| | |
Some Common Mental Health Terms
Recently, I was having a discussion with a well-
educated mother concerning her son’s condition. As
the discussion continued it became more and more clear
that even though she was freely using a number of
mental health terms, she really had no idea of their
actual meaning.
For this reason I have decided to define some of the
words commonly used in mental health, so that you
will have some idea what is being discussed when
they are discussing your child. This is not an
exhaustive list and it is in no particular order.
If there is something term or condition that you would
like to know more about, please contact me
ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHD is a brain-based neurological neurochemical
disorder of brain function, which symptomatically
manifests itself in a number of subtypes.
There are five primary areas in which the person’s
inability to control himself is manifest.
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Impulse control or inhibition
- Excessive activity
- Following rules and instructions
- Excessive variability in their responses
to situations, particularly doing work
There are four subtypes of ADHD (some researchers
now claim there are six):
- Type A- Inattentive Subtype
- Type B- Hyperactive Impulsive Subtype
- Type C- Combined Subtype
- Type D-Nonspecific Subtype
ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder
This term was coined in the early 1980’s. At this
time researcher began to switch their focus from
hyperactivity to deficits in sustained attention
and impulse control. The name of this disorder
was officially changed to ADHD in the late 1980’s
and the term ADD was officially discarded. The
term ADD is still used by lay authors and the
general public and usually refers to the
inattentive subtype of ADHD.
Affective Disorders
These are disorders of mood. Examples include
Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia, Depressive
Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the fear or anticipation danger from
a threat that is not apparent or imminent. It
is accompanied by intense unpleasant feelings or
physical symptoms. There are four common forms
of anxiety disorders in children:
-
Separation Anxiety Disorder:
Excessive anxiety concerning separation from
home or from those to whom the child is attached.
The child may worry about harm befalling a family member
to the point where the child refuses to go to
school or to sleep alone.
-
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Excessive anxiety and worry about events or
activities such as school to the point where this
worry interferes with daily functioning. There also
may be restlessness, fatigue, difficulty
concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and
sleep difficulties.
-
Panic Disorder:
The presence of recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
characterized by the sudden onset of intense
apprehension, fearfulness, or terror, often
associated with feelings of impending doom. There
may be shortness of breath, palpitations,
chest pain or discomfort, choking or smothering
sensations, and fear of "going crazy" or losing
control.
-
Phobias:
Persistent, irrational fears that are focused on a
specific object, activity, or situation.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder characterized by
mood swings between extreme elation, called mania, and
severe depression. Thought originally to be a
condition affecting adults, it is now clear that
this condition is common in teens. There is a
growing body of evidence that bipolar disorder may
start early in childhood. For more information see
the articles on Bipolar Disorder and Mood
stabilizers.
Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders include severe mental disorders,
which are characterized by extreme impairment of a
person's ability to think clearly, respond
emotionally, communicate effectively, and behave
appropriately. Typically the psychotic patient loses
touch with reality. The psychotic patient may suffer
from delusions and hallucinations.
Delusions are false and unusual beliefs firmly
held by the patient, which are not based in reality.
Examples are delusions of paranoia (others are plotting
against them), grandiose delusions (exaggerated ideas
of one's importance or identity), and somatic delusions
(a healthy person believing that he/she has a terminal
illness).
Hallucinations are the experience of a sensory
perception (seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling)
in the absence of an outside stimulus. For example,
the person may see things or hear voices.
Common disorders where psychosis may be present
include Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and
Schizophrenia.
Depression
Depression can describe a normal human emotion or
refer to a psychiatric disorder. The difference is
a matter of degree. In addition to sadness or
irritability present for at least two weeks, a
depressive illness includes several of the following:
- Change of appetite with significant weight
loss or weight gain
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Loss of interest in activities formerly
enjoyed
- Loss of energy
- Feelings of guilt for things that are
not one's fault
- Inability to concentrate
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Thoughts of death and suicide, wishing
to die, or attempting suicide
Schizophrenia
This psychotic disorder characterized by severe
problems with a person’s thoughts, feelings,
behavior, and use of words and language. The symptoms
include delusions and hallucinations. These delusions
in schizophrenia are often paranoid and persecutory
in nature. Hallucinations are usually auditory and
may include hearing voices. This disorder usually
develops before 30 years of age. There seems to be
some genetic component.
Tourette's Syndrome
Tourette's Syndrome is characterized by multiple
motor tics and at least one vocal tic. A tic is a
sudden, rapid purposeless muscle movement. Motor
tics may be simple movements such as eye blinking,
or more complex movements such as touching and
squatting. Vocal tics can include sounds such as
grunts, barks, sniffs, snorts, coughs, and
obscenities. People with Tourette's Syndrome
often have ADHD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
This condition is characterized by obsessions and
compulsions, which interfere with the person’s
ability to function normally. Obsession refers to
recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images
that are intrusive and cause severe anxiety or
distress. Compulsions refer to repetitive behaviors
and rituals (like hand washing, hoarding, ordering,
checking) or mental acts (like counting, repeating
words silently, avoiding). The person is aware that
his behavior is abnormal but is unable to control
himself. There is a growing body of evidence that
this is a physiologically based disorder. For more
information see the article on Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder (OCD).
Learning Disorders
This group of disorders describes a situation in
which a child’s reading, math, or writing skills are
substantially below that expected for age, schooling,
and level of intelligence. 5% of children have
learning disorders.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a psychiatric
behavior disorder that is characterized by
aggressiveness and a tendency to purposefully bother
and irritate others. These behaviors cause
significant difficulties with family and friends and
at school or work.
Oppositional defiant children show a consistent
pattern of refusing to follow commands or requests
by adults. These children repeatedly lose their
temper, argue with adults, and refuse to comply with
rules and directions. They are easily annoyed and
blame others for their mistakes. Children with ODD
show a pattern of stubbornness and frequently test
limits, even in early childhood. We have an online Oppositional defiant disorder test
Conduct Disorder
Teens with conduct disorder have a persistent pattern
of behavior in which they violate the rights of
others, or violate norms or rules that are
appropriate to their age. Their behavior is
characterized by aggression toward people or animals,
destruction of property, deceitfulness, lying, or
stealing.
Neurotic Disorder
This is a mental disorder characterized by a
distressing symptom or group of symptoms that the
person is considers unacceptable and alien to his
personality. The person is aware that his symptoms
are abnormal, but is unable to control them.
Examples are phobias, anxiety disorders, or Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder.
Phobia
Phobias are persistent, irrational fears of specific
objects, activities, or situations resulting in a
compelling desire to avoid it. This often leads
either to avoidance of the phobic stimulus or to
enduring it with dread.
Phobias are generally divided into three categories:
- Social phobias - fears involving other people
(performance anxiety)
- Specific phobias - fear of a single specific
panic thing, like dogs or flying
- Agoraphobia - a generalised fear of leaving a
familiar 'safe' area
Phobias vary in severity among individuals and may
range from an extreme dislike of something to a
fully-fledged panic attack. It is possible for a
sufferer to become phobic about virtually anything.
Co-morbidity
Co-morbidity is the simultaneous occurrence of two
or more disorders. The association may reflect a
causal relationship between the disorders, reflect
an underlying vulnerability to both disorders, or
be completely coincidental.
Windigo
This is for the Canadians.
This is a syndrome found only in Canadians involving
delusions of being possessed by a cannibalistic
monster called a windigo characterized by attacks
of agitation, depression and sadistic fears and
impulses. (I am not making this up)
Anthony Kane, MD
ADD ADHD Advances
“If your child's medications concerns you, I have a unique, proven way to solve your problems forever”
Click here for more information on
ADD ADHD Child Treatment and Medication Help
|
|
|