Types and Management of Common Mental Disorders

What Are Mood Disorders?

Four basic forms of mood disorders are major depression, cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and mania (euphoric, hyperactive, over inflated ego, unrealistic optimism.)

Depression

Depression is a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be a case of "the blues."

But when such feelings last for more than two weeks and when the feelings interfere with daily activities such as taking care of family, spending time with friends, or going to work or school, it's likely a major depressive episode.

Major depression is a treatable illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, and functions. At any point in time, 3 to 5 percent of people suffer from major depression; the lifetime risk is about 17 percent.

schizophrenic

  SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS:  Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder and is characterized by a profound disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting the most fundamental human attributes such as:  language, thought, perception, affect and sense of self.  The array of symptoms include psychotic manifestations, such as hearing internal voices or experiencing other
obsessive compulsive  disorder ocd
obsesive compulsive personality ocpd

ANXIETY DISORDERS:  All of us encounter anxiety in many forms throughout the course of our routine activities.  However, the mechanisms that regulate anxiety may break down in a wide variety of circumstances, leading to excessive or inappropriate expressions of anxiety.  An anxiety disorder may exist if the anxiety experienced is disproportionate to the circumstance, is difficult for the individual to control, or interferes with normal functioning. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder have anxious impulses to repeat words or phrases or engage in repetitive, ritualistic behavior, such as constant hand washing.

Children and adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer from unwanted and intrusive thoughts that they can't seem to get out of their heads (obsessions), often compelling them to repeatedly perform ritualistic behaviors and routines (compulsions) to try and ease their anxiety.

Most people who have OCD are aware that their obsessions and compulsions are irrational, yet they feel powerless to stop them.

Some spend hours at a time performing complicated rituals involving hand-washing, counting, or checking to ward off persistent, unwelcome thoughts, feelings, or images. Learn more symptoms.

These can interfere with a person's normal routine, schoolwork, job, family, or social activities. Several hours every day may be spent focusing on obsessive thoughts and performing seemingly senseless rituals. Trying to concentrate on daily activities may be difficult.

post traumatic

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-  People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing a traumatic event such as war, rape, child abuse, natural disasters, or being taken hostage. Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, and feeling angry, irritable, and distracted and being easily startled are common symptoms of PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other life-threatening events.

Most people who experience such events recover from them, but people with PTSD continue to be severely depressed and anxious for months or even years following the event. Learn about PTSD symptoms.

Women are twice as likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder as men, and children can also develop it. PTSD often occurs with depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders

for a youtube discussion check this link below

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.mental health discussion

importance of grieving

What

 is 

Grief?

According to MayoClinic.com, grief is an overwhelming feeling of sadness, which leaves you numb, detached from life and unable to participate in regular activities. {2}

grieve

verb \ˈgrēv\

: to cause (someone) to feel sad or unhappy

: to feel or show grief or sadness

grievedgriev·ing

Full Definition of GRIEVE

transitive verb

1

:  to cause to suffer :  distress <it grieves me to see him this way>2

:  to feel or show grief over <grieving the death of her son>

3

:  to submit a formal grievance concerning <grieve a dismissal>

intransitive verb

:  to feel grief :  sorrow

— griev·er noun

The Function of Grieving

Grieving is designed to help you work through feelings of separation from what was lost and begin to rebuild your life without that person or thing, according to the book Human Emotions.

Grieving such losses is important because it allows us to ‘free-up’ energy that is bound to the lost person, object, or experience—so that we might re-invest that energy elsewhere. Until we grieve effectively we are likely to find reinvesting difficult; a part of us remains tied to the past.

Grieving is not forgetting. Nor is it drowning in tears. Healthy grieving results in an ability to remember the importance of our loss—but with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain. {3}

Why Grief is Important

The grief process allows you to feel and then move past the loss and negative emotions that you've experienced. If you don't do this, you repress sad feelings rather than allow them to be worked out.

When to Stop Grieving

Grief can take a long time to work through---be patient with yourself. There is no set amount of time for grieving. {2}

How to Grieve

Grief is a highly personal process. You may wish to grieve alone, but it is good to have a circle of trusted friends or family for support. Emotions of grief include sadness, relief, anger, frustration and denial.

The grief process

Many people think of grief as a single instance or short time of pain or sadness in response to a loss—like the tears shed at a loved one’s funeral. But grieving includes the entire emotional process of coping with a loss and it can last a long time. Normal grieving allows us to let a loved one go and keep on living in a healthy way.

Grieving is painful, but it’s important that those who have suffered a loss be allowed to express their grief. It’s also important that they be supported throughout the process. Each person will grieve for their loved ones in different ways. The length and intensity of the emotions people go through varies from person to person.

Although some have described grief as happening in phases or stages, it doesn’t often feel like that to the bereaved person. It may feel more like a roller coaster, with ups and downs that make it hard to see that any progress is being made in dealing with the loss. A person may feel better for a while, only to become sad again. Sometimes, people wonder how long the grieving process will last for them, and when they can expect some relief. There’s no answer to this question, but some of the factors that affect the intensity and length of your grieving are:

• The kind of relationship you had with the person who died
• The circumstances of their death
• Your own life experiences

Studies have identified emotional states that people may go through while grieving. The first feelings usually include shock or numbness. Then, as the person sees how his or her life is affected by the loss, emotions start to surface. The early sense of disbelief is often replaced by emotional upheaval, which can involve anger, loneliness, uncertainty, or denial. These feelings can come and go over a long period of time. The final phase of grief is the one in which people find ways to come to terms with and accept the loss.

Shock, numbness, and disbelief usually come first

Many times, a person’s first response to a loss is shock, disbelief, and numbness. This can last anywhere from a few hours to days or weeks. During this time, the bereaved person may feel emotionally “shut off” from the world. Still, the numbness may be pierced by pangs of distress, often triggered by reminders of the deceased. The person may feel agitated or weak, cry, engage in aimless activities, or be preoccupied with thoughts or images of the person they lost.

The rituals of mourning − seeing friends and family, preparing for the funeral, and burial or final physical separation − often structure this time for people. They are seldom left alone. Sometimes the sense of numbness lasts through these activities, leaving the person feeling as though they are just “going through the motions” of these rituals.

Facing the loss brings out painful emotions

At some point the reality of the loss starts to sink in, and the numbness wears off. This part of the grief process, sometimes called confrontation, is when the feelings of loss are most intense and painful. This is the time the person starts to face the loss and cope with the changes the loss causes in their lives.

People have many different ways of dealing with loss, so there may be many different, equally intense emotions. During this time, grief tends to come in waves of distress. The person may seem disorganized. He or she may have trouble remembering, thinking, and doing day-to-day activities. This can last for weeks to months. Some or all of the following may be seen in a person who is grieving. The person may:

• Withdraw socially
• Have trouble thinking and concentrating
• Become restless and anxious at times
• Not feel like eating
• Look sad
• Feel depressed
• Dream of the deceased (or even have hallucinations or “visions” in which they briefly hear or see the deceased)
• Lose weight
• Have trouble sleeping
• Feel tired or weak
• Become preoccupied with death or events surrounding death
• Search for reasons for the loss (sometimes with results that make no sense to others)
• Dwell on mistakes, real or imagined, that he or she made with the deceased
• Feel somehow guilty for the loss
• Feel all alone and distant from others
• Express anger or envy at seeing others with their loved ones

It’s often during this time that a grieving person needs the most emotional support. Finding support can be the key to a person’s recovery and acceptance of the loss. Sources of support can be family members, friends, support groups, community organizations, or mental health professionals (therapists or counselors).

Accepting the loss means learning to live without the loved one

By this time, people have begun to recognize what the loss means to them in day-to-day life. They have felt the pain of grief. Usually, the person comes to accept the loss slowly over the months that follow. This acceptance includes adjusting to daily life without the deceased.

Like the earlier parts of the process, acceptance does not happen overnight. It’s common for it to take a year or longer to resolve the emotional and life changes that come with the death of a loved one. The pain may become less intense, but it’s normal to feel emotionally involved with the deceased for many years after their death. In time, the person should be able to reclaim the emotional energy that was invested in the relationship with the deceased, and use it in other relationships.

Grieving can go on for many years

Still, adjustment does not mean that all the pain is over for those who were very close to the deceased. Grieving for someone who was close to you includes losing the future you expected with that person. This must also be mourned. The sense of loss can last for decades. For example, years after a parent dies, the bereaved may be reminded of the parent’s absence at an event he or she would have been expected to attend. This can bring back strong emotions, and require mourning yet another part of the loss.

Grief after loss due to a long illness

The grief experience may be different when the loss occurs after a long illness rather than suddenly. When someone is terminally ill, family, friends, and even the patient might start to grieve in response to the expectation of death. This is a normal response called anticipatory grief. It might help people complete unfinished business and prepare loved ones for the actual loss, but it might not lessen the pain they feel when the person dies.

Usually, the period just before the person’s death is a time of physical and emotional preparation for those close to them. At this stage, loved ones may feel like they need to withdraw emotionally from the person who is ill.

Many people think they are prepared for the loss because death is expected. But when their loved one actually dies, it can still be a shock and bring about unexpected feelings of sadness and loss. For most people, the actual death starts the normal grieving process.

Grief can take unexpected forms

A person who had a difficult relationship to the deceased (a parent who was abusive, estranged, or abandoned the family, for example) is often surprised after their death because the emotions are so painful. It’s not uncommon to have profound distress as the bereaved mourns the relationship he or she had wished for with the person who died, and lets go of any chance of achieving it.

Others might feel relief, while some wonder why they feel nothing at all on the death of such a person. Regret and guilt are common, too, when the bereaved person had a rocky or distant relationship with the deceased. This is all part of the process of adjusting and letting go.

Getting help through the process of grief

Bereavement counseling is a special type of professional help. You may be able to find it through hospice services or a referral from a health care provider (doctor, nurse, or social worker). This type of counseling has been shown to reduce the level of distress that mourners go through after the death of their loved one. It can help them move more easily through the phases of grief. Bereavement counseling can also help them adjust to their new lives without the deceased.

1 http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/emotionalsideeffects/griefandloss/coping-with-the-loss-of-a-loved-one-intro-to-grief-mourning-bereavement

2 http://www.ehow.com/facts_5455885_importance-grieving.html

3 http://www.washington.edu/counseling/resources/resources-for-students/healthy-grieving/
4 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grieve

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5455885_importance-grieving.html

sources of stress

School

• Teens report school as their number one stressor. Teens said that school performance is their top stressor in an Associated Press/MTV poll taken in 2007. While academic achievement is highly valued by teachers and parents — and a fast way to earn their approval — it is not always easy. Youth who struggle academically or who have learning impairments face an even harder time.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gZ1rDG

Family Breakdown

• Parents with drug and alcohol, domestic violence or other relational problems create a hotbed of stress for teenagers. Some kind of family dysfunction is listed as a major source of stress in a review of the psychiatric literature published in “Pediatric Nursing” in 2008. Juggling matters of mental health and home instability promotes depression and lifelong anxiety in teens.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gpAirK

Body Image

• What a teenager thinks about how peers regard his appearance affects stress levels and can result in long bathroom camp-outs. Adolescents stated they worried about their looks in an OTX Teen Topix study. Out of 750 teens polled, 60 percent indicated that appearance was “very important” regarding how they felt about themselves.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4guvruM

Finances

• Teens view money — or how to get it — as a major stressor. Teenagers shop for clothes, food and in some cases baby items like diapers. Money ranked second only to school as a source of anxiety among teenagers questioned in a 2008 study published in the journal “Pediatric Nursing.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gzVPGq

Criticism

• Some parents see their children as miniature adults. Thomas Phelan, author of the book “1-2-3 Magic,” coined the phrase “mini-adult syndrome.” This attitude results in disapproval and negative comments by parents. While criticism is most damaging when children are young, it still strains teenagers over time.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4h7lYMf

Popularity

• Regardless of their actual popularity, when teenagers perceive themselves as fitting in and having social standing they do better in the long run. Teens who saw themselves as unpopular were more hostile and withdrawn than others, according to a 2008 study published in “Child Development.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hD6EaH

Romantic Relationships

• Teens take breakups very hard. Despite the predictable pattern of teen dating, adolescents believe wholeheartedly in the love they feel for a romantic partner. In a Baltimore study outlined in the pamphlet “Confronting Teen Stress,” 64 percent of teenagers questioned identified romantic relationships as one of the most commonly experienced sources of stress.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4haeYke

Cyber bullying

• Cyber bullying is a modern stressor parents never faced when they were teens. More and more teenagers use cell phones, social networking websites and chat rooms. Typing hurtful comments, spreading rumors and posting humiliating pictures are only a few of the types of harassment young people face. A 2007 survey published on the Cyber bullying Research Center website found that middle-school students who are cyber bullied are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hedZbQ

Siblings

• Birth order affects teen stress levels. Living in a sibling’s shadow, feeling invisible, fighting over possessions and privileges, coping with annoying personality traits and having to babysit are all genuine stressors attached to siblings. Firstborns have the highest level of anxiety, while those born later tend to be self-conscious, reports researcher Frank J. Sulloway in a chapter of the book “Conceptual Challenges in Evolutionary Psychology.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hpxFrU

Tips to Manage Stress

Stress occurs when you perceive that demands placed on you — such as work, school or relationships — exceed your ability to cope. Some stress can be beneficial at times, producing a boost that provides the drive and energy to help people get through situations like exams or work deadlines. However, an extreme amount of stress can have health consequences, affecting the immune, cardiovascular and neuroendocrine and central nervous systems, and take a severe emotional toll.

Untreated chronic stress can result in serious health conditions including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Research shows that stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity.

But by finding positive, healthy ways to manage stress as it occurs, many of these negative health consequences can be reduced. Everyone is different, and so are the ways they choose to manage their stress. Some people prefer pursuing hobbies such as gardening, playing music and creating art, while others find relief in more solitary activities: meditation, yoga and walking.

Here are five healthy techniques that psychological research has shown to help reduce stress in the short- and long-term.

Take a break from the stressor. It may seem difficult to get away from a big work project, a crying baby or a growing credit card bill. But when you give yourself permission to step away from it, you let yourself have time to do something else, which can help you have a new perspective or practice techniques to feel less overwhelmed. It’s important to not avoid your stress (those bills have to be paid sometime), but even just 20-minutes to take care of yourself is helpful.

Exercise. The research keeps growing — exercise benefits your mind just as well as your body. We keep hearing about the long-term benefits of a regular exercise routine. But even a 20-minute walk, run, swim or dance session in the midst of a stressful time can give an immediate effect that can last for several hours.

Smile and laugh. Our brains are interconnected with our emotions and facial expressions. When people are stressed, they often hold a lot of the stress in their face. So laughs or smiles can help relieve some of that tension and improve the situation.

Get social support. Call a friend, send an email. When you share your concerns or feelings with another person, it does help relieve stress. But it’s important that the person whom you talk to is someone whom you trust and whom you feel can understand and validate you. If your family is a stressor, for example, it may not alleviate your stress if you share your works woes with one of them.

Meditate. Meditation and mindful prayer help the mind and body to relax and focus. Mindfulness can help people see new perspectives, develop self-compassion and forgiveness. When practicing a form of mindfulness, people can release emotions that may have been causing the body physical stress. Much like exercise, research has shown that even meditating briefly can reap immediate
benefits. [1]

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

Smoking Drinking too much Overeating or undereating Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s Change the situation: Avoid the stressor Alter the stressor Change your reaction: Adapt to the stressor Accept the stressor

Using pills or drugs to relax Sleeping too much Procrastinating Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence) [2] Healthy ways to relax and recharge Go for a walk. Spend time in nature. Call a good friend. Sweat out tension with a good workout. Write in your journal. Take a long bath. Light scented candles. Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea. Play with a pet. Work in your garden. Get a massage. Curl up with a good book. Listen to music. Watch a comedy. [2]

sources:

1 http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage-stress.aspx

2 http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

SOURCES OF STRESS IN ADOLESCENTS

School

• Teens report school as their number one stressor. Teens said that school performance is their top stressor in an Associated Press/MTV poll taken in 2007. While academic achievement is highly valued by teachers and parents — and a fast way to earn their approval — it is not always easy. Youth who struggle academically or who have learning impairments face an even harder time.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gZ1rDG

Family Breakdown

• Parents with drug and alcohol, domestic violence or other relational problems create a hotbed of stress for teenagers. Some kind of family dysfunction is listed as a major source of stress in a review of the psychiatric literature published in “Pediatric Nursing” in 2008. Juggling matters of mental health and home instability promotes depression and lifelong anxiety in teens.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gpAirK

Body Image

• What a teenager thinks about how peers regard his appearance affects stress levels and can result in long bathroom camp-outs. Adolescents stated they worried about their looks in an OTX Teen Topix study. Out of 750 teens polled, 60 percent indicated that appearance was “very important” regarding how they felt about themselves.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4guvruM

Finances

• Teens view money — or how to get it — as a major stressor. Teenagers shop for clothes, food and in some cases baby items like diapers. Money ranked second only to school as a source of anxiety among teenagers questioned in a 2008 study published in the journal “Pediatric Nursing.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4gzVPGq

Criticism

• Some parents see their children as miniature adults. Thomas Phelan, author of the book “1-2-3 Magic,” coined the phrase “mini-adult syndrome.” This attitude results in disapproval and negative comments by parents. While criticism is most damaging when children are young, it still strains teenagers over time.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4h7lYMf

Popularity

• Regardless of their actual popularity, when teenagers perceive themselves as fitting in and having social standing they do better in the long run. Teens who saw themselves as unpopular were more hostile and withdrawn than others, according to a 2008 study published in “Child Development.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hD6EaH

Romantic Relationships

• Teens take breakups very hard. Despite the predictable pattern of teen dating, adolescents believe wholeheartedly in the love they feel for a romantic partner. In a Baltimore study outlined in the pamphlet “Confronting Teen Stress,” 64 percent of teenagers questioned identified romantic relationships as one of the most commonly experienced sources of stress.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4haeYke

Cyber bullying

• Cyber bullying is a modern stressor parents never faced when they were teens. More and more teenagers use cell phones, social networking websites and chat rooms. Typing hurtful comments, spreading rumors and posting humiliating pictures are only a few of the types of harassment young people face. A 2007 survey published on the Cyber bullying Research Center website found that middle-school students who are cyber bullied are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hedZbQ

Siblings

• Birth order affects teen stress levels. Living in a sibling’s shadow, feeling invisible, fighting over possessions and privileges, coping with annoying personality traits and having to babysit are all genuine stressors attached to siblings. Firstborns have the highest level of anxiety, while those born later tend to be self-conscious, reports researcher Frank J. Sulloway in a chapter of the book “Conceptual Challenges in Evolutionary Psychology.”
• Read more: What Are the Top Ten Stressors for Teens? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8143126_top-ten-stressors-teens.html#ixzz1t4hpxFrU

The Body’s Stress Response

When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus—preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)