anxiety Disorders? https://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety/guide/medications/
4. Healthline.com. Which Drugs Treat Anxiety Disorder? https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-drugs#benzodiazepines
5. International OCD Foundation. Medications for OCD. https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ocd-treatment/meds/
6. International OCD Foundation. What Causes OCD? https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/what-causes-ocd/
7.} Mayo Clinic. Antidepressants: Selecting one that is right for you. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046273
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