Psychological disorders

• Anxiety disorders include disorders where anxiety is the main symptom experienced or is experienced as a result of controlling certain maladaptive behaviors.
• GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) is a disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry
• The DSM-5 criteria for GAD is

  • excessive anxiety for > 50% of the time for at least 6 months
  • Anxiety is difficult to control
  • Restlessness
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Impairment in social and occupational areas
• GAD is a combo of genetic factors and environmental factors
• GAD can be screened by using the GAD-7 questionnaire.
• Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks, which are sudden episodes of intense fear that reach their peak within minutes.
• The diagnosis for panic attacks according to the dsm-5 are

  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Numbness
  • Trembling
  • Nausea
  • Sweating
  • Chills
  • Pounding or fast heart rate
  • Chest pain
  • Feelings of detachment
  • Fear of death
  • Fear of losing control
• Person must experience 4/13 symptoms to be diagnosed with PA
• Both panic attacks and agoraphobia involve anxiety symptoms, such as:

  • Intense fear or discomfort
  • Physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, and dizziness
• Panic attacks may precede the development of agoraphobia, with a progression from:

  • Panic attacks in specific situations
  • Avoidance behaviors to prevent panic attacks
  • Eventually leading to the development of agoraphobia
• Agoraphobia without panic disorder is the most disabling condition of all phobias
• People who have Panic disorder without Agoraphobia are able to function adequately
• Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense fear or anxiety about being in situations or places where escape might be difficult or help might not be available in the event of experiencing panic-like symptoms.
• OCD is characterized by the experience of obsessions and compulsions.
• OCD shares symptoms of excessive worry, fear, and anxiety with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
• According to the DSM-5,, the criteria to be diagnosed with OCD is

  • Presence of obsessions or compulsions
  • Individuals attempt to suppress thoughts or urges or neutralize them with some thought or action
  • The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming
  • The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder
• Common themes of obsessions include contamination, harm/checking, symmetry/orderliness, sexuality, religion, and aggression
• Compulsion refers to repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce anxiety caused by obsession
• Mood disorders are mental health conditions characterized by disturbances in mood, affecting a person's emotional state and overall well-being. These disorders include conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder,
• Mood disorders are divided into

  Bipolar disorders

  Depressive dosrders
• Depressive disorders: Individual has one or more periods of depression without a history of manic episodes
• Bipolar disorders: Individual alternates between periods of depression and periods or mania, usually with a return to normal moods in between the two extremes
• Schizophrenia: It is a mental health disorder characterised by disruptions in thinking,emotions and behaviors, leading to difficulty in distinguishing between what is real and what is not
• The dsm-5 criteria for schizophrenia

  • Halucinations
  • Delusions
  • A loss or decrease in the ability to plan,speak,express emotions or find pleasure
  • Confused or disorders thinking
  • Sometimes bizzare behavior or abnormal movements
• Phobias: An irrational fear of something specific, often an object or situation