Notes

Introduction
Recently, Jane has not been the outgoing girl she used to be. She hardly eats these days and has lost a lot of weight. She stays in her room all the time, her grades have been slipping, and she has stopped going to basketball practice. Her mom is worried about her but doesn't think she needs to take Jane to a doctor yet. Is Jane's mom right?

We usually associate the word health with physical health. When people are not suffering from any obvious physical illness, we consider them healthy. But health includes more than just our physical health. It's important to look for warning signs of mental illnesses as they are likely to go undetected.

A mental illness or disorder is a disease or condition that affects the brain and influences the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, or relates to people or surroundings. Let's learn more about mental and emotional health issues.

About Mental Disorders
A woman is tormented by the notion that she may injure her children due to her carelessness. She cannot leave home until she has checked and rechecked the gas and water faucets to make sure they are turned off. A man is so anxious about germs that he washes his hands every time he touches anything handled by others. Both these people are showing symptoms of a mental disorder.

Every year, about 20 percent of the U.S. population is affected by some form of mental disorder and only one third of this population receives the help it needs. The main reason for this is the lack of awareness about mental disorders. Misconceptions and stereotypes may prevent some people from seeing mental disorders as medical conditions. Either people do not realize that they need help, or when they do, they may not seek help. Some people are reluctant to seek treatment because they feel embarrassed or ashamed.

Some mental disorders are genetic. Some are due to brain damage later in life. They could be a result of disturbing past events, stress, sexual abuse, a failed relationship, or a sudden trauma. Even news of disasters such as hurricanes, terrorist attacks, or a neighborhood crime may trigger enough distress to cause mental disorders in some people.

Mental disorders can be sorted into eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and others, such as depression, mood disorders, conduct disorders, and schizophrenia. All mental disorders, if not treated in time, can lead to deterioration in physical health. For example, eating disorders can cause serious heart conditions and kidney failure. And anxiety disorders can cause sleeplessness, trouble concentrating, or excessive weight gain or loss. People with severe cases may harm themselves or others.

Eating Disorders
Teenagers are more likely than others to be influenced by the "ideal" figures glamorized in the media. Many teens know little about true ideal weight and believe that dieting is a normal activity. So teens are more likely than adults to suffer from eating disorders.

Extreme eating patterns, like a compulsion to eat or to avoid eating, define eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are two disorders that are likely to arise from an obsession with being thin. The underlying causes of eating disorders can be depression, peer and family pressure, substance abuse, or a family history of weight problems. These disorders can cause serious heart conditions and kidney failure.

Many consider an eating disorder a woman's problem. But studies show that men do suffer from eating disorders. Since they are less likely to seek help, the illness can be more dangerous for them.

Let's take a closer look at the types of eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa
Michelle thinks she is too fat, so to lose weight she eats very little. But she is actually underweight. She is suffering from an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa.

A person with anorexia nervosa harbors an irrational fear of becoming overweight and tries fad diets, diet pills, and even starving to lose weight. Anorexia nervosa often results in malnutrition. It can lead to acidity, low blood pressure, low bone density, anemia, headaches, tiredness, irritability, and mood swings. Anorexic people have low self-esteem and lack confidence.


Ignoring symptoms of anorexia nervosa can be fatal. Anorexic people need help from a health-care professional. If a friend or sibling shows symptoms of anorexia, talk to a trusted adult such as a parent, a school nurse, or a counselor.

Bulimia
Joanne is afraid of putting on weight, but at the same time, she can't control her urge to eat. She tries to maintain her weight by eating large quantities and then vomiting. She often goes through cycles of strict dieting and binge eating. Joanne is suffering from bulimia.

Bulimia is characterized by binge eating and then purging the food from the body by vomiting or taking laxatives. Most people with bulimia don't gain weight, but the binging and purging causes dehydration, kidney damage, and nutrient deficiency.

People suffering from bulimia may be aware that they are overeating but are unable to control themselves. As a result, they may develop low self-esteem, depression, and sometimes suicidal thoughts. It's hard to know when people are bulimic because they may behave normally in public or may be too embarrassed to seek help.

Binge Eating Disorder
Have you ever overeaten your favorite food until there was no room left in your stomach for dessert? We all overeat sometimes. Binge eating, however, is an eating disorder where people cannot control their compulsion to overeat. They eat and eat, even when they are not hungry or are full. Binge eating differs from bulimia because it is not followed by purging.

People with binge eating disorder gain a lot of weight, which leads to high blood pressure, bladder problems, and high cholesterol. They are also at risk of certain types of cancers. Like bulimics, binge eaters suffer from low self-esteem and depression. They benefit from counseling about how to control their eating. And if they are overweight, a healthy weight-loss program combined with a proper diet can also be helpful.

Anxiety Disorders
Now we'll turn to mental disorders called anxiety disorders.

We all experience a normal feeling of anxiety when we think something dreadful is going to happen. When this anxiety refuses to go away and makes a person extremely nervous and tense, it becomes an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering different forms of abnormal anxieties, fears, and phobias. A person with an anxiety disorder suffers from an excessive and irrational fear of everyday situations.

Studies say that 10 percent of Americans have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be treated with medication or therapy. The choice of treatment depends on what the patient is comfortable with and the type of disorder involved. Let's look more closely at anxiety disorders.

Anxiety Disorders
Now we'll turn to mental disorders called anxiety disorders.

We all experience a normal feeling of anxiety when we think something dreadful is going to happen. When this anxiety refuses to go away and makes a person extremely nervous and tense, it becomes an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering different forms of abnormal anxieties, fears, and phobias. A person with an anxiety disorder suffers from an excessive and irrational fear of everyday situations.

Studies say that 10 percent of Americans have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be treated with medication or therapy. The choice of treatment depends on what the patient is comfortable with and the type of disorder involved. Let's look more closely at anxiety disorders.

Phobias and Panic Attacks
Ron is afraid of spiders. He won't stay in a room if he spots one on the wall. When he sees a spider, he trembles with fear, sweats, and feels extremely nervous. Such excessive fear of seemingly normal situations is called a phobia.

Ron is suffering from arachnophobia, or fear of spiders. Common phobias are claustrophobia, a fear of closed spaces, and acrophobia, a fear of heights.

Symptoms of panic attacks are like those of phobias, but panic attacks arise from unexplained fears. They may happen at any time or in any place but often are triggered by a particular condition or situation. People who have panic attacks worry about having another.

Both phobias and panic attacks are caused by some unpleasant event in childhood. The fear resulting from these experiences lasts for a long time and affects a person's ability to do things.

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Matthew washes his hands dozens of times a day, and each time he soaps them twice. He wants to stop but never feels clean enough. At school, he tries not to touch doorknobs or handrails, worrying that he may contract a serious disease.

People who think and act like Matthew have an obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. An obsession is a thought that takes over the mind, and it may lead to a compulsive behavior. OCD refers to a pattern of recurring thoughts or behaviors that prevents people from going about their day normally. People with OCD might feel an irresistible urge to do things repeatedly throughout the day.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition that may develop after a terrifying event that caused physical or mental harm. People who survive life-threatening trauma such as personal assaults, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, bombings, plane crashes, or military combat are at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sleeplessness, numbness, nightmares, and problems concentrating are some of the symptoms of PTSD, which may arise weeks or months after the trauma. Sometimes a particular situation reminds the sufferer of the trauma, producing anxiety and unleashing these symptoms. Some people with PTSD may also feel guilty because they survived the event when others didn't.

Other Mental Disorders
Other mental disorders include mood disorders, conduct disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and impulse-control disorders. The most common among these are mood disorders.

Mood disorders are defined by severe mood changes that interfere with a person's everyday life. Depression and bipolar disorder are two common mood disorders. Depression is a prolonged and all-encompassing feeling of sadness and a loss of interest in usual activities. A depressed person may not be able to concentrate or handle everyday decisions and challenges.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, causes changes in a person's mood, energy level, behavior, and ability to function. A person with bipolar disorder alternates between extreme happiness, called mania, and extreme sadness. These extreme emotions may leave the person tired and unable to concentrate. They may also result in overeating and oversleeping.

Conduct Disorder
Ryan has a curfew. But he defies it often and stays out late. At school, he breaks every rule. He is aggressive and bullies others. Such extreme behavior, which violates the rights of others as well as basic social rules, are symptoms of conduct disorder. This condition is more common among males than females and is more common in children and adolescents than adults.

Conduct disorder shows up in social behaviors such as lying, theft, violence, aggression, and vandalism. People suffering from this disorder experience anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. They may have problems relating to others or holding onto a job.

Personality Disorder
Personality is all about how a person relates to others. Most people get along well with family, friends, and new people, but for someone with a personality disorder, this is tough. Many different types of personality disorders can afflict people. Someone suffering from antisocial personality disorder would be isolated, emotionally unstable, selfish, and demanding. Symptoms of passive-aggressive personality disorder include not being able to make decisions and being overly dependent on others.

People suffering from borderline personality disorder often experience troubled relationships and have poor self-esteem. They can also be violent with the people they need most. About 10 percent of the population suffers from a personality disorder. People with these illnesses can be treated with counseling; sometimes medication can help, too.

Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental disorder in which a person loses contact with reality. This disorder affects 1 percent of the American population. Schizophrenics have trouble telling the difference between real and imaginary events, which leads to unpredictable behavior and bad health habits.

Schizophrenia's main causes may be a combination of genetic factors and structural and chemical changes in the brain. Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. A common misconception about people with this disorder is that they are violent or have multiple personalities. Not true: most schizophrenic people are not a threat to others. They can be treated with professional help.

Impulse-Control Disorder
Mike is addicted to video games. Once he starts playing, he just can't stop, so much so that he forgets to eat, sleep, and meet friends. He is unable to concentrate on his studies and gets aggressive when his parents ask him to stop playing. He is always demanding money from his parents to buy more games. Mike is suffering from Impulse-Control disorder.

Impulse-Control disorder is characterized by the inability to resist the impulse to do something or an addiction to some activities. The main symptoms are severe urges to buy things or do things that are not important, which in turn may lead to financial problems, addiction, loss of interest in everyday routine, and seclusion.