Some common mental disorders

 

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III)

 

Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of dementia. This disease was first described by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. Generally it is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age, although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. An estimated 26.6 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's in 2006; this number may quadruple by 2050.

Although each sufferer experiences Alzheimer's in a unique way, there are many common symptoms. The earliest observable symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress. In the early stages, the most commonly recognised symptom is memory loss, such as difficulty in remembering recently learned facts. When a doctor or physician has been notified, and AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioral assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if available. As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Individual prognosis is difficult to assess, as the duration of the disease varies. AD develops for an indeterminate period of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years. The mean life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years. Fewer than three percent of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.

Alzheimer's Society - Leading the fight against dementia
The leading UK care and research charity for people with this disease and other dementias, their families and carers. It provides a network of support and has down loadable factsheets.
www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders, or mood swings, defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These episodes are usually separated by periods of "normal" mood, but in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.

Bipolar Disorder (manic depression)
Readable and up to date information on bipolar (manic depression) from The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/bipolarmanicdepression/bipolardisorder.aspx

 

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV Personality Disorders 301.83[1]) that describes a prolonged disturbance of personality function characterized by depth and variability of moods. The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; "black and white" thinking, or "splitting"; chaotic and unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior; as well as a disturbance in the individual's sense of self. In extreme cases, this disturbance in the sense of self can lead to periods of dissociation. These disturbances can have a pervasive negative impact on many or all of the psychosocial facets of life. This includes difficulties maintaining relationships in work, home, and social settings. Onset of symptoms typically occurs during adolescence or young adulthood. Symptoms may persist for several years, but the majority of symptoms lessen in severity over time, with some individuals fully recovering. The mainstay of treatment is various forms of psychotherapy, although medication and other approaches may also improve symptoms. While borderline personality disorder can manifest itself in children and teenagers, therapists are discouraged from diagnosing anyone before the age of 18, due to adolescence and a still-developing personality.

Personality Disorder UK
This website provides information, resources and learning opportunities on Personality Disorder (PD) as well as supporting the development of the National Personality Disorder Programme. Use it to find out about our work covering the development of policy, services, workforce and research initiatives to better meet the needs of people with Personality Disorder in England.
http://www.personalitydisorder.org.uk/

 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder most commonly characterized by intrusive, repetitive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviors and mental acts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at reducing anxiety by preventing some dreaded event or by resolving a more nebulous sense of tension. However, the likelihood that a dreaded event will occur, or the causal relationship between the performance of compulsions and the reduction of this likelihood, tends to be imagined or exaggerated.

OCD-UK is the leading national charity, independently working with and for people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
http://ocduk.org/

 

Schizoaffective disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis. It describes episodic disorders where mood and schizophrenic symptoms are both present but a diagnosis of schizophrenia or depressive or manic episodes is not warranted. The disorder usually begins in early adulthood and rarely diagnosed in childhood (prior to age 13). Schizoaffective disorder is more common in women than in men. Despite the greater variety of symptoms, the illness course is more episodic and has an overall more favorable outcome (prognosis) than schizophrenia. Late adolescence and early adulthood are the most common peak years for the onset of schizoaffective disorder, although it can be diagnosed more rarely in childhood. These are critical periods in a person's social and vocational development which can be severely disrupted by disease onset.

Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness characterized by mood swings and psychosis. Psychosis is defined by delusions and/or hallucinations. Individuals with the disorder experience psychotic symptoms at the same time as (but more commonly after) their depressive, mixed and/or manic episodes.

The illness tends to be difficult to diagnose since the symptoms are similar to other disorders with prominent psychotic symptoms like bipolar disorder with psychotic features, major depression with psychotic features and schizophrenia.

The main similarity between schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder with psychotic features and major depressive disorder with psychotic features, is that in all three disorders psychosis occurs during mixed, manic or depressive episodes. By contrast, in schizoaffective disorder psychosis must also occur during periods without mood symptoms. In schizophrenia, mood episodes tend be absent or much less prominent than schizoaffective disorder. Since these distinctions can be difficult to detect, a firm diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder may thus require an extended period of observation and treatment.

Information about schizoaffective disorder from Rethink, the leading severe mental illness charity.
http://www.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/mental_illnesses_and_disorders/schizoaffective_disorder/

 

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with approximately 0.4–0.6% of the population affected. Diagnosis is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and observed behavior. No laboratory test for schizophrenia currently exists.

Studies suggest that genetics, early environment, neurobiology, psychological and social processes are important contributory factors; some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms. Current psychiatric research is focused on the role of neurobiology, but no single organic cause has been found. Due to the many possible combinations of symptoms, there is debate about whether the diagnosis represents a single disorder or a number of discrete syndromes. For this reason, Eugen Bleuler termed the disease the schizophrenias (plural) when he coined the name. Schizophrenia is not the same as dissociative identity disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder or split personality; in popular culture the two are often confused.

Information about schizophrenia from Rethink, the leading severe mental illness charity.
http://www.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/mental_illnesses_and_disorders/schizophrenia/index.html