Lesson 2

When the Mind Gets Sick

Objectives:Explain mental illnessIdentify mental disorderEnumerate the causes of mental illnessAware of the early signs and symptoms of mental illness

What is mental illness?

Mental illness is an emotional disturbance which affects the way an individual thinks, feels, and behave making it difficult to live a normal life. It may be caused by organic or functional disorders. Organic mental disorders are due to physical injuries and illness affecting the brain. Functional mental disorders can be due to environmental conditions or poor coping skills.

What causes mental disorders?

•Life situation and experience—these include insecurities in early life like broken homes, loss of loved ones, marital problems, financial difficulties, unemployment, and others.•Physical Conditions—includes fever, intoxication from alcohol or drugs, trauma like head injuries, senility, and disturbance of the endocrine glands.

What are the early signs and symptoms of mental health?

•Disturbed sleep for a prolonged period•Prolonged headache•Restlessness and irritability, being talkative, depressed, and suspicious•Easily get tired•Impaired memory•Isolating self from families and friends

What are the practical ways to help oneself when these danger signs occur?

Share out—entrust to someone trustworthyDivert for a while—have a relaxation to have a better condition emotionally and intellectuallyLose off anger—do physical activities like exercising or house beautificationDo something for others—learn to help others who may be more problematicCarry tasks by steps—do most urgent tasks one at a time, and set aside others for the time being

What are the different mental disorders?

•Affective Disorders—involves extreme mood although the exact cause is not known, but they are more common in some families. Three types of affective disorders are clinical depression, bipolar disorder or manic depressive order, and seasonal affective disorder. Clinical depression involves long-lasting feelings of hopelessness, sadness or helplessness. Bipolar disorders or manic-depressive disorder is when moods vary from extreme happiness to depression. Seasonal affective disorder is caused by reduced exposure to sunlight.

•Anxiety Disorder—is when real or imagined fears prevent an individual from enjoying life. A panic attack is the intense fear and anxiety with some body changes. Body changes include increase heart rate, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, loss of control, chills, and fear on dying. The different types of anxiety disorders are generally anxiety disorder, phobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. General anxiety disorder is a recurring state of anxiety, fear restlessness, and tenseness. Phobia is an excessive fear of certain things, situation or people. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the urgent need to repeat a thought or action. Post-traumatic stress disorder is when, after effects of a past event, disturbs an individual from having a normal life.

•Dissociative Disorders—is when an individual has memory loss, confused, identity or multiple identities. Two types of dissociate disorders are amnesia and dissociative identity disorder. Amnesia is the inability to recall past experiences. Dissociative identity disorder is a rare mental disorder in which two or more personalities coexist within the same individual.

•Somatoform Disorder—has symptoms of a disease for which no physical cause can be found. Two types of somatoform disorders are hypochondria and conversion disorder. An individual with hypochondria constantly feels aches and pains and worries about developing some illness and disease. As a result of this emotional state, an individual with conversion disorder experiences sudden health changes. These include sudden loss of vision or hearing and loss of sensation of skin.

Schizophrenia—a split breakdown in logical thought processes resulting to unusual behaviors. Individuals with this disorder may appear desperate and withdraw from the real world. One type is paranoid schizophrenia where an individual has delusions of either persecution or greatness.

Schizophrenia—a split breakdown in logical thought processes resulting to unusual behaviors. Individuals with this disorder may appear desperate and withdraw from the real world. One type is paranoid schizophrenia where an individual has delusions of either persecution or greatness.