In the previous article, we studied some of the common disorders. Given below are some more. Read on!
Anxiety Disorders: Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, and it may be useful in some instances. It can warn us of impending hazards and assist us in preparing and paying attention. Anxiety disorders are distinguished from typical emotions of uneasiness or anxiety by the presence of excessive dread or anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent type of mental illness, affecting almost 30% of individuals at some time in their life. Anxiety is an unavoidable aspect of life. When confronted with a difficulty at work, before taking an exam, or before making an important choice, you may experience anxiety. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, include more than just transient concern or dread.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder – People who have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experience excessive anxiety or concern about a variety of topics, including personal health, job, social interactions, and ordinary regular living conditions, on most days for at least 6 months. Symptoms include: feeling anxious, tense, or agitated, being quickly exhausted, having trouble in focusing, mind wandering, irritability, muscle tension, difficulty in managing anxious feelings.
- Panic Disorder – The people who are suffering from panic disorder experience repeated, sudden panic episodes. Panic attacks are brief bursts of extreme terror that last only a few minutes. Attacks can happen suddenly or as a result of a trigger, such as a fearful item or scenario. People who are having a panic attack may feel the following symptoms: heart palpitations, a pounding heartbeat, or an increased heart rate, sweating, shaking or trembling, shortness of breath, suffocation, or choking sensations, fear of imminent disaster, feelings of being powerless.
To manage anxiety disorders, Psychotherapy (CBT) and Medication (only if the symptoms are severe) are adopted as strategies.
Phobias: A phobia is a strong fear or aversion to a certain thing or circumstance. Although being nervous in some situations is understandable, the dread that people with phobias experience is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the scenario or item. Anxiety is related to phobia, as when a person is under any type of fear automatically his/her anxiety level will rise. Following are some symptoms:
- Fear of confronting the dreaded item or circumstance which may be illogical or overwhelming.
- Avoiding the feared item or circumstance by taking proactive measures.
- When confronted with the frightened thing or scenario, you feel tremendous anxiety right away.
- With extreme anxiety, enduring inescapable items and situations.
- Specific Phobia – People who have a particular phobia, as the term implies, has a strong fear of, or extremely anxious about, a certain sort of object or scenario. Specific phobias include – Flying, Heights, Insects, Reptiles, Animals, Injection, or Blood.
- Social Phobia – Social anxiety disorder have a general strong fear of, or worry about, social or performance settings. They are concerned about their behaviors linked with anxiety will be judged adversely by others, causing them to feel humiliated. People who suffer from social anxiety frequently avoid social situations as a result of this fear. Social anxiety disorder can appear in a variety of settings, including the workplace and school.
- Agoraphobia – Agoraphobia are terror of two or more of the following situations: Making use of public transit/ Being out in the open/ Being in confined places/ Being in a throng/ Being alone outside of the house.
Eating Disorders: Eating disorders are a group of psychological problems that lead to the development of harmful eating behaviors. They may begin with a fixation with food, body weight, or body form. If left untreated, eating disorders can have major health implications and could result in death in severe situations. Those suffering from eating disorders may exhibit a range of symptoms. Most, however, entail extreme dietary restriction, eating binges, or purging behaviors such as vomiting or over-exercising.
Despite the fact that eating disorders can affect persons of any gender at any age, they are more commonly documented among teens and young women. In fact, up to 13% of adolescents may have at least one eating disorder by the age of 20.
- Anorexia Nervosa – It usually appears throughout youth or early adulthood and affects more women than men. People suffering from anorexia may perceive themselves to be overweight, even though they are dangerously underweight. They tend to continuously check their weight, avoid specific foods, and strictly limit their calorie intake.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by the following symptoms:
- being very underweight in comparison to others of same age and height
- extremely limited eating habits
- despite being underweight, a strong dread of gaining weight or persistent attempts to prevent gaining weight
- a never-ending quest for thinness and a reluctance to maintain a healthy weight
- a significant impact of body weight or perceived body shape on self-esteem
- a skewed body image, including the denial of being very underweight
Bulimia Nervosa – Bulimics typically consume unusually enormous amounts of food in a short period of time. Each binge eating session often lasts until the person is extremely full. During a binge, the person generally feels unable to stop eating or regulate how much they consume. Binges can occur with any type of food, although they are most often associated with items that the consumer would ordinarily avoid. Individuals suffering from bulimia may then attempt to purge in order to compensate for the calories ingested and alleviate stomach pain. Forced vomiting, fasting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, and extreme exercise are all examples of common purging practices.
Binge – Eating disorder – Individuals suffering from this condition, exhibit symptoms comparable to bulimia or the binge eating subtype of anorexia. For example, individuals frequently consume abnormally large amounts of food in relatively short periods of time and experience a loss of control during binges. Binge eaters do not control calories or engage in purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise to compensate for their binges.
Pica – Pica patients have a strong need for non-food items such as ice, mud, soil, chalk, soap, paper, hair, fabric, wool, pebbles, laundry detergent, or cornstarch. Pica can affect both adults and toddlers and teenagers. Having said that, this condition is most commonly seen in youngsters, pregnant women, and those with mental impairments. Pica patients may be more prone to poisoning, infections, gastrointestinal injuries, and nutritional deficits. Pica can be deadly depending on the drugs consumed. However, consuming non-food items must not be a regular component of someone’s culture or religion in order to be termed pica. Furthermore, it must not be seen as a socially acceptable practice.
Thus, Eating disorder therapy is determined by your specific disorder and symptoms. It usually consists of a combination of psychological treatment (psychotherapy), nutrition instruction, medical monitoring, and, in certain cases, medicines. Eating disorder therapy also includes addressing underlying health issues produced by an eating disorder, which can be significant or even fatal if left untreated for too long. If normal therapy does not work for eating disorder or creates health concerns, then the person may require hospitalization or another form of inpatient program.
Personality Disorders: A personality disorder is a kind of mental disorder characterized by an inflexible and harmful pattern of thinking, functioning, and behavior. A person suffering from a personality disorder has difficulties recognizing and connecting to circumstances and others. This has a huge impact on relationships, social activities, employment, and school. In other situations, you may be unaware that you have a personality disorder since your way of thinking and behaving appears to you to be normal. And one might blame others for the difficulties or issues they are experiencing. Personality problems typically emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. Personality problems come in a variety of forms. Some kinds may become less evident as time passes. A person’s personality traits remain constant throughout time.
- Paranoid Personality Disorder – A)There is widespread skepticism and suspicion of people and their motivations. B) Unfounded fear that people are attempting to hurt or misleads you. C) Unjustified distrust of others’ commitment or reliability. D) Unreasonable worry that others may use the information against you causes you to be hesitant to confide in others. E) Personal insults or assaults are perceived as harmless statements or nonthreatening circumstances. F) Anger or hostility in response to perceived slights or insults. G) A propensity to retain grudges.
- Borderline Personality Disorder – This involves a pattern of insecurity in personal relationships, strong emotions, a negative self-image, and impulsivity. A person suffering with borderline personality disorder may go to considerable efforts to prevent abandonment, make several suicide attempts, exhibit inappropriately strong rage, or experience continuous feelings of emptiness.
- Schizoid Personality Disorder – Individuals diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder do not keep much contact with social connections and exhibit minimal emotion. A person with schizoid personality disorder does not generally desire deep connections, prefers to be alone, and appears to be unconcerned by praise or criticism from others.
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder – they become extremely uneasy in personal connections, as well as having skewed thinking and quirky conduct. A person suffering from schizotypal personality disorder may have strange views, strange or unusual behavior or speech, or extreme social anxiety.
- Dependent Personality Disorder – These persons have the habit of wanting to be cared for, as well as subservient and clingy behavior. People with dependent personality disorder may struggle to make daily decisions without reinforcement from others, or they may feel uncomfortable or powerless while alone due to a concern of being unable to care for oneself.
- Dissociative Identity Disorder – Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a psychiatric illness. DID patients have two or more distinct identities. These personalities have various levels of control over their conduct at different times. Each identity has its own particular history, characteristics, preferences, and dislikes. DID can cause memory gaps and hallucinations. In early days, dissociative identity disorder was also known as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is one of numerous dissociative disorders. These conditions impair a person’s capacity to connect with reality.
The optimal therapy for personality disorder is determined by specific personality condition, its severity, and living situation. A team approach is frequently required to ensure that the mental, medical, and social requirements are fulfilled. Because personality problems are chronic, therapy might take months or years. If the symptoms are moderate and well-controlled, you may just require therapy from your health care physician, a psychiatrist, or another therapist. Find a mental health practitioner who has expertise with personality problems if at all feasible. Psychotherapy, often known as talk therapy, is the most common treatment for personality disorders.
YLCC would like to thank Shatakshee Chatterjee for her valuable inputs in this article.
