Psychological Disorders
... false, but strongly held beliefs, usually explained by a person’s cultural concepts. Delusions may include the belief of being the President or of having great wealth or powers during mania. Delusions experienced during depression may include one has committed a terrible crime, or is ruined and penniless. Sufferers of Bipolar Disorder Both children and adults can develop bipolar disorder, but children of parents who have the disorder are more likely to develop it. Most adults with the disorder experience more clearly defined episodes, while children often experience rapid swings between mania and depression many times within one day. But it is often difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder in children because it is sometimes hard to distinguish it between other childhood disorders, such as ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and many others. Cause of Bipolar Disorder Scientists agree that there is not one cause of bipolar disorder, but many factors acting together to produce the illness. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families, so scientists have been doing studies on specific genes that influence how the body and mind work and grow to determine whether it is passed down through generations. They conducted an experiment on twins to test this hypothesis, which had an interesting result. If bipolar disorder was caused entirely by genes, than the identical twin of someone with the disease would always develop the illness; but the study showed that this was not the case. Not all identical twins share this disorder, but it is more common for a twin to also develop it rather than another sibling. Scientists have concluded that bipolar disorder does not develop from a single gene. They believe that it is produced by numerous genes, along with environmental factors. But scientists are optimistic that newer, more advanced tools will better aide them in the future to discover the cause and find a more efficient treatment. Treatments Bipolar disorder is a very serious long-term disorder that currently has no cure. Medication can be prescribed to patients with bipolar disorder by psychiatrists. These medications are known as mood stabilizers to help control the disorder. People with this disorder continue their treatment for long periods of time to prevent episodes, but will take other medications if necessary due to episodes that sporatically occur during treatment. These medications are only continued for a short period of time, usually only a few weeks until the episode ends. It is important for a person who suffers from bipolar disorder to constantly stay on their medication, even during well times, to keep it under control and reduce the chance of having recurrent or worsening episodes. In addition to medication, psychotherapy with a psychologist, councelor, or social worker is helpful in providing support to the sufferers of bipolar disorder. Studies have shown that therapy can lead to increased mood stability, decreased hospitalization, and improved functioning in many areas (Spearing, 2001). If this disorder is not kept under control, it can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, and even suicide. Schizophrenia One of the most well-known psychological disorders is schizophrenia. Many people imagine a schizophrenic to have a split personality, an idea that was popularized in the movie Psycho. But this is definitely not the correct definition of this disorder. Schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling, and very severe brain disease. The first signs of schizophrenia can appear as confusing or shocking changes in behavior, which will eventually lead to the two phases of schizophrenia: acute and psychosis. The acute phase is the sudden onset of severe psychotic symptoms, while psychosis is a mental impairment that includes hallucinations, delusions, and disturbances of sensory perceptions. Schizophrenia refers to “disturbances in thinking, feeling, and relating” (Bernheim & Lewine, 1979). Thought Disturbance This thought disorder that appears in schizophrenics includes confused and disjointed thoughts, and the inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. This disturbance can range from mild confusion to an almost complete inability to carry on a normal conversation. They often can not distinguish between what is relevant and what is not, and their thoughts will come and go very quickly, leaving them unable to focus. Since most people can not make sense of what this person is trying to say, they will typically become uncomfortable and avoid further contact. Emotional Disturbance A schizophrenic’s ability to have normal emotions is also disturbed by the disease. Their emotions are “dulled”, resulting in apparent indifference in many situations (Bernheim & Lewine, 1979). In contrast to this indifference, they may also react in inappropriate ways, such as laughing, crying, or becoming very angry for no apparent reason. Social Disturbance The ability to engage in social relationships is also impared. They often speak in a monotonous voice, have diminished facial expressions, and seem apathetic. They are socially isolated, meaning even though they are surrounded by people they feel lonely and misunderstood. A schizophrenic usually has very low self-esteem due to these thought, emotional, and relationship disturbances. They often percieve themselves with feelings of disgust and consequently will withdraw themselves from reality. Hallucinations and Delusions Schizophrenics will also experience what is known as “auditory hallucinations” (Tsuang & Faraone, 1997). The most frequent symptoms include hearing strange sounds, music, conversations, and internal voices that no one else can hear. They are led to believe that other people are reading their mind, controlling their thoughts, and even plotting to hurt them. Other forms of rare hallucinations include unpleasant smells, tastes, persistant pains, visual disturbances, such as seeing a dead realative or being chased by a terrifying animal. Along with these hallucinations, schizophrenics will also have delusions involving “thought insertion, thought withdrawl, or though broadcasting” (Tsuang & Faraone, 1997). This is the belief that thoughts are being inserted into their minds, which causes confusion and disorientation. The thoughts are then withdrawn, leaving the mind blank. They may believe that an outside force or machine is causing their thoughts to be heard by others around them. Sufferers of Schizophrenia About 1% of the population will develop schizophrenia within their lifetime, and about 2 million Americans suffer the disease in a given year. Schizophrenia affects both males and females, yet signs of the disease appear earlier in men; usually late teens or early twenties. Females are usually affected in their twenties or early thirties. Children over the age of five can develop this disease, although it is uncommon for adolescents to develop the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia (Tsuang & Faraone, 1997). Cause of Schizophrenia There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. Like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia is known to run in families. A child with a parent who has the disease has a 10% chance of developing the disease, and the twin of someone with it has a 40 to 50% chance. Studies of the human genome are being conducted to determine if damage to certain chromosomes could be a factor in this disease. Because schizophrenia is a brain disease, it is likely that the disorder is associated with an imbalance of the chemical systems of the brain, perhaps involving the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate. This research is promising (Spearing, 2001). Treatments Since schizophrenia is not a single condition and its causes are not yet known, treatments are chosen on their ability to reduce the symptoms and lessen the chance they will return. Anti-psychotic medications reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia and allow the patient to function more effectively. These medications do not cure the disease, nor do they ensure that there will be no further psychotic episodes. They are effective in treating hallucinations and delusions, but unfortunately are not very effective with other symptoms such as decreased motivation or emotional expressiveness. This medication can only be perscribed by a qualified physician who is trained in mental disorders, usually a psychiatrist. Psychosocial treatments are also very effective, even more so for patients with less severe symptoms. Rehabilitation is helpful because it concentrates on helping patients overcome difficulties is social situations. Individual psychotherapy with a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or nurse helps the patient focus on past problems, feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Psychotherapy should not replace the use of medications, but can be very useful once the medication has begun to relieve some symptoms. Family education and self-help groups are also becoming an increasingly common method of treatment (Tsuang & Farone, 1997). Autism Another threatening psychological disorder I will be discussing is autism. Autism is a very complex developmental disability that appears during the first three years of life. It affects the functioning of the brain in the areas of communication and social interaction. In 1943, Leo Kanner observed that children with autism demonstrated a variety of unique symptoms and behaviors, including agitation and distress after changes were made in their regular routine or environment. They had abnormal speech, including speech delays, and their speech was often restricted to mimicking what others say. Kanner also observed that the children preferred to be alone and would withdraw themselves from the group (Simpson, 1992). I wil be further explaining the various behaviors, social difficulties, and speech impediments in autistic patients. Obsessional Behavior A very prominent sign of autism is repetitive, obsessional behavior. For example, they might have an obsessive interest in counting light posts on the street or naming colors. They lack a flexible imagination. An autistic person will many times become very preoccupied with certain objects, and will, for example, only eat or drink from one particular bowl or cup. They also have a desire for sameness, and may become angry and aggressive if a road detour causes their school bus to take a different route (Simpson, 1992). These children also develop a strong attachment to unusual objects and will maintain close contact with those objects at all times. For instance, a child may form an attachment with a blade of grass or a piece of string and become very agitated if these items are taken away. Social Difficulties Autistic people also have problems reacting in social situations. They are normally very unresponsive to people. If an autistic person were to walk into a room, in most cases, they would completely disregard all the people in the room and focus solely on other objects. If someone were to walk up to them and offer his hand for a handshake, the autistic person would likely ignore it, or play with it as if it were a detached object. They often do not ...