Category: Psychological Disorders

As a ploy of Television and movies, sleep deprivation is often thought of when discussing torture, brainwashing or hostage negotiation techniques. In reality, sleep deprivation is at an epidemic level in the United States. The purpose of sleep is to allow the body to heal and recharge itself from any damages done throughout the day. Sleep helps the body to repair tissue, bone and muscles, replenish the immune System, balance hormones and eliminate free radicals from the body. The brain creates neural pathways and connections, mainly while we are sleeping. Current estimates list 40 million people nationwide who suffer from long term sleep disorders. An additional 20 million experience occasional sleep problems.

Approximately 35 percent of adults get less than seven hours of sleep each night. While seven hours of sleep may sound like a good amount, experts say that most people require at least 8-9 hours of sleep nightly for the full effects, such as high energy, wakefulness and productivity, to be felt. Less than seven hours of sleep can cause sleep deprivation. This lack of sleep is causing many repercussions in our personal and business lives. From physical fatigue, illnesses, and lack of concentration to accidents, mental health issues, and long term side effects, lack of sleep can be responsible for many negative effects on your well-being. Chronically sleep deprived people can suffer from higher amounts of Depression and anxiety disorders, and more than 90 percent of people who are treated for depression report a chronic lack of sleep as one of their problems. (Sleep Solutions, 21) In this report I will explain the most common causes of sleep disorders and ways to help prevent or ease the physical symptoms of sleep deprivation so that you are able to get your sleep schedule, mental health, physical health and attitude back on the right track.

Insomnia

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. Insomnia can occur by itself or can be caused by medical conditions, psychiatric conditions such as depression, as a side effect of medication you are taking, or stress. This is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble falling and/or staying asleep at night. Approximately fifty percent of adults experience occasional, or “transient,’ bouts of insomnia. Occasional insomnia can come and go, with periods of restful, deep sleep for weeks that are interfered with when stress is experienced. Stress is the biggest contributing factors on sleep disorders and causes periods of restless sleep issues, tossing and turning, etc.(Sleep Solutions, 12) Many of us experience this occasional insomnia as life gets in the way, work or school is stressful, there’s a deadline to be met or a family occasion is causing stress or excitement or worry. Interestingly, both good and bad stress can cause sleep issues. Whether it is a death in the family or a new baby or family vacation, all of these can cause stress and will interrupt persons’ sleep patterns occasionally.

For one in ten adults occasional insomnia can turn into ‘chronic’ insomnia. The symptoms of chronic insomnia may include difficult falling and staying asleep, waking up too often during the night, waking up too early in the morning, not feeling refreshed when you wake up, and daytime problems that include fatigue, mood problems, concentration issues, lack of productivity, lack of coordination and resulting accidents. Chronic insomnia is described as a constant issue, having these symptoms more than three nights a week for a month or longer. Often there is no obvious reason and many describe chronic insomnia as not being able to turn your brain off. While occasional insomnia is best left to the individual to treat with herbal teas, relaxation techniques, essential oils, etc., chronic insomnia often needs a doctor’s intervention.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that occurs when your breathing is interrupted during your sleep from a few second to sometimes minutes. Sleep apnea happens when the upper airway collapses for a short amount of times during sleep and can happen repeatedly hundreds of times throughout the night. Sleep apnea affects over 22 million people in the United States and there are around 200,000 cases of sleep apnea diagnosed every year. Because you don’t experience symptoms while awake, most cases of sleep apnea go undiagnosed. If sleep apnea is left untreated it can gradually become a more serious condition. (Sleep Solutions, 110) This causes your brain to wake you up, although many times you don’t even realize it. Those who snore are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea as are those who are overweight. As with insomnia, there are two different types of sleep apnea, ‘obstructive’ and ‘central.’

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the more common of the two, is caused by a blockage of the airway when the soft tissue in the back of your throat collapses during your sleep. Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include snoring, daytime sleepiness, gasping for air during sleep, restlessness throughout the night, fatigue and trouble with concentration throughout the day.

Central sleep apnea is different in that your airway is not blocked. Instead your brain fails to send the signals to tell your body to breathe. The conditioned is named for the fact that your central nervous system is not functioning correctly and because of this you may experience gasping for air during your sleep as well as frequently awakenings throughout the night. This is your body’s way of keeping your breathing going.

Sleep apnea is rarely fatal but it can increase your chances for high blood pressure, heart attack stroke, obesity and diabetes. It also makes a person more susceptible to substance abuse because people resort to using medications and alcohol to try to help them get a better night’s sleep. Sleep apnea is diagnosed through a sleep study and treated most often with a C-pap machine, which is a machine that is attached to a mask that forces air into the airway. This machine must be used every night for the rest of the patient’s life to be effective. (Sleep Solutions 110)

Restless Leg Syndrome

A less serious sleep disorder is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Restless leg syndrome is actually very common, with reports of more than three million cases reported in the United States each year. RLS affects more women than men and children may experience RLS as well, although in children it is often thought to be growing pains. RLS is believed to be a disorder of the Central Nervous System related to the metabolism of neurotransmitters. (Sleep Solutions, 118) This sleep disorder causes an intense need to move your legs because of sensations such as tingling, muscle pulling or itchiness. This feeling can be triggered simply by lying down resting, sitting for a long period and during sleep. The muscles in the legs constantly move causing it to be difficult to relax and fall asleep. Restless leg syndrome is chronic; it can be a lifelong problem causing you to wake needing to get up and walk around to relieve the strange feeling. It is believed that Iron therapy and vitamin B12 can help with the symptoms, while prescription Medication can be prescribed for relief as well. Many find that massage therapy helps. RLS has been found to be prevalent in those with fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease and renal failure.

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a common condition that affects as many as four out of 10 people and often runs in families. There are more than three million US cases per year. It can affect anyone at any age but is more often noticed in early teen years. During a sleep paralysis episode, you may experience being unable to move or speak, even though you are fully aware. A person may hear, see, or feel things that aren’t actually there and these hallucinations may cause fear and/or panic. These episodes are temporary and usually only last a minute or two. Sleep paralysis is usually self-diagnosable and self-treatable however you can be diagnosed by a Doctor without lab testing or imaging as there is no obvious telltale sign.

Nightmares/PTSD

Nightmares are more common in those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD,) being one of the top complaints of soldiers returning from combat. PTSD causes many who have experienced or witnessed trauma to relive that trauma during nightmares. The Veterans administration (VA) is inundated with Veterans claims for disability due to PTSD and an average of 22 veterans a day commit suicide after fighting this debilitating condition of Nightmares, along with depression and constant hyper-vigilance when awake. The VA is struggling to keep up with the amount of veterans seeking psychological care and Anxiety, stress and insomnia can all cause severe nightmares in which a person wakes up feeling scared, distressed or anxious, unable to get back to sleep and is able to clearly, vividly remember the nightmare. “They recall the content clearly and do not go back to sleep quickly.” (Sleep Solutions, 115) Many who suffer with chronic nightmares are later diagnosed with Sleep apnea and the nightmares are decreased once treatment for the sleep apnea is given. The only effective treatment for Nightmares seems to be Imagery Rehearsal Therapy, a therapy that “helps the patient work through the contents and feelings of a dream in a transformative way. The patient writes down the nightmarish dream, then changes the story to make it nonthreatening, and rehearses several times a day while awake.” (Sleep Solutions, 117) As a final note on this subject, it should be noted that many prescription medication can actually cause nightmares as a side effect.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a “chronic sleep disorder in which patients experience daytime sleepiness so excessive that they fall asleep at inappropriate times for a few seconds up to 30 minutes.” (Sleep Disorders and Their Causes, 41) People who are narcoleptic experience daytime sleepiness, and the sudden uncontrollable urge to fall asleep during random moments of the day. These so-called ‘Sleep attacks’ can happen during any activity, at any time of the day. Symptoms of narcolepsy include sudden muscle weakness with laughter and any other emotion, overall loss of muscle control, hallucinations, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy can develop at any age, however, it is more common for the disorder to appear between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five years of age. In many cases narcolepsy is left untreated because it goes undiagnosed by a doctor. This can be a debilitating disease for the patient as narcolepsy interferes in literally everything they do. Many have problems holding a job, they are unable to drive due to the fear of falling asleep at the wheel, and they are unable to take part in activities that might be considered dangerous like skiing or hang-gliding. This results in many becoming home-bound and having significantly restricted lives.

Conclusion

While these are what many would consider the “Main” causes of sleep problems, there are many different disorders which are less common. Yet, for the person suffering from sleepless nights they are none the less important. Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep, Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome, Hypersomnia, Sleepwalking, REM Behavior Disorder, Rhythmic Movement Disorder, Night Terrors and Teeth Grinding are all considered sleep disorders and would take more space than I have in this report to cover. What many people may not fully understand is that all of these different types of sleep disorders that cause poor sleep can also cause long term health issues. It is very important for a person to be aware of their symptoms and how this is affection your body and mind. Studies show that sleep deprivation can cause very harmful effects that can lower your quality of life and your life expectancy. Chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, chemical dependency, and many other conditions can stay with you for the rest of your life. As for your mental health, poor sleep issues can also be associated with depression, anxiety and stress and can make the initial symptoms even worse, the result of which can increase other chronic medical conditions and keep your life expectancy at risk.

Sadly, most of these conditions can’t be one hundred percent cured; however, there are ways to help manage and control them. You can manage your sleep disorders with home remedies such as Yoga, soft music at bedtime to help relax you, herbal teas, essential oils, such as lavender, and there are many homeopathic remedies available such as Chamomile, Hops, St Johns Wart, Passionflower, Lemon Balm and a HUGE amount of others. As last resort there are prescription medications, many if which work with the brain to turn off the mind long enough for you to get to sleep without causing a dependency.

Many Doctors suggest a strict daily regiment for those with sleep disorders. They suggest that you use good sleep hygiene, get up and go to bed at the same time every day. Don’t change your sleep habits unless absolutely necessary. To ensure a comfortable sleep environment you must be free of all distractions. Turn off or mute your cell phone so that you aren’t interrupted during sleep time. Remove any items that produce a blue light, as blue light has been found in studies to interrupt sleep. Before you go to bed make sure your room is clear of loud noises and light, use black out curtains if you need them. Set an alarm clock for the same time every day and night to remind yourself to stick to your schedule. Place the alarm clock across the room so that you are forced to get up to turn it off instead of rolling over and going back to sleep. It’s best to do your daily exercise during the morning as it allows your body to wake up and start the day with lots of energy. If you want to do some form of exercise in the evening, try Yoga which is proven to relax your body and slow down brain activity.

During the day avoid the temptation to take a nap because it can ruin your sleep schedule. Try to avoid food at least two hours before bedtime as many foods can interfere with sleep. There are many reasons that foods can interfere with your sleep. Caffeine, energy drinks and sugary drinks and snacks can all cause your heart rate to increase and can make you hyperactive. Water is the better choice before bed time because it hydrates you and adds no chemicals to your system. A heavy meal before bedtime can cause heartburn and other issues, so it’s best to avoid them. Furthermore, your digestive tract slows at night so heavy meals are stored as fat instead of being burned for fuel. If you are truly hungry before bed time try eating a small, healthy snack that will hold you through the night. That way you will wake feeling refreshed.

If you are worried and think that you may have a sleep disorder, talk to your doctor about the symptoms you are having and how you are feeling. He or she will have answers for you and will order further testing if necessary, possibly prescribing medication for your needs. Until then, make sure you are getting at least eight to nine hours of sleep every night and always keep helping yourself by trying new things to help fall asleep faster and wake up feeling great!

Works Cited Page

1. Rosenberg, Robert S. The Doctors Guide to Sleep Solutions For Stress & Anxiety. Beverly, MA Quatro Publishing Group USA Inc. 2016
2. Ross, Herbert, et al. Sleep Disorders: Clinically Proven Alternative Therapies To Help You Get
3. A Good Night’s Rest. Tiburon, CA. Alternative Medicines.com Books, Inc. 2000
4. VA research on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) Jan 2018
5. https://www.research.va.gov/pubs/docs/fa-factsheets/ptsd/pdf
6. National Sleep Foundation. Restless Legs Syndrome Diagnosis. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/restless-legs-syndrome-diagnosis
7. National Sleep Foundation. What Causes Insomnia. https://www.sleepfounfation.org/what-causes-insomnia.
8. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Staff. 2019
9. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967?p=1.

Psychological disorder or an abnormal behavior refers to “a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is typical or culturally not expected” (Barlow et al., 2018). The causes of mental disorders are often unclear and an attempt towards etiology results in emergence of new models of abnormality (Hooley et al., 2017). Etiology refers to the study of causes or reasons that lead to the development of psychological disorders. It is important to know the causes not only to prevent conditions that result in mental distress and maladaptive behavior, but also to improve diagnosing and assessing techniques. One-dimensional perspective attempts to show that a psychological disorder is originated from a single cause; ignoring other factors that can have an influence on the disorder (Barlow et al., 2018). To have a good understanding of the causes of psychological disorders, we must adopt a multidimensional perspective which emphasizes on multiple interacting causal factors (Paris, 1999). There can be multiple influences causing an abnormal behavior, and hence, biopsychosocial approach must be adopted to look through biological, psychological and social factors.

Biological Causes of Abnormality

Genetic Abnormalities

Genes are made of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Genes are the carrier of inherited information. It is rare for genes to fully determine the development of a mental disorder, however, it can have considerable influence on most mental disorders (Hooley et al., 2017). Examples of rare disorders strongly determined by our genes are Huntington’s disease and phenylketonuria. Huntington’s disease is an inherited disorder that results in neurodegeneration reliably in basal ganglia. It usually appears between the age of 30 and 50. The symptoms include jerky body movement, personality changes and cognitive inability (Pringsheim, 2012). Phenylketonuria is another example of disorder which is caused by a flaw in a single gene. More precisely, phenylketonuria is caused by the lack of phenylalanine hydroxylase which results in high concentration of blood phenylalanine and serious mental retardation. However, it can be prevented by adopting the dietary treatment in which the amount of phenylalanine can be controlled. Nonetheless, cognitive functioning continues to be abysmal (De, 2010).

Most psychological disorders are caused by an interaction between genes and environment. Genetic factors can contribute to a vulnerability to cause mental disorder which only results with the presence of a stressor in one’s life (as in the diathesis-stress models) (Hooley et al., 2017). For example, people who are genetically at risk for depression, are more likely to react to a stressful event through being depressed than are people unaccompanied by genetic risk who encounter the same stressful event (Moffitt et al., 2005). As environmental experiences of a child are shaped by genes, correlation exists between genes and environment (Hooley et al., 2017). For instance, genetic predisposition to aggressive behavior may result in a child facing rejection by his or her fellow classmates in junior years of school. Such unacceptance may make him or her associate with aggressive classmates in senior years of school which may further lead to complete delinquency in adolescence.

Brain Dysfunction

Abnormal behavior or psychological disorders can be caused by defects of specific structures or functions of the brain. An example of such disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD refers to a condition involving continues and undesired “thoughts, images and urges (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions)”(Krebs & Heyman, 2015). Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that OCD is due to altered processes of frontostriatal circuitry (David et al., 2014). Frontostriatal circuits are neural pathways connecting frontal lobe regions with the basal ganglia (striatum) that mediate motor, cognitive, and behavioural functions within the brain (Alexander et al., 1 March 1986). In a healthy person, inhibitory functions of indirect pathway regulates direct pathway, in other words, excitatory pathway (David et al., 2014). However, in a person with OCD, there is greater activity in direct pathway than in indirect pathway due to low threshold for activation of this system. This leads to hyperactivation of orbitofrontal cortex – subcortical pathway which results in continuous thoughts about threat (obsession), making the person to attempt to neutralize the perceived threat (compulsion).

Biochemical Imbalance-Neurotransmitters

Imbalances in neurotransmitters in the brain can cause psychological disorders. For instance, dopamine and glutamate are the two neurotransmitters involved in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is characterized by “delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior and cognitive difficulties” (Seeman & Kapur, 2002). In patients with schizophrenia, dopamine is released in greater amount, leading to more D2 receptors and greater amount of monomer forms of D2. This dysregulation of dopamine system leads to psychotic episode – causing abnormal thinking and perceptions (Seeman & Kapur, 2002). Glutamate is another neurotransmitter involved in schizophrenia. A meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies in schizophrenia found that schizophrenia patients have low level of glutamate and high level of glutamine in frontal region (Marsman et al., 2011). However, the levels of both glutamate and glutamine in frontal region decrease as the disease progresses, leading to lower synaptic activity, and hence, psychosis. As a result, schizophrenia is an example of mental disorders that are caused by imbalances of neurotransmitters.

Psychological factors

Learning through Conditioning

Learning is another psychological factor which can contribute to abnormal behaviors. Learning is a process allowing one to acquire or modify existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences (Richard, 2010). Classical conditioning is learning through association in which the conditioned stimulus (environmental stimulus) is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (naturally occuring stimulus) to elicit a conditioned response (Clark, 2004). The Little Albert Experiment (ethically unaccepted) demonstrated classical conditioning by repeatedly pairing the presence of white rat with a loud noise to elicit fear in an infant (Watson & Rayner, 1920). In this case, presence of white rat is an unconditioned stimulus, loud noise is a conditioned stimulus, and fear is a conditioned response. The infant showed no fear until white rat was paired with loud noise; the response to the presence of the rat before conditioning was described as “on the whole stolid and unemotional” known as unconditioned response. Other examples include learning a fear of darkness if fear-inducing stimuli (such as nightmare) takes place in the dark or acquiring fear of snakes if bitten by a snake (Mineka & Zinbarg, 2006). This shows how people may develop phobias.

Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness occurs when a person is continuously unable to control or handle an unpleasant situation that is stressful or demanding. It affects motivation, cognition, and emotions of the individual. An individual becomes demotivated to voluntarily response to the situation when his or her actions do not lead to the expected outcomes. Upon continues unsuccessful efforts to manipulate the situation, the individual learns that the situation is uncontrollable (Smallheer et al., 2018). This results in the development of cognitive deficit which may make the individual to accept and remain passive in negative situations. This can lead to depressive symptoms. One of the studies showed that there is an association between learned helplessness and depressive symptoms in individuals with Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (Smallheer et al., 2018). AMI is linked with physical and psychological stressors that can potentially have an impact on health. Depressive symptoms are experienced by 30% to 60% of AMI survivors, 15% of them dealing with major depression (Smallheer et al., 2018). As a result, mental disorders such as depression can be associated with learned helplessness.

Emotions

Basic emotions such as anger, sadness, fear or distress, and excitement can contribute to psychological disorders or may even define them. An example of such disorder is mania. Mania refers to abnormality of mood elevation which is usually associated with depression and can result in bipolar disorder or manic depressive illness. Patients with mania experience “fluctuations of mood between mild elation and depression” (Daly, 1997 & Barlow et al., 2018). During mild elation, patients become highly altered or excited, making them to do anything they want and spend as much money as they can without thinking of the consequences. Instability is also common in these patients; they can easily be evoked to mood states such as sadness or distress when they think all is lost or become hopeless. During excessive sadness, they find it difficult to experience delighted moments in life or even perform simple daily tasks. This state is known as depression.

Cultural, Social and Interpersonal Factors

Culture-Specific Disorders

Culture may determine patterns of certain mental disorders. Examples of culture-specific disorders include “witiko” among the Ojibwa Indians of the Northeast Woodlands (Landes, 1938), “piblokto” in the eastern Arctic (Ackerknecht, 1948). An individual with “writiko” experiences delusional excitement and considers himself to be possessed by a spirit. The individual may even kill or eat his own family members (Leighton & Hughes, 2005). “Piblokto” refers to short-term disarrangement in which an individual is engaged in strange acts such as going out without clothes in cold weather or imitating birds or animal sounds (Leighton & Hughes, 2005). The symptoms of such disorders are found in specific cultural areas. Moreover, there is often interrelation between cultural beliefs or practices and symptoms.

Gender

Gender roles have strong influence on psychopathology. The chances of having a specific phobia is strongly affected by a person’s gender (Barlow et al., 2018). For example, society is more accepting of female to develop small-animal phobia, when, in fact, both male and females may have an equal chance to have experiences that can lead them to develop the phobia. It is unacceptable for a man to show or admit fear, making him to hide it until he overcomes it (Barlow et al., 2018). An example of female to be affected by gender roles is a severe eating disorder known as “bulimia nervosa”. Bulimia mainly occurs in young women. The cause can be linked to culture highlighting female slimness. Males are less likely to be pressurized to be slim. A considerable percentage of males developing bulimia are gay (Rothblum, 2002). Psychopathology is not caused by our gender but rather is influenced by our gender roles.

Social Effects on Health and Behavior

Social isolation is another factor contributing to psychological disorders. Studies have shown that people with sufficient social relationships and contacts are likely to live longer. Contrarily, people with lower number of social relationships are likely to have shorter life expectancy . Many studies have also demonstrated that social relationships can prevent people from having physical and psychological disorders, such as high blood pressure, depression, alcoholism, arthritis, progression of of AIDS and having babies with low birth weight (Barlow et al., 2018). Social isolation and loneliness are moderately correlated, and both of them are associated with depression (Matthews et al., 2016). It is not necessary for people with social isolation to experience loneliness. However, those who are lonely are likely to be depressed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, contributions from genetics, neuroscience, conditioning, emotions, cultural, social and interpersonal factors all must be considered when we look through causes of psychological disorders. From the above discussion, we have observed multiple factors that contribute to psychopathology. We have come to know that psychological disorders are not resulted from a single causal factor, but rather there can be many causes of a disorder and all of them interact with one another. We must adopt the multidimensional approach to understand the interaction between multiple causes to fully know the origin of psychological disorders.

The Last King of Scotland is a film based on actual events in the African country of Uganda. The film is based on actual events that happened with Idi Amin. The film has a fictional physician though the conversation used was an actual event. While the character is fictional, I do think the physician was displayed in a realistic light. This is mainly because it is a normal occurrence to have people stick around other people even though their character is not pleasing at all. It is however not a very common phenomenon for that to happen in day to day. It is a realistic representation because there have been cases of psychiatrists and psychologists that choose to stick around their patient’s lives out of curiosity or research. The physician in the last king of Scotland may not be the norm but it is a reality.

There are five major psychological perspectives and each of these was seen to have played a role in how the character of Idi Amin was portrayed in the film. For starters, the behavioral perspective is evident when Idi Amin is willing to do anything without caring what others think to get what it is that he wants (Nicolson, 2015). He brings out the behavioral perspective when he punishes those that go against him but rewards those that do what he wants. Through the cognitive perspective, Idi Amin was driven by the feeling he got from power. He got drunk on power and he kept wanting more regardless of what he put others through. When it comes to the humanist perspective, Idi Amin believed that he was the best ruler that Uganda had, and while he thought his actions were to benefit the Ugandans, all they did was leave harm. By believing that he was the best leader they had, Idi Amin was hell-bent on fighting anyone that tried to get his position. When it comes to the biological perspective, it is no question that Idi Amin had a mental condition and this explains why he was okay with cannibalism.

One of the impressions that we get on psychotherapy is that it is not always as effective as using medicines would be. Idi Amin’s physician failed at curing the man off his mental habits of not only cannibalism but also his narcissistic behavior. Idi Amin got drunk on power and this led to him losing all mental health he was thought to have. Not only did he think of himself as being the greatest leader, but he also got so paranoid that he thought everyone was out to get him. This led to him not only killing those who were against him but also killing those who were on his side. Psychotherapy in this scene was not effective as mental institutionalization would have been.

In conclusion, the last king of Scotland film is one that helps us explore how psychologists are portrayed and the impression that psychotherapy has on the general public. The physician in the film was portrayed in a realistic nature. His acts are however not the norm but the exception. The film plays out the different psychological perspectives by considering how the characters are portrayed. Idi Amin being a narcissistic cannibal is thought to have mental issues which are evidenced by how he treats those around him. Psychotherapy in the film brings out the impression that it is not always the best treatment method. Sometimes institutionalization and medicine play a better role than therapy does.

References

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455590/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
2. Nicolson, P. (2015). Gender, power and organization: a psychological perspective on life at work. Routledge.

Psychological disorders are claimed to be contagious. A recent cross-sectional study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine proposed the risk factors associated with the burden of family caregivers of patients with psychological disorders. The abstract of the study established a correlation between psychologically ill patients and ultimately, the increased risk of caregivers developing a psychological disorder. Souza (2017) implemented The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) which is used to measure caregiver burden and psychiatric morbidity and consists of 22 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The scale ranges from 0 (never) to 4 (nearly always) with the summation of scores ranging between 0–88. 9. Higher scores indicate greater burden and a ZBI score of 17 or more considered as high burden.

Ho (2019), acknowledged the emotional contagion theory in stating, “emotional contagion is feeling or expressing a similar emotion to those around you because their feelings cue you to believe you should have those same emotional reactions. We watch others for how to respond and emotional contagion is an extreme form of that.” However, Ho explains that psychological and psychiatric dysfunction is not classified as a pathogen, and therefore cannot be transmitted by direct contact from an infectious person, as “mental illness is thought to be caused by an array of genetic or biological and environmental factors.”

Environmental factors such as, exposure to negative conditions (e.g. neglect, abusive, burden or stressful situations) or toxins as well as inheritance factors may also be linked to mental illness (Petersen, 2014). Caregivers are responsible for the home care of relatives with mental-health disorders and assume the responsibility for the medical, emotional, physical and financial care of the sick family member (BMC psychiatry, 2017). Thus, caregivers who provide constant care for family member/s who suffer from psychological disorders without formal knowledge, preparation or support from health professionals will often experience the negative effects of caregiving, such as burden and stress.

In this context, family caregivers often experience changes in their life and as a result this places them at a potential risk for caregiver burden and a consequent decrease in mental as well as physical health status. Poor coping mechanisms in carers have been associated with the perceived burden experienced by the carer. For the purpose of this investigation, the ZBI score will be used to narrow the focus of this study and analyse the likelihood of an increase in a family caregiver of a psychologically ill patient, developing a psychological disorder (such as caregiver burden).

Psychological disorder allude to what is all the more much of the time known as mental issue. Mental disarranges are examples of social or mental manifestations that sway different everyday issues. These disarranges make trouble for the people facing these side effects.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental issue are those that are regularly analyzed amid outset, youth, or puberty. These mental issue include: Intellectual Developmental Disorder was some time ago alluded to as mental impediment. This sort of formative issue begins before the age of 18 and is described by restrictions in both scholarly working and versatile practices.

Worldwide formative deferral is a finding for formative inabilities in kids who are younger than five. Such deferrals identify with comprehension, social working, discourse, language, and engine abilities. It is for the most part observed as a transitory finding applying to kids who are still too youthful to even think about taking institutionalized IQ tests. When kids achieve the age where they can take an institutionalized knowledge test, they might be determined to have a scholarly handicap.

Communication disorders are those that sway the capacity to utilize, comprehend, or distinguish language and discourse. The DSM-5 distinguishes four diverse subtypes of correspondence issue: language issue, discourse sound issue, youth beginning familiarity issue (faltering), and social (down to business) correspondence issue.

Mental imbalance range issue is described by tireless deficiencies in social cooperation and correspondence in various life territories just as confined and dull examples of practices. The DSM indicates that manifestations of mental imbalance range issue must be available amid the early formative time frame and that these side effects must reason noteworthy disability in vital everyday issues including social and word related working.

Bipolar and Related Disorders

Bipolar disorder is portrayed by movements in temperament just as changes in action and vitality levels. The turmoil frequently includes encountering shifts between raised states of mind and times of dejection. Such raised inclinations can be articulated and are alluded to either as craziness or hypo-mania.

Mania is described by inclination excessively energized and even hyper. Times of craziness are here and there set apart by sentiments of diversion, crabbiness, and unnecessary certainty.Individuals encountering lunacy are likewise progressively inclined to take part in exercises that may have negative long haul results, for example, betting and shopping binges.Burdensome scenes are portrayed by sentiments of serious trouble, blame, weakness, and crabbiness. Amid a burdensome period, individuals with bipolar turmoil may lose enthusiasm for exercises that they recently delighted in, experience resting challenges, and even have contemplations of suicide.

Nervousness Disorders

Nervousness issue are those that are described by over the top and relentless dread, stress, uneasiness and related social aggravations. Dread includes a passionate reaction to a risk, regardless of whether that danger is genuine or seen. Tension includes the expectation that a future danger may emerge. Sorts of uneasiness issue include:

Summed up tension issue which is set apart by inordinate stress over ordinary occasions. While some pressure and stress are a typical and even normal piece of life, GAD includes stress that is excessive to the point that it meddles with an individual’s prosperity and working. Social uneasiness issue is a genuinely normal mental turmoil that includes an unreasonable dread of being watched or judged. The tension brought about by this issue can majorly affect the life of a person and make it hard to work at school, work, and other social settings. Explicit fears include an extraordinary dread of a particular article or circumstance in the earth.

A few instances of regular explicit fears incorporate the dread of insects, dread of statures, or dread of snakes. The four fundamental sorts of explicit fears include regular occasions (thunder, helping, tornadoes), restorative (medicinal systems, dental methods, therapeutic gear), creatures (hounds, snakes, bugs), and situational (little spaces, leaving home, driving). At the point when defied by a phobic item or circumstance, individuals may encounter sickness, trembling, fast pulse, and even a dread of biting the dust.

Abstract

There are two part in this paper. The first part will analyze the symptom, factors and treatment of schizophrenia disorder by the film, A Beautiful Mind. The second part will analyze that of schizophrenia disorder and dissociative disorder by the film, The Butterfly Effect I.

Schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind

Overview of the film

A Beautiful Mind illustrates the story of famous Nobel Laureate, John Nash. In his early school-life, he focused on the mathematic on game theory. Due to his brilliant achievement, he joined the faculty of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked for the Department of Defense doing top secret work. During that time, he met his wife, Alicia. They lived happy, but soon Alicia found that John had delusion of chasing by Russian spies. John was diagnosed Schizophrenia. His roommate, superior, and job of decoding Russian code were delusion. However, with the help of Alicia and doctors, he overcame the mental illness and began to work informally in Princeton University. In the end, he faced his delusion bravely.

Symptom

In the film, John shows typical symptoms of positive schizophrenia: delusion and hallucination.

Symptom: Delusion

After warned by Parcher, the superior of John’s classified missions, that if John quit the mission, he would be caught by Russian as a spy, John began to form delusion of persecution. (tracking number range: 1:05:00-1:08:00) Delusion of persecution is a type of delusion that one believes that people are out to get himself or herself. In this situation, John believed that Parcher had divulged his identity to Russians, and Russians were chasing after him. John also had the delusion of grandeur, which he believed that he enjoyed greater power and influence that he did. In the film, John believed that he worked for the Department of Defense, and decoded the locations of superatomic bomb. He considered himself more than a mathematician: he was the hero of America. Also, at 1:08:00, the director implies to the audience that Charles might be false too through visions of different characters. In fact, the delusion of Charles indicates that John has been schizophrenic disorders for years.

The delusion is usually perennial. Although John accepted medical treatment, the delusion of Parcher, Charles and Marcee haunted John many times. Since 1:40:54 in the film, John had worked for the Department of Defense again. At 1:38:00, the dangerous mind of killing Alicia even occurred to John. In fact, in the end, the delusion still existed.

Symptom: Hallucination

“Hallucinations are perception-like experiences that occur without an external stimulus. They are vivid and clear, with the full force and impact of normal perceptions, and not under voluntary control.”[footnoteRef:1] In the film, John could hear that Parcher gave order to him and Charles and Marcee talked to him; he could saw the Department of Defense, felt pain when the electronic device was implanted beneath his skin; felt warm when Marcee hugged him. [1: American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 (5nd ed). Page 87]

What’s more important, the patient, John, could not distinguish the reality and his illusion because the realistic hallucination.

Factors

Stress triggered the delusion of John. First, John was eager to be extraordinary. From 00:08:24 to 00:08:59, John said “You know half these schoolboys have published paper. I cannot waste time on book and class”, which embodied his desire to be innovative and his peer pressure. Also, John was not good at social relationship, and his schoolmates mock him, which advanced his pressure. Thus, John formed the delusion of Charles, his best friend, to lessen his pain.

His desire of achievement also triggered his delusion of Parcher. John might relieve this through considering that he worked for the Department of Defense and saved thousands of Americans’ life.

Therapies and Treatment

John was diagnosed schizophrenic disorder by Psychiatrist in the mental hospital. Since John had been psychological for years and became sever, the doctor utilized electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). ECT involves running current through one or both hemispheres, and he patients experience a brief seizure. From 01:20:19 to 1:21:00, John received ECT five times a week for ten weeks and experienced seizure. The ECT was effective, and John began to take medicine and came back to home. With the help of ECT and medicine, John reduced hallucination and could distinguished the reality and delusion.

Conclusion

A Beautiful Mind is a realistic psychological and artistic movie. For me, the movie improves my understanding of schizophrenic disorder. Seeing and feeling from the position of John, I realized how real the delusion and hallucination are. From John’s perspective, I also shocked strongly when told that “All of them never exist in reality.”. In this way, I understand why schizophrenic disorder is hard to treat. Moreover, the film taught me what is the side effect of psychological drugs: it affects mind, sex and work. Besides its great story, the film can also be an excellent psychological education film.

Psychological Disorders in the Butterfly Effect

Overview of the film

Evan had blackouts when he was young. After growing up, he found that when he reads the journals he has kept since his first blackout, he can go back in time and change the past. His time traveling episodes account for the frequent blackouts he experienced, since those are the moments that his adult self occupied his consciousness, such as the moment his father strangled him when he realized that Evan shared his time-traveling affliction. With the severe brain damage due time-traveling, Evan was diagnosed schizophrenic disorder instead of ability of time-travelling.

Symptom

In the film, Evan showed typical symptom of dissociative disorders and schizophrenic disorder. Since schizophrenic has been discussed above, I will analyze dissociative disorders in this film.

First, Evan’s blackouts are typical symptoms of dissociative amnesia. Dissociative amnesia is characterized by an inability to recall autobiographical information.[footnoteRef:2] Evan’s blackouts happened when he drew a terrible drawing (tracking number beginning: 00:04:29), held a knife to his mum (tracking number beginning:00:06:07) , was forced to be shot sexual video (tracking number beginning: 00:08:06), met with his father (00:10:18), and killed people by accident (00:13:44). In these situations, Evan always asked “where I am?”, “What happens?” and so on. He was unaware of his amnesia until someone else and the environment reminded him. [2: American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 (5nd ed). Page 291]

Moreover, Evan was always back to episodes when young Evan had amnesia. Since the old Evan occupied the young Evan, and young Evan (the main personality) did not realize the existence of the personality of old Evan, combined to the blackouts mentioned above, Evan was dissociative identity disorder. Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by a) the presence of two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession and b) recurrent episodes of amnesia[footnoteRef:3]. [3: American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 (5nd ed). Page 291]

Factors

The main factor of Evan’s mental illness is inheritance: his father family has mental illness history. The stress from his social relationship and family and guilty of killing people also trigger Evan’s dissociative disorders.

Therapies and Treatment

In the film, Evan was dragonized mental illness by a psychiatrist. Evan received the elective therapies which combined psychoanalytic therapy and brain scan. At tracking number of 00:05:07, the psychiatrist utilized brain scan to see if even inherit mental illness from his father and grandpa. At tracking number of 00:16:30, the psychiatrist employed hypnosis to figure out what and why Evan forgot. Hypnosis is a psychoanalysis method, which psychoanalysts believe that people are likely to repress troubling thoughts. In the movie, since all Evan’s blackouts occurred in terrible situations, the Psychiatrist believed that Evan repressed his memory, and hypnosis might work. In fact, hypnosis was not effective. Evan’s psychological disorders became sever.

Conclusion

The Butterfly Effect is complex for psychology analysis because of its professional flaws and complicated plot. Considering from different perspectives, I can achieve different conclusion. For example, the young Evan is dissociative disorders because of external stress and natural inheritance. Then his psychological disorders develop to severe schizophrenic. This film taught me that some psychological disorders patients are hard to recovered, and the causes of mental illness are so complicated that psychiatrist cannot find out it, which is important to the therapy. There are still many obstacles in psychological therapy, but I believe psychologists will overcome them with the improvement of science and technology.

Religion has been one of the most influential forces during the records of mankind for it reaches 84% of the world’s population (Aghababaei, 409). It has helped people understand the world from a philosophical and theoretical perspective which in turn leads to impacting one’s psychological well-being. In his philosophical essay “On Virtue and Happiness,” John Stuart Mill conjures the idea of how desiring materialistic things, for example fame or money, to achieve a sense of satisfaction and happiness is only temporary because “it’s worth solely that of the things which it will buy” (13). Mill brings awareness of the fact that people cannot be content with a desire for physical needs for true joy does not lie in garnering material things. Unlike physical objects, one’s religion has been proven to improve their well-being and happiness. During his speech discussing psychology and belief in God, Professor John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, internationally renowned speaker, and author of several books covering the topic of religion and philosophy, states that,“[t]here is a correlation between religious belief and well-being, happiness… and life satisfaction” (Lennox, 00:02:36-00:03:01). Due to being the top three religions worldwide, Christianity, Islam, and Atheism have the most notable influence on their followers, and in turn, the world. One thing all three of these religions influence is one’s psyche. Even though there have been violent acts that have been committed in the name of religion, there has been a more intimate and positive outcome of being a believer or nonbelievers. Questions have arisen concerning whether people of different denominations, specifically Christians, Islams, and Atheists, vary in happiness and life satisfaction levels since they are not alike in numerous forms and have a significant impact on the world’s population. Although Christianity, Islam, and Atheism teach their followers distinct moral stories and promote incompatible beliefs, they all indulge in a sense of uniform peace and joy.

The positive relationship between Christianity and its impact on the psychological well-being on its followers has been proven to be true. Among those who identify as Christian, studies have been conducted that have shown the positive relationship between Christianity and one’s mental well-being. Supporting Professor Lennox and his view about religion having a correlation with well-being and life satisfaction, Professor Roy F. Baumeister, Professor of Psychology at University of Queensland, says in his book Religion and Psychology: A Special Issue of Psychological Inquiry that religions, like Christianity, can not only produce health and well-being in the present moment, but over the long run as well (210). He finds that the degree that Christianity gives worldviews to its followers helps them find a more meaningful meaning in ordinary daily events and in major obstacles in life, for example the diagnosis of cancer (211). Practicing the religion also helps one cultivate and procure positive emotions such as awe, serenity, joy, hope, and gratitude. As a result of having these positive emotions, people’s mindsets broaden which in turn makes them more creative and helps renew imperative personal and social resources, such as resilience, social support, and optimism.

As future generations grow up and let religions like Christianity continue to thrive, it may be a concern to people about how today’s children and adolescents and their mental balance cope with the religion. It is imperative that their well-being is being taken care of for the religion will not survive without the next generations of churchgoers. Along with books that have covered topics of religion and psychology, there have been research and studies done over how Christianity has a positive effect on the adolescent’s mental health. In their peer-reviewed scholarly article, “Christian Commitment and Personal Well Being: Exploring the Connection Between Religious Affect and Global Happiness Among Young Churchgoers in Australia,” Leslie J. Francis, Professor of Religions and Education within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, and Gemma Penny, Research Fellow at Warwick University, specialising in psychology, religiosity and children, argue that Christian faith may hold a crucial educational key not only to the religious development of these young participants, but also to their personal well being (8). They utilize statistics drawing on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey that was designed to assess the connection between religious effect and global happiness (as a measure of private well being) among 6,194 young churchgoers in Australia who are in between the ages of 8 and 14 years who are attending a variation of denominations, which include Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal, and other Protestant churches. In their research, they pinpoint that differences in levels of personal well being were associated with individual differences in religious affect. After controlling for individual differences in sex and age, it was found that in the end that the data demonstrates a significant positive and direct correlation between religious affect and global happiness. Although it is true that Christianity improves adolescents’ psychological well-being, it remains imperative for churches to be aware of and to be attentive to the religious effect of their young members and not monitor the frequency of their attendance. This cannot only be said to just Christians in general, but it can be applied to other religions as well.

Not only does Christianity have an intimate impact on its followers and believers for Islam has had a profound emotional impact ever since it was founded in the 7th century. Along with Christians, there has been research and studies done on those who identify themselves as Islam in order to see how exactly it has an emotional and psychological effect on its followers. In their peer-reviewed research article, Ali Youssef Al-Seheel, who works at the Department of Psychology at International Islamic University Malaysia, and Noraini M. Noor, who has twice served as the Head of the Psychology Department at University of Malaysia and is presently the Coordinator of the Women for Progress Research Unit, and the Editor of Intellectual Discourse, examine the effects of an Islamic-based expressive gratitude strategy as compared to a secular-based expressive gratitude strategy and a control group in enhancing Muslims’ level of happiness. They suggest and promote that cultivating greater happiness for Muslims would be more effective through interventions that fit their beliefs and values (696). They utilize statistics that were based off of sixty students that were randomly assigned into one of three groups, and over a period of 16 days, they were asked to practice the respective exercises daily. They pinpoint that practicing the Islamic-based gratitude exercise would end in higher happiness level over time, compared to the happiness level of Muslim participants practicing the secular-based gratitude exercise or the control group (700). The study concludes that results suggested that the Islamic-based gratitude is beneficial in raising participants’ happiness level, as it fits with their beliefs and values. This correlates with the Francis and Penny study that demonstrates that not only a person’s religion is a catalyst to one’s psychological well-being, but one’s mental well-being is also dependent on the person themself and not how much they attend a service. Naser Aghababaei, Professor of Behavioral Sciences at The Institute for Research and Development in the Humanities, Agate Blachnio, faculty of Social Science at the Institute of Psychology situated at John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, and Masoume Aminikhoo, member of American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, investigated the links of gratitude toward God and dispositional gratitude with well-being and personality in an Iranian sample. They suggest that religious gratitude has less impact than dispositional gratitude on one’s well-being. They analyzed and utilized statistics from 188 Iranian university students that answered a six-item Gratitude Questionnaire that measured dispositional gratitude and a four-item Gratitude toward God Questionnaire that measured religious gratitude. In a second analysis, the findings in a second sample of Iranian Muslims, and in a sample of Polish Christians, contribute to providing cross-cultural proof that the dispositional gratitude is a distinctive prognosticator of well-being (414). In the end, they found that gratitude was associated with higher scores on happiness, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and the Big Five factors of personality- openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (408). While these results have found the positive side of religious practice of the Islam religion, there have been some negative responses in the youth.

Although it has been found that there have been positive correlations between the Islam religion and mental well-being, there have been studies that have addressed the hindrance of the religion and it’s affect on the youth. Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek, who won the State Award of Social Sciences (Psychology) in Egypt in 1988, and Ghada K. Eid, member of The Egyptian Association of Psychological Studies, examined the relationship amongst religiosity and the self-ratings of happiness, satisfaction with life, mental wellbeing, and depression among Kuwaiti and Palestinian adolescents. The children followed a procedure of answering five self-rating scales and the Multidimensional Child and Adolescent Depression Scale. Abdel-Khalek and Eid conducted their research in order to reveal how various religions do have an effect on young adolescents’ mental well-being. The results of their research showed that Palestinian males were significantly less religious than all other groups, in comparison to Kuwaiti males and females who had significantly higher scores on happiness and satisfaction (117). It was also found that Kuwaiti males had significantly higher mental health and less depression than all other groups. Among all the four groups, the association between religiosity and well-being rating scales were strongly significant, but weakly significant with depression. It was concluded that clinicians who treat depression are likely to manipulate their negative association with religiosity primarily among Palestinian clients (125).

Although the response to being Islamic or Christians is almost always positive, the social stigma around Atheism has negatively impacted their mental well-being. The stereotyping and stigmatization of Atheists has been prevalent for decades. Despite the fact that atheism is on the rise, some areligious people are still being discriminated and hated against. In his peer reviewed article, Dr. Tom Arcaro, sociologist at Elon University and founding director of the Periclean Scholars program, makes note that Atheists are one of the topmost groups that Americans find problematic and that rejection of Atheists is more prevalent than rejection of other denounced groups (50). Although media attention on Atheists has been on the rise in the last half decade, there still remains in the public mind a negative image on Atheists. After taking surveys on whether Atheists from the U.S. and other nations, it was found that in America, 57% felt repercussions from their workplace as well as 68% felt repercussions in their local community.

Being America’s least trusted group, Atheists are stereotyped as being cynical, sceptical, non-conformist, and joyless. However, there have been research studies that have provided a more in-depth insight on Atheists. In their research study about the Atheist, Christian, and Buddhist personality, Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, Angela L. Wilson, who works at the Department of Psychology at Lesley College in Cambridge, Dr. LoTempio, a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Washington and a certified Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) therapist by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, and Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, an Israeli professor of psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel, argue that health researchers should try to better understand atheists in order to avoid making stereotypical judgements about the Atheist group as well as the Atheists’ happiness and life satisfaction levels are almost the exact same. In their study, atheists were recruited from the American atheist website and compared to Christians and Buddhists. They pinpoint that atheists disagreed with statements which employed terms such as inner spirit, spiritual, and sacred unlike Christians and Buddhists. In the end, findings support the stereotype of atheists as logical and skeptical, but not as cynical and joyless as well as that Atheists are “highly similar to Christians in their endorsement of statements that did not use spiritual language” (670). From The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, His Holiness the Dalai Lama explains that while people search for a way to satisfy their senses, “[a] believer develops this deeper level of pure joy through faith in God, which brings inner strength, inner peace” (7). In addition to that, he addresses that atheists can achieve the sense of joy as well; however, they “must develop this deeper level of joy through training of the mind” (53).

The significance of religion and the impact it makes varies on an individual, societal, and national scale varies greatly. Furthermore, there are numerous reasons why it remains important overall. People often crave a better understanding of how the world works, and religion is just one way that can help one understand and create a sense of joy and internal peace. The Dalai Lama helps us understand that even though there are countless people who don’t indulge and participate in the same religious activity as one does, the effect on their well-being is the same. Finding the ability to unite at an individual level is the only way to unite society, and religion, no matter what one believes in, can unite people humanitarianly.

A condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings and behaviors is considered as a Psychological disorder. The study of such disorders, including their symptoms, etiology, and treatment are termed as Psychopathology. The term psychopathology also refers to the manifestation of a psychological disorder. It is therefore very important for mental health professionals to conclude on what kind of thoughts, feelings and behaviors are truly abnormal in the sense that they genuinely indicate the presence of psychopathology (Kwee & Hout 2019). For instance, a person who washes his hands about 40 times per day and if somebody claims to hear the voices of demons exhibit behavior and inner experiences that most would signal abnormal and on the other hand the nervousness a young man feels while talking to an attractive woman or the loneliness and liking for home a fresher experience during his first semester of college fall in these type of normal behaviors.

Psychological disorders are innumerable in the count, all depending upon the case-to-case study. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Bipolar related disorders, anxiety disorder, Feeding and eating disorder, Sleep-Wake disorder, Trauma and stress-related disorders are some of the few psychological disorders to name with.

This paper shall concentrate on Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the various forms of treatment supported by literature reviews.

OCD is a psychiatric disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions in which time people have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas of sensation ( obsession) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively- compulsion (Baxter et. al 1992). Repetitive actions such as hand washing, cleaning, checking, counting as some the individual behaviors observed in persons diagnosed with OCD. OCD is a potentially disabling condition that can persist throughout a person’s life (Pauls et. al 1995).

OCD can be detected by observing the compulsive behavior of a person, most common of which are listed below:

People observed with the habit of repeatedly washing their hands and cleaning the house due to the fear of contamination.

The activity seen in people rearranging books, cutlery, carpets, pillows, cushions repeatedly due to the obsession with symmetry and order. Collecting and storing old newspapers, clothes, mails and other objects for no reason due to their uncomfortable feeling to dispose of anything.

Repeatedly counting the belongings and other objects in daily life, checking on measurements due to the doubtful behavior in a person. People suffering from Obsessive-compulsive disorders often face high levels of depression (Leckman et. al 1997). They have both obsessions and compulsions.

The habit of constantly checking whether the doors and windows are secured, whether the stove has been turned off and so on, due to their irrational fear of safety.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder that occurs in people of both genders, amongst children and adults. However, researchers have established that this disorder seems to have an impact more on women than men.

Once observed and diagnosed, getting treatment as soon as possible may help prevent OCD from worsening and disrupting activities and one’s daily routine. OCD usually develops into a chronic condition if left untreated, with episodes where symptoms seem to improve. Without treatment, remission rates are low. However around 40 percent of people who develop OCD in childhood experience remission by early adulthood. Treatment for OCD will depend on how much the condition affects the person’s ability to function.

The basic treatment for OCD will often include :

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)

The treatment for this pattern of psychological disorder involves drug and behavior therapy. Medications that are strong in serotonin reuptake inhibitors and specific behavioral therapies that employ the principles of exposure and response- prevention are highly effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD (Baxter et. al 1992). Although the latter was found to be more effective for reducing compulsion behaviors than an obsession.

Based on a wide range of evidence, many investigators have established the role of human brain to be the mediator for OCD symptoms. Pinpointing the head of the caudate nucleus playing a prime role in OCD symptoms, successful treatment of OCD by either medication or behavior therapy accompanied by a change in caudate nucleus function detected either positron emission tomography [PET] and the 18-F-flouorodeoxyglucose{FDG] method.

A study done on OCD patients with FDG-PET before and after either drug or behavior therapy done choosing fluoxetine hydrochloride as the treatment drug revealed that glucose metabolic rates in the right head of the caudate nucleus changed when OCD treated successfully with either fluoxetine or behavior therapy (Leckman et. al 1997).

Without treatment, mild OCD can improve, but moderate to severe OCD will not improve and often get worse. Successful treatments can significantly improve and even cure OCD. However, the condition can return later on.

References:

1. Lewis R. Baxter, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Kenneth S. Bergman, Martin P. Szuba,
2. Barry H. Guze, John C. Mazziotta, Adina Alazraki; Carl E. Selin, Huan-Kwang Ferng, Paul Munford, Michael E. Phelps 1992, ‘Caudate Glucose Metabolic Rate Changes With Both Drug and Behavior Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder’, Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1992, vol. 49, no. 9, pp. 681–689.
3. Caroline M.B Kwee & Marcel A. van den Hout 2019, ‘Anxiety sensitivity does not predict treatment outcome or treatment length in obsessive-compulsive disorder and related anxiety disorders’, Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, vol. 21, pp.18-25.
4. David L. Pauls, John P. Alsobrook, W. Goodman, S. Rasmussen, & James F. Leckman 1995, ‘A family study of obsessive-compulsive disorder’, American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 152, no.1, pp.76-84.
5. James F. Leckman, Dorothy E. Grice, James Boardman, Heping Zhang, Amy Vitale, Colin Bondi, John Alsobrook, Bradley S. Peterson, Donald J. Cohen, Steven A. Rasmussen, Wayne K. Goodman, Christopher J. McDougle, and David L. Pauls 1997, ‘Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder’, American Journal of Psychiatry, vol.154, no.7, pp.911-917.

Intro:

Depersonalization Disorder is “characterized by reoccurring episodes, of depersonalization, derealization, or both. Depersonalization is defined as feelings of “unreality of detachment from, or unfamiliarity with one’s whole self or from aspects of the self.”(Psychology 577). This disorder is very fascinating as it seems like something that can happen to all of us. Similar characteristics and notions are explored in philosophy and religion such as Friedrich Nietzsche’s Nihilism, even Buddhism with the idea of the non-self.

Thus, the main purposes of this paper is to see what makes the disorder the disorder, how it is similar and or different to Nihilism, and also the potential treatments, and lastly what we can learn from and build upon. Little Background on The Disorder and Some Backdrop to Author’s Connections and Rationale: Depersonalization is also known as derealization. This is a very interesting thing and many times it can be glossed over as one having a bad day, or just some sort of philosophical mode, as opposed to an actual psychological disorder. For example, John Lennon, in the song, Strawberry Fields Forever, uses the phrase “Nothing Is Real”, this is interesting as it shows the pop-cultural elements of breaking away from reality and some sort of detachment but not actually suffering from a disorder. This is what makes the disorder so interesting to further explore.

Psychology Today describes this as “normal to feel this way briefly and occasionally— due to side effects of medication, recreational drugs, or some other physical or mental health condition—depersonalization disorder is usually diagnosed only if such feelings of detachment frequently reoccur, cause anguish, and interfere with you quality of life.” (1). It also places this type of feeling into an episode and kind of surreal cinema type experience. This is really interesting and this is what I think is what separates form the philosophical/ religious concepts of nothingness. Definitions: Nihilism: For this paper, I am going to use the basic understanding of Friedrich Nietzsche and metaphysics that I have while elementary and more political science esque. I will define Nihilism as the state of nothing is real, and the idea that life is this dark road to an abyss, and the ultimate principle of nothingness which when embraced can encourage and lead to great things such as the Will to Power among a plethora of other notions.

Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder: There are multiple definitions, however, I believe in order to have a good since of the disorder, one must take a cohesive look and explore a few of the definitions from professionals. According to WebMD, “Depersonalization disorder is one of a group conditions called a dissociative disorder. Dissociative disorders are mental illnesses that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, consciousness, awareness, identity, and or perception. When one or more of these functions is disrupted, symptoms can result….” (1). To me this seems to be the main separating factor of this between Nihilism and a disorder as Nihilism is a controlled state in which one is consciously aware that language and other apparatuses of society are mere artificial constructs of reality. In contrast, this disorder seems to lack a conscious path to getting there. I will explore this more throughout the paper. According to the British Medical Journal, “Depersonalization is a strange, complex, and essentially private experience, one characteristic of which is the individuals’ difficulty in communicating a comprehensible account of it. A prominent feature of the experience is a feeling of change involving either or both the inner and outer worlds and carrying with it a vague but uncomfortable sense of unfamiliarity….”(378).

This article also associates other terms and definitions such as “Derealization” [which] is employed to describe the changes the environment seems to have undergone…Desomitzation describes changes in the experience of the body, individual parts which may seem enormous, tiny, telescoping, detached, hollow, without sensation, or oddly deformed. De-actualization has been used to describe a sense of loss of the capacity to feel emotion, so that a person seems unable to cry, worry, love, or hate….”(378). Lastly, another important distinction this article notes is, “But diagnosis is easier than the definition in this condition and for clinical purposes, it is sufficient to use the general term depersonalization to cover all of these phenomena which occur intermittently, always have the quality of unfamiliarity and discomfort and are recognized as changes in experience rather than in reality in itself.” (378). This is crucial to understand this disorder to see how many complex layer and different types of symptoms in encompassing.

This also is core in our understanding of why Nihilism does not qualify as a disorder, but rather a state of being and that is in my opinion the mere idea that consciousness and true reality is not questioned and also I don’t believe any physical changes occur to the body or the lack of ability to feel emotion of pleasure, hate, fear, etc., but rather diminishing the need for it. History and Discovery: This disorder was named in 1898. Eqsquiorial, Zeller, Billod, and Gissinger reported it. “The new disorder had since been explained as resulting from pathological changes in the sensory system, memory, affect, body image and self-experience.” Evolutionary psychologist Mayer- Gross expanded and contributed heavily to the disorder. (Berrios et al 1).

Evolutionary Psychology uses and draws inspiration from Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to make a hypothesis about specific and certain things that may cause species to evolve, or what may tell us something about particular disorders or traits. This started with the finches in the Galapagos having different sized beaks than other finches among other geographical things. This approach helped with the disorders as one’s society and personal environmental factors can indeed serve as triggers of this disorder. What Causes the Disorder: Depersonalization and Derealization are often broken up into two categories. For the contexts of this paper, I will keep them as similar names for the disorder. “The exact cause of dissociation is unclear, but it often affects people who have experienced a life-threatening event or traumatic event, such as extreme violence, war, a kidnapping, or childhood abuse.” (Medical News Today). Some also say is an imbalance of brain chemicals.”(1). This here is similar to other psychological disorders. It can also be triggered by drugs and other substances which will be explored later. It can also be a symptom of another condition. WebMD, argues that this disorder as a standalone disorder is rare. They also state that is can be a byproduct of other disorders. (Web MD 1).

Outside Substances: Medical News Today, discusses “the use of ketamine cannabis, alcohol, and other hallucinogens as drugs that can trigger feelings of depersonalization.”(1). Ketamine: Ketamine is “categorized as a dissociative anesthetic….It can be injected, consumed in drinks, snorted, or added to joints or cigarettes.”(Drugfreeworld.org). This is also a prescription drug for certain types of depression. This drug is also marketed as a way for people to have an “out of body experience, or a K-Hole effect…Due to the detached dreamlike state it creates, where the user finds it difficult to move,…”(Drugfreeworld.org). This was interesting as it demonstrates how a prescription drug can be used to help something can also create symptoms in one that either mimic or could lead to a person actually suffering from a psychological disorder. It seems like the research is not clear on how many episodes one must have in order to be a suffer of the disorder versus just some sort of other dream-like state or feeling.

I think this will be explored in further study. Also, because the disorder by itself, only chronically exists by itself as a rare condition it will receive less notoriety and resources than other more commonly known psychological disorders. Cannabis: There are cases of symptoms of depersonalization arising from cannabis usage. In the research, by Sean P. Madden and Patrick M. Einhorn, it may help in the treatment and knowing the effects of cannabis on psychological disorders. (3-6). However, for the purposes of this research, I did not have the time to go into detail or further explore multiple studies on cannabis use. Cannabis has also traditionally been falsely blamed for many of societal ills, therefore thorough research and a different research question would be necessary in order to fully draw a conclusion as well as additional research on the subject matter. Hallucinogens: Hallucinogens are a type of drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, hallucinogens are “a diverse group of drugs that alter perception (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions), thoughts, and feeling. They cause hallucinations or sensations and images that seem real though they are not.”(1).

The Oxford Treatment Center notes, that “Numerous drugs [including hallucinogens, probably more specifically, hallucinogens], can produce sensations or feelings that one is outside of their body, being detached from oneself, being unreal, etc., which are symptoms of depersonalization; however, a dissociative disorder that is based on feelings of depersonalization cannot be diagnosed when some is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”(1). It also notes that the American Psychological Association does not consider them to “causal in nature”, “despite them exacerbating symptoms of a dissociative disorder.”(Oxford Treatment Center 2). This was really interesting to read as drugs do not seem to be the main cause of such, but do in some ways enable one to experience these types of feelings. Other sources as mentioned in the Ketamine section of this paper have treated drugs as a leader or a vehicle to this state of being that could lead to the disorder in conjunction with other factors. Another interesting thing to explore would be the idea that the disorder could also drive people to these types of drugs. It would be interesting to see the correlation between the two.

Genetics: Genetics does not appear to play a large role in dissociative personality disorder. Prevalence: The disorder is most prevalent in people who have faced severe trauma or abuse. Mayo Clinic, also mentions other causes such as “Certain Personality traits that make you want to avoid or deny difficult situations or make it hard to adapt to difficult situations. Depression or anxiety, and recreational drug use.”(1). This makes sense as we have discussed that is a rare stand-alone disorder and therefore, it can also be symptoms of other psychological disorders. Depression and anxiety would also drive one to these feelings and consistent dwelling would lead one to an altered state of non-belonging, and a shift in consciousness induced by the depression or anxiety.

Treatment: Different sources and different professionals list similar but different methods of treatment. The Cleveland Clinic lists” Psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, dialectic-behavior therapy, family therapy, creative therapy, meditation and relaxation, clinical hypnosis as possible treatments.”(1). For the purposes of this project, I am going to focus on Psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and humanistic therapy as illustrated in the textbook. Psychodynamic psychotherapy was a type of “talk therapy based on belief that the unconscious and childhood conflicts impact behavior.” (609). This therapy would make since as there are thoughts repressed and many believe that this disorder has origins in childhood and based on the experience of trauma by talking one can learn more about that and proscribe different methods in dealing with that to help one psyche. Behavior therapy deals with lifestyle changes and how behavior influences consciousness and the mind.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy deals with one’s perceptions and ideas to help one improve their thoughts and to explore some of the causes of these problems. These are all type of therapy type, positive psychological approaches for treating such as there is no one particular clear-cut cookie-cutter type disorder or treatment to prescribe. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for instance, “teaches people how to practice and engage in more positive and healthy approaches to daily situations. In total, hundreds of studies have shown the effectiveness of treating psychological disorders.”(615). This is very important to see evidence of these different treatment methods working and also would be interesting to further explore each of them and their direct correlation with depersonalization disorder. However one also has to remember that this disorder is very rare, in its standalone manner, and therefore they may not be enough data to further correlate such. Thus, this serves as a preliminary analysis of the various treatment methods available and would indeed warrant further research and future consideration.

Medication: Medication is controversial in relation to this disorder. MedicalNewsToday, stated in a 2013 Review, that “ doctors may prescribe a combination of medications specifically lamotrigine (Lamitical), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other drugs.”(1). According to the Cleveland Clinic, “There is no medication to treat dissociative disorder themselves. However, people with dissociative disorders especially those associated with depression and/or anxiety may benefit from treatment with antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications. (1). Conclusion/ Further Considerations: Thus, the disorder is really interesting as it really connects to the meaning of the self. It was interesting to me to see the fine line between a positive philosophical/ religious experience to a psychological disorder. One really interesting thing to me was, “Dr. Elena Bezzubba, a Russian psychoanalyst who treats people with depersonalization in California, call it a painful absence of feeling. “A mother comes to me and says ‘My son is in prison, I received a letter from him. I do not care, but it bothers me. Please prescribe me something to cry.”( Lofthouse 2). This was really fascinating to me and demonstrates how the disorder takes over and some of the importance of studying. Throughout this project I have learned so much about what this disorder is, how much we still do not know, the different types of treatment, the effects of drugs on the human body, and the interesting paradox of the disorder itself that being how some seek similar characteristics of such, but the scientific community is unsure what exact effect it has on the likelihood of one suffering from the disorder.

References

1. (When) Are You Neurotic? (2012, November 23). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201211/when-are-you-neurotic
2. Bibliography Software. Retrieved March 10, 2019. Easybib.com Can Weed and Other Hallucinogens Cause Depersonalization? (2018, January 30). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.oxfordtreatment.com/marijuana/depersonalization/
3. Depersonalization Disorder Management and Treatment. (2016, April 20). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9791-depersonalization-disorder/management-and-treatment
4. Depersonalization Syndromes. (1972). British Medical Journal, 4(5837), 378-378. JSTOR. Depersonalization-derealization disorder. (2017, May 16). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911
5. Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder – Psychiatric Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/dissociative-disorders/depersonalization-derealization-disorder
6. Home – PubMed – NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Lofthouse, G. (2014, December 16).
7. Enlightenment’s Evil Twin. Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/12/enlightenments-evil-twin/383726/
8. Madden, S. P., MS., & Einhorn, P. M., MS. (2018). Cannabis-Induced Depersonalization-Derealization. The American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, 3-6. JSTOR.
9. Mental Health: Depersonalization Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/depersonalization-disorder-mental-health#2
10. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016, January). Hallucinogens. Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/hallucinogens
11. Nordqvist, J. (2018, September 21). Dissociation and depersonalization: Causes, risk factors, and symptoms. Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262888.php
12. Spielman, R. M., Dumper, K., Jenkins, W., Lacombe, A., Lovett, M., & Perlmutter, M. (2017). Psychology. Houston, TX: OpenStax, Rice University.
13. What is Ketamine? Street Names & Side Effects – Addiction & Abuse – Drug-Free World. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescription/ketamine.html

Introduction

It’s a sort of psychological disorder that principally result in panic attacks and is a hazardous feeling of terror once there’s no real danger which can additionally feel as if we tend to were losing management. Bound places would be avoided by United States wherever we tend to already had associate degree experiences of associate degree attack and should be living in concern of another attack and should additionally avoid such things within the future. Usually, associate degree attack passes in 5-10 minutes, however it may keep for hours. A number of the main symptoms which will embrace the following:- shortness of breath , dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations or abdominal distress. There can also be a physical ill health like e.g., asthma attack occur with anxiety disorder, and bound mode factors e.g., smoking can increase the chance for the disorder. This disorder is principally among depression and, a substance used disorders, and alternative tension or anxiety disorders. Feminine gender, low socioeconomic standing, and anxious childhood temperament are major risk factors for anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder may manufacture marked distress and impairment and is related to important suicide risk. Panic disorders can also seem to extend the chance of all-cause mortality as a result of it should increase the chance of disorder. Panic attacks can also are available in the night whereas you’re asleep, and wake you up which might happen if your brain is incredibly alert ;due to anxiety; and interprets bound changes in your body as an indication of danger. The incidence in girls is above in men. it always starts once individuals are young adults. Genetic investigations indicate that variations within the sequence that encodes production the BDNF supermolecule might play a job in anxiety disorders. BDNF (brain-derived neuro trophic factor) regulates neural survival and differentiation throughout development, plays a job in long synergism and memory, and is related to anxiety and depression. Amygdala, cingulate, prefrontal, and insular cortices are concerned in anxiety disorders that are determined from functional-imaging studies. Activation of the ventromedial anterior cortex suppressed basal ganglion activation in healthy management subjects however not in those with associate degree psychological disorder.

An anxiety disorder may be a condition within which individuals have sudden panic attacks, worry regarding what panic attacks may do or mean, and alter their behavior as a results of having panic attacks some individuals can realize additional horrifying or unpleasant experiences than others. once somebody expertise panic attacks for the primary time it’ll be additional horrifying as a result of this can be a replacement experience, but several fears that next time could also be totally different than ensuing scare could also be the more serious than the primary one they need old. Some individuals even if they do not have the expertise manage themselves to resign themselves to the involvement of panic. Panics seldom return really out of the blue, even if the primary attack sometimes happens at a time once the individual is beneath emotional pressure, or after they were tired and exhausted and setting out to feel at the tip of their chain or unwell (e.g., convalescent from the flu). Panic attacks are terribly uncommon in life once somebody is really safe and relaxed. consistent with one theory of anxiety disorder states that the body’s traditional ‘alarm system,’ additionally delineate because the body’s fight or flight system, the set of mental and physical mechanisms that enables an individual to retort to a threat, tends to be triggered even if once there’s no danger. Studies state that medication like marijuana or biological process deficiencies like metallic element or metal deficiencies can also be risk factors for developing anxiety disorder. Psychologically, people that develop panic attacks or another psychological disorder are additional probably to own a history of what’s referred to as anxiety sensitivity in life. Anxiety-related bodily sensations (like transient pain or abdomen upset) will result in sensitivity risk factors for an individual to concern that they need serious personal consequences in their life (For Example, basic cognitive process that mechanically mean their heart will stop or they’re going to offer, respectively). Once the panic becomes severe the general public try and get out of the actual scenario, hoping the panic will certainly stop. Or else, they will get facilitate thanks to fears they may collapse, have a coronary failure, or go crazy. Sometimes, some individuals need to be alone in order that they do not embarrass themselves in how. Once people begin connecting panic attacks with bound things, they usually try and minimize the panic attacks by avoiding constant or similar things. Once this sort of shunning is widespread and severe, the condition is termed phobic neurosis. in rare cases, these fears may cause some individuals to remain in their homes for long periods of your time. Some individuals might expertise phobic neurosis while not anxiety disorder. Antecedent anxiety may be a scenario wherever individual experiences redoubled levels of tension by pondering an occasion or scenario within the future. Antecedent anxiety usually stems from or is intense by, previous occurrences that aroused concern. For several with anxiety disorder, their initial scare comes on naturally, with none warning signs. Phobic disorder, it’s additionally referred to as social-psychological disorder, may be a disorder characterised by a concern of things within which there’s potential for embarrassment or humiliation ahead of others. The precise reason behind the phobic disorder is unknown, it seems that people with relatives that have the disorder areat bigger risk of developing it, suggesting a genetic predisposition might occur. most people with phobic disorder were continually back as youngsters and were continually uncomfortable ahead of others.

Physical symptoms, together with a speedy vital sign, blushing, or trembling, usually accompany the anxiety, which can be a supply of additional humiliation in life. Severe anxiety can also cause the individual to avoid all social things. People with phobic disorder are continually at redoubled risk for depression and suicide. Generalized psychological disorder may be a traditional a part of life. You may worry regarding things which will embrace health, money, or family issues. however individuals with a generalized psychological disorder (GAD) might feel very anxious or feel nervous regarding these and alternative things like cash, health—even once there’s very little or no reason to stress regarding them. Individuals with GAD realize it continually troublesome to manage their anxiety and keep targeted on daily tasks. Usually, individuals with GAD cannot shake their issues, even if they sometimes understand that a lot of their anxiety is unwarranted. Physical symptoms like trembling, twitching, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, sweating, hot flashes, and feeling lightheaded or out of breath are shown up for individuals with GAD and is additionally unable to relax and infrequently have hassle falling or staying asleep. GAD affects regarding half dozen.8 million yank adults per year; girls are doubly as probably as men to be afflicted. Anxiety disorders are advanced and result from a mixture of genetic, activity, biological process, and alternative factors. Risk factors for GAD embrace a case history of tension and up to date or extended periods of stress. Variety of alternative arousal issues will have panic attacks as symptoms. a number of these diseases embrace posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychoneurotic disorder, dementia praecox, and intoxication or withdrawal from alcohol and bound alternative medication of abuse. .Anxiety attacks that occur whereas sleeping, additionally referred to as nocturnal panic attacks, which can occur less usually than panic attacks throughout the daytime however it affects regarding 40%-70% of these that suffer from daytime panic attacks, they continually tend to expertise additional symptoms of depression and alternative medicine disorders compared to people that don’t have panic attacks at the hours of darkness. The basal ganglion and also the cingulate, prefrontal, and insular cortices are concerned in anxiety disorders. Activation of the ventromedial anterior cortex suppressed basal ganglion activation in healthy management subjects however not in those with associate degree psychological disorder. redoubled activation of the basal ganglion and belittled activation of the Ventrolateral anterior cortex are shown up for generalized psychological disorder. And regarding identification, the emergency supplier can perform many tests to examine if your symptoms are caused by a coronary failure. Associate degree graph (ECG) to see vital sign and run blood tests to rule out alternative conditions that may cause similar symptoms or operate.

Anxiety disorders are typically treated with benzodiazepines. The basal ganglion contains a high concentration of GABAA receptors, that are the main target of benzodiazepines. The administration of a downer can decrease the activation of each the basal ganglion and also the insula. Benzodiazepines exert their effects by interacting with GABAA receptors via associate degree unknown binding website. Moreover, Treatment for anxiety disorder focuses on reducing or eliminating your symptoms. This can be achieved through medical care with a professional and in some cases, medication. Medical care usually involves cognitive-behavioral medical care (CBT). This medical care can teach you to vary your thoughts and actions in order that you’ll perceive your attacks and manage your concern.

Medications accustomed treat anxiety disorder will embrace selective monoamine neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a category of antidepressants. They will contain Prozac, paroxetine, sertraline. Alternative medications typically accustomed treat the anxiety disorder embrace monoamine neurotransmitter and monoamine neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibitors, antiseizure medication, enzyme inhibitors and alternative form of antidepressant drug that’s used occasionally thanks to facet effects. And regarding bar, a standard – and natural – response to anxiety is to avoid what triggers your concern, thus taking any action may cause you to feel additional anxious initially. the primary step in breaking the cycle of concern and insecurity is facing up the anxiety that causes you to feel actuated. Moreover, Effective means that of scare bar for people that have had them embrace avoiding triggers for panic, like alcohol or stimulants like diet pills, or cocaine. Obtaining adequate sleep and interesting in stress-reducing activities like yoga or another exercise may assist you to avoid the incidence of panic attacks. Whereas hyperventilating is that the main symptom of panic attacks that may increase concern, deep respiration will scale back symptoms of panic throughout associate degree attack. If you’re ready to management your respiration, you’re less probably to adopt the hyperventilating that may create alternative symptoms additionally and also the scare itself worse. And by recognizing that we tend to are having a scare rather than a coronary failure, we will inform ourselves that this can be temporary, it’ll pass, and that we are going to be very well within the future. Some individuals realize it useful to search out one object to focus all of their attention on throughout a scare amount. There’s a proverb like “Pick one object in clear sight and consciously note everything regarding it attainable and additionally suppose that everything is possible”.

Conclusion

Typically the panic attacks are traditional however typically be harmful whereas traditional panic attacks will function associate degree adjustive response to the stimulant. Genetic investigations indicate that variations within the sequence that encodes production the BDNF supermolecule might play a job in anxiety disorders, Activation of the ventromedial anterior cortex suppressed basal ganglion activation in healthy management subjects however not in those with associate degree psychological disorder. And regarding treatment administration of a downer can decrease the activation of each the basal ganglion and also the insula.

Reference

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