The Pros And Cons Of Mental Disorders

As defined by experts, a mental illness is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and involves changes in thinking, emotion, behavior, interpersonal interactions, daily functioning, or a combination. The causes of mental illness are complex and vary depending on the theories associated to the different biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The etiology of mental illness is based on five broad models: biological, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.

“A mental disorder (mental illness) is a psychological pattern that is generally associated with a defect or disease of the individual’s mind. It causes a disability that may affect an individual’s behavior patterns in ways that are not part of one’s normal development or culture. Mental disorders are common in the United States. Within any given year, nearly 25 percent of adults and slightly over 20 percent of children are diagnosable for one or more mental disorders. While mental disorder appears to be widespread among the population, the main burden (or threat) emanates from about 6 percent of those who suffer from a debilitating mental illness.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011)

A mental disorder, also known as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Mental disorder consists of a wide range of things that affect mood thinking and behavior. Some of the more common forms of mental illness are major depression, anxiety disorder. Two of the more severe forms are bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Depression and bipolar disorder fall under the category of mood disorders. These disorders involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuations from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. Schizophrenia Is a psychotic disorder that causes a person

A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person 's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.1 Mental illnesses can be grouped into two broad categories, each representing a different aspect of a mental disorder. Axis I diagnoses are inclusive of those disorders which are most familiar and widely recognized, and typically encompass the most acute symptoms that need immediate treatment (i.e. adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, cognitive disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, etc).2 Axis II disorders are those defined by their permanence and nebulousness. They are generally life-long problems that arise in childhood and are much less responsive to treatment than Axis I disorders are. Axis II diagnoses are comprised of personality disorders and intellectual disabilities (i.e. antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc).3

Mental illness is a condition characterized by emotions, thoughts, or behavior that are substantially abnormal for a given time and place in history (p. 514). Historically, it has been broadly been defined by self-harm, unrealistic thoughts and perceptions (delusions, hallucinations, magical thinking, etc.), inappropriate emotions, and rapid shifts in moods or beliefs. All these criteria compare the

Mental illness involves mental health disorders that affect people's mood, thinking, as well as behavior. Mental illness varies from depression, anxiety disorders, addictions, and schizophrenia. Everyone has a mental concern at one point in his life, but it becomes a concern when there are continuous signs or symptoms that cause stress affecting the functioning ability of a person. Mental illness makes people miserable and inhibits their ability to operate effectively either at work or in school. Medical practitioners describe mental illness in different ways, including conditions characterized by the impairment of a person's normal cognitive nature, psychological, emotional or behavioral functioning. A

Many individuals ask themselves, do the benefits of taking medication outweigh the risks? There are strong debates on whether or not the use of psychiatric medicine should be taken or if it's more of a risk rather than a benefit. One on side they should be taken because psychiatric medications play a key role in many people's treatments. They can help reduce an individual's symptoms and assist them in leading a safe, regular, happy life and help them with everyday life functions. For a few individuals, not only not being on medication can attribute to the patient's suffering, mental and/or physical, but it may also be dangerous and possibly life threatening. It’s best not to risk that. Of course, like all medication, psychiatric medication

The number of individuals diagnosed for one or more mental disorders and consequently treated with a corresponding drug has significantly increased the past several years. The following statistics displaying this are shocking:

However, Amoroso (2015) and Mithoefer, et al. (2016), address that modern medicine has had little effect in fully treating mental disorders. Patients treated are often unaltered by the medicine, or the side effects showed to be too much for them. With modern psychotherapy alone, such as cognitive exercises and emotional therapy, it has been seen to also have little effect in treating. Due to the stress of the sessions and prolonged amount of time needed to dedicate, patients become reluctant to continue (Amoroso, 2015). Trying new medications so often puts added on problems with the patients, including excess stress and worsening of their existing condition. Antipsychotic drugs such as antidepressant and antianxiety medications often have side effects when taking them. With a few being nausea, sleep deprivation and weight gain, these symptoms may make their mental illness worse. Additionally, clinicians who treat patients with psychiatric disorders are often bouncing from medication to medication, attempting to find the right drug for each patient. This entire activity of wasting money and time of the patient and clinician goes on and on. In the end, it is rare that patients find a treatment that fully works with them (Mithoefer et al.,

A mental illness is a clinical diagnosis that takes into consideration many different factors such as observable signs and symptoms of the illness, the course and duration of the illness, the response to treatment, and the functional impairment caused by the illness. The Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) is a book/ document that lists all of the different types of mental illnesses there are. This is where the clinical names come from when a clinical diagnosis is being made. However, it is important to note that the criteria for diagnosing a mental illness is difficult to measure and ends up being based on objective terms.

In chapter five the author describes the different types of mental illness, what causes mental illness, the symptoms and treatments of common mental illness,categories of mood disorders, symptoms of depression and bipolar illness, suicide prevention, categories of anxiety disorders , the difference between fears and phobias, reasons for drug abuse, the meaning of psychosis, the biological causes of schizophrenia, treatment of schizophrenia and the different types of eating disorders. It is important to detect early symptoms of psychological disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. Psychologically healthy people have a strong desire to live a comfortable long life. Self- destructive behavior is viewed as abnormal. Persistent inappropriate

DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) could be defined as a document that provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders (Stangor, 2010). On the other hand, Anxiety disorder (generalized) is a psychological disturbance marked by irrational fears, often of common objects. Mood disorder is affective in nature, wherein one’s mood affects their processes at various levels, such as congnition, social and physical. Last, post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder usually resulting from trauma and intense shock and characterized by hyper-anxiety and re-experiencing of the trauma coupled with a compulsive longing to drown any reminders of the event. (Stangor,

After reviewing this week’s lecture, readings, and multimedia, I have to slightly disagree with the statement that DSM-5 mental disorders are medical problems, and that psychiatric diagnosis is a scientific (and essential) component of successful intervention. Although the biomedical model of mental disorders classifies mental health conditions as diseases of the brain, I personally do not believe each diagnosis in the DSM-5 should be listed as a medical problem (Deacon, 2013). According to the statistics, “more than one in five insured American adults take psychotropic medication (Deacon, 2013). Those numbers are alarming considering a plethora of clients are continuing to be diagnosed daily with minimal improvements being made to correct the “so- called” chemical imbalances. As far as the psychiatric diagnosis being a scientific and essential component of successful intervention, I am in agreement with because as a result of working closely with agencies that provide diagnosis to clients, the client must be diagnosed before receiving treatment, so that the agencies can receive financial reimbursements for their services.

A person who is diagnosed with a mental illness is faced with challenges daily. Although many disorders are highly treatable some are not as much. Mental disorders cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. They are known to affect thinking, mood, and behavior. There are two- hundred different types of mental illnesses. The most common types are Anxiety disorders, Mood disorders, Psychotic disorders, Obsessive- compulsive disorders, and Personality disorders. Two types of disorders that are very different from one another are mood disorder depression and psychotic disorder schizophrenia. While depression is linked to undersupply of serotonin, schizophrenia is linked to oversupply of dopamine. Although they are different in the behavioral

A psychological illness is a mental, cognitive, or emotional illness that affects a person’s intellectual capacity to interact with the environment. Individuals who have a psychological illness have different symptoms that may be consider in the appropriate classification of the person’s mental illness. Doctors use the psychological system to determine the appropriate method to treat the patient’s disorder. Diagnostic system consist of the diagnosis of a patient to determine their illness and help get a treatment for that person. The pros from having a diagnostic system are that the doctors can determine the exact symptoms and the correct treatment for the patient according to the age and physiological state. Moreover, it will also help the