More Info
More information about types of Mental Illnesses
Anxiety Disorders
Clinical Depression
Bipolar Disorders
Schizophrenia
Anxiety Disorders
Generalised Anxiety Disorder - causes people to
spend time (sometimes months) constantly worrying about harmful
things that may happen to them. People may also worry about their
friends and family (who are in no danger) or have fears of financial
disasters. Irrational worries like these can be accompanied by feelings
of being uptight and nervous at all times. People may find it hard
to concentrate, make decisions or get sleep. Headaches and nausea
can also be a experienced. Constant anxiety can, over time, lead
to depression.
Phobia - most people have a fear of something,
such as spiders, heights, or public speaking. But a person with
a phobia about snakes might never be able to go on a bush-walk or
even walk down a wooded path in the middle of a city for fear of
coming across one. Although this may seem irrational to other people,
the fear is very real for the person with the phobia. Various treatments
are available for phobias, included graded exposure to the thing
the person fears.
Social Phobia - people with this phobia are fearful
that they will be judged in a negative way by others. Social situations
can lead to extreme anxiety and panic attacks. People with
this disorder may try to cope by avoiding doing things in front
of others, particularly eating, drinking or speaking. Another way
of dealing with this phobia is by gradually withdrawing from any
contact with other people.
Agoraphobia – This where a person has a
fear of being away from familiar surroundings, relatives and friends
in case they might have a panic attack with no easy way of getting
back to a ‘safe’ place.
Panic Attack - an extreme form of the symptoms
of what we all know by panic, including shakiness, dry throat, racing
heart, perspiring and dizziness. Up to 40% of the population have
a spontaneous panic attack at some stage in their lives, but do
not go on to develop a panic disorder or agoraphobia.
In panic attacks, feelings of dread are so severe that the person
can think that he or she is going mad, having a heart attack or
dying. Anticipation of a panic attack can lead to the beginning
of a panic attack in itself, so sometimes a ‘vicious cycle’
develops. Fortunately, there are many self-management techniques
for dealing with panic attacks that a clinical psychologist
or psychiatrist can help with.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - symptoms can
develop following a person's exposure to an extreme or traumatic
event. Traumatic events involve reactions of intense fear, hopelessness
or horror to something that a person witnessed or was confronted
with. It involves events that involve actual or threatened death
or serious injury to a person or others
A person with this disorder re-experiences the event in 'flashback'.
This can happen in dreams, whilst driving, or watching TV. A person
who is having these flashbacks can also 'feel' the fear of the event
as if it was happening again. People may, in this situation, start
avoiding situations, people or places that could trigger any flashbacks.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - approximately
2% of Australians are affected by this disorder. A person with obsessive
compulsive disorder experiences irrational and annoying ideas which
they cannot control. People may think constantly about bad things
happening to themselves, their families, or their communities. These
obsessive thoughts can often lead to compulsive actions and rituals
like checking the door locks twenty times before leaving and only
doing it in a certain order. A person with this disorder may believe
that if the rituals and behaviours are not done correctly then something
bad could happen to themselves or their friends. People can build
up a pattern of behaviour that is hard to escape, even if they realise
that it is irrational.
For detailed information about anxiety
disorders go to The Clinical
Research Unit on Anxiety Disorders at the University of NSW.
Clinical Depression
Clinical Depression - The word 'depression' is
often used to describe feelings of sadness and grief, which are
experienced by most people at some time through their lives.
Clinical depression is not just one condition, but a group of conditions
ranging from understandable reactions to stress (such as death),
to a serious depressive illness. People may develop depression if
it runs in the family or it may come on suddenly without visible
cause due partly to a chemical imbalance in the brain. People with
other mental health conditions can also experience clinical depression.
Clinical depression can affect a person's whole life.
With any of the groups of clinical depression, a person may have
difficulty sleeping, waking early, have no energy, might want to
eat more or eat less. Feelings of worthlessness, isolation, intense
anxiety, sadness, fear and hopelessness may also be experienced.
A person with clinical depression may find it hard to concentrate,
make decisions and feel deeply sad. Also, feelings of being unable
to feel love for someone, feeling inadequate or unlovable may be
experienced. A person with clinical depression may feel unable to
cope, nothing will ever make it better or even that life is not
worth living. Often people who attempt suicide can be reacting to
the feelings associated with clinical depression.
Reactive Depression - a clinical depression as
a result of a person's reactions to a very distressing event in
someone's life.
Post Natal Depression - approximately 10% of women
develop clinical depression following childbirth.
Beyond Blue, the National
Depression Initiative, has more information about depression and
young people.
Anyone who shows signs of clinical depression should be reassured
and encouraged to visit and talk to a local doctor or a counsellor
as soon as possible.
Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar disorder, the name for manic depression, is a mood disorder.
Bipolar disorder affects nearly 180,000 Australians (about 1%).
Bipolar equally affects both men and women.
People with bipolar disorder can have intense mood swings from
extreme exhilarating highs (mania) or extreme depressing lows (clinical
depression). Some people may only have mania while others may get
only depression. The mood swings can last for weeks or months with
years of 'normal mood' in between.
People having an episode of bipolar mania may have extra energy,
not sleep much, have big 'way-out' plans and ideas, lose their normal
inhibitions, lose touch with reality, become delusional and do things
that they later regret. People having an episode of bipolar depression
may have all the symptoms and signs of someone with clinical depression
as well as hallucinations, delusions, suicidal thoughts and lose
touch with reality.
Find out how the State of Victoria 'Get-On-Top's Youth Mental
Health site deals with bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
There are several schizophrenic disorders which involve people
not being able to process information correctly. Schizophrenia affects
1% of the population and can be one of the most debilitating illnesses.
People with forms of schizophrenia may experience a number of symptoms
when they are unwell (episode). People experiencing and episode
may experience fragmented thinking processes, which may show up
in speech and movement as if someone is not in touch with reality.
Some people used to think altered movement and speech was a sign
of split personality.
A person may experience some symptoms (below) but rarely all of
them at the same time.
Delusions: A person may so deeply believe in things
that are false or not real that logical arguments can't make them
stop. Commonly a person may believe that certain people or organisations
are out to hurt them, or that God has sent them on a special mission
to save the world. A person may also think that other people can
'hear' their own thoughts or are able to 'put' thoughts into their
head.
Hallucinations: A person may perceive, through
their senses, things which are not really there. A person may hear
the voice of God, a friend or a stranger (even two or more at a
time). The voices may tell them to do things, or be critical, argue
or describe an action as it is carried out. People may also see,
feel or taste things like insects crawling over the body, or familiar
food has a strange taste. Very often hallucinations can support
a person's delusions. If food tastes strange, the person may have
proof of their belief that their family, or ASIO, is trying to poison
them.
Thought Disorder: This relates to various difficulties
of thought and concentration. A person's mind may feel clouded,
or slow, or thoughts may rush through their head and they may have
trouble sorting them out. Because of this, a person's speech may
come out jumbled, or could jump from one subject to another. The
person may use totally new words, which have no meaning to anyone
else.
Altered Emotions: A person's feelings and reactions
may not match what is going on around them eg. giggling when someone
is sad. An event or someone else's happy or sad occasion may go
by unnoticed. A wooden facial expression or lack of non-verbal expression
and gestures may also be experienced.
Social Withdrawal: A person may withdraw from
the company of others, even to the point of hiding away for days
at a time. Many people may become frightened of others, or find
it a strain to socialise and interact with others.
Lack of Insight: The person may not realise they
are unwell, that their behaviour is inappropriate or that they may
need treatment.
Loss of Motivation: A person may experience severe
lack of initiative and drive.
For more information about psychosis associated with
schizophrenia (and bipolar), 'Get on top' (a youth mental
health site from Victoria) has some good information
For more information
on drugs and schizophrenia, click here.
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