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Promoting positive mental health through advocacy, education, collaboration and service... |
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302 West Weaver Street, Carrboro, NC 27510
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Under construction... On this page you can find some general information about mental illnesses, as well as more specific facts about particular disorders. |
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Mental Health Facts |
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The Major Mental Illnesses A. Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia spectrum)
B. Affective Disorders (major depression and bipolar disorder) Mood disorders are characterized by a disturbance in the regulation of mood, behavior, and affect. Mood disorders are subdivided into (1) depressive disorders, (2) bipolar disorders, and (3) depression in association with medical illness or alcohol and substance abuse. a. Epidemiology Approximately 15 percent of the general population experiences a major depressive episode at some point in life, and 6 to 8 percent of all outpatients in primary care settings satisfy diagnostic criteria for the disorder. b. Symptoms (1) depressed mood (2) anhedonia (3) sleep disturbance (4) appetite disturbance (5) inappropriate guilt (6) anergy (7) problems concentrating (8) psychomotor retardation or agitation (9) thoughts of death or overt suicidality c. Causes (1) genetic (2) biologic (3) environmental d. Treatment i. Highly treatable- Best response is to a combination of pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions ii. Many individuals have recurrent episodes or may suffer from comorbid disorders that make there course of illness more complicated. iii. Side Effects- somnolence, nausea, tremors, sexual dysfunction, agitation, dizziness a. Epidemiology - Common, affecting approximately 3 million persons in the United States b. Causes- strong biological and genetic component c. Symptoms- psychomotor activity, excessive social extroversion, decreased need for sleep, impulsivity and impairment in judgment, and expansive, grandiose, and sometimes irritable mood. BEING MANIC IS NOT FUN! d. Treatment i. Highly responsive to treatment ii. High association with substance abuse disorders. Many people have recrurrent episodes, often due to inability to continue taking medications. iii. Side effects- gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea, polyuria, weight gain, skin eruptions, alopecia, and edema are common C. Anxiety Disorders 1. Generalized anxiety 2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder 3. Panic disorder 4. Post-traumatic stress disorder
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People with mental illnesses come from a variety of different backgrounds and walks of life. There is no single picture of what a person with a mental illness looks like.
Whatever factors cause mental illnesses do not discriminate among social classes, geographic locations, races, the genders, or age. Sometimes we associate those with severe mental illnesses as homeless people or people in inner cities. While it is true that about 1/3 of homeless people have serious mental illnesses, it is also true that most of these psychiatric disorders affect people fairly equally across different groups. I know a man with fairly severe schizophrenia whose father was the CEO of a large banking corporation. He went to the prep school and graduated from one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges. Now, he is on disability, has persistent symptoms despite faithful compliance with the best medications. He also happens to be one of the most friendly and kind human beings I have ever known.
We also know that many of our leaders in many fields also happened to have severe mental illnesses- Abraham Lincoln suffered from major depression, Vincent Van Gogh from a psychotic disorder, and Patti Duke from bipolar disorder. Even among people diagnosed with the same disorder and even the same subtype, the illness manifests itself differently based on the severity, personal characteristics, personal resources, and supports. Many people with mental illnesses can function quite well in the community with the appropriate treatment, and support.
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An Overview of the Major Mental Illnesses
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A Profile of People With Mental Illness |
