The disorders that affects the normal condition of the mind and  creates a loss of contact with the reality, are included in Psychotic disorders (or Psychosis).

People suffering from these disorders feels or perceive different images or thoughts that actually do not exist there in reality and thus exhibit personality changes and thought disorder.

Depending on its severity, this may be  accompanied by unusual or bizarre behaviour, as well as the difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out daily life activities.

​

Signs & Symptoms:

Hallucinations: 

The basic definition of Hallucination is sensory perception in the absence of external stimuli, i.e. it is an experience in which the person perceives something that is not actually not present. 

Hallucinations may occur in any of the  senses and take  on almost any  form, which may include simplest  sensations (such as lights, colours, tastes, and smells) to experiences such as seeing and interacting with fully formed animals and people, hearing voices, and having complex tactile sensations.

​

Delusions:

Delusion is basically false beliefs that a person  holds on to,  without any adequate evidence for it. The  main problem with it is, it can be difficult to change the belief of the person, even when provided with some evidence to the contrary. 

Some common types of delusions are:

• Persecutory (Person believes that others are out to harm them)

• Grandiose (Person believes that they have special powers or skills) 

• Persons feels that they have sinned, or have contracted serious illness etc

​

Catatonia:

Catatonia is a  profoundly  agitated state in which the experience of reality is generally  considered  impaired or in the simple words the person suffering does not consider reality to be existing.

There are two type of catatonic behaviours:

1.  A person who does not move or interact with the world in any way while awake. In this case when some physically  moves part of a catatonic person's body and the person stays in the same position.

2.  A person showing excessive and purposeless motor behaviour, as well as extreme the mental preoccupation that  prevents an intact experience of reality. An example is someone walking very fast in the circles to the exclusion of anything else.

​

In both types of catatonia there is generally no reaction to anything that happens outside of them.

​

Thought Disorders:

Thought disorder describes an underlying disturbance to conscious thought and is classified largely by its effects on speech and writing. Affected persons show loosening of associations, that is, a disconnection and disorganisation of the semantic content of speech and writing (Word Salad).

​

​

SCHIZOPHRENIA

It is a widely occurring psychotic disorder, which is characterised by abnormal social behaviour and failure to understand what is real.

​

Signs & Symptoms:

• Hallucinations

• Delusions

• Thought Disorders

• Cognitive dysfunction: The effect on cognitive functions like working  memory, long-term memory, verbal memory,                                      attention, learning etc.

Also categorised as:

• Positive Symptoms:  The symptoms that are normally not  experienced by  common people, but  only seen by  the schizophrenia patients. These signs show a good response to medications.

      Signs like delusions, disordered thoughts and hallucinations are among positive symptoms.

• Negative Symptoms:  Negative  symptoms  are deficits of normal  emotional  responses or thought processes, and are less responsive to medication.

      They commonly include flat expressions or little emotion, poverty of speech, inability to experience pleasure, lack         of desire to form relationships, and lack of motivation. 

​

Types of Schizophrenia:

 The five sub-classifications included in DSM-IV (Removed from DSM-5) were:

• Paranoid type:            Delusions or auditory hallucinations are present, but thought disorder, disorganized behavior,                                    or affective flattening are not present.

• Disorganised type:     Thought disorder and flat affect are present together. 

• Catatonic type:           Include catatonic symptoms.

• Undifferentiated type: Cannot be categorised as for paranoid, disorganised, or catatonic types

• Residual type:             Positive symptoms present at a low intensity only. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

According to DSM-5, Anxiety  disorders are a  group of mental disorders  characterised by significant feelings of fear and anxiety.

​

FEAR:

• It is a feeling or reaction  induced by perceived danger or a threat, which usually causes a change in the metabolic and organ functions and ultimately a change in behaviour of the person. 

• It may occur as a response to an event in occurring the present, or in anticipation or in expectation of a future threat.

​

ANXIETY:

• It is a feeling or emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviour.

• It is different than fear, anxiety is the expectation of future threat. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually generalised and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation.

​

​

Types and Symptoms:

​

1.    Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD):

​

DSM-5 defines Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) an anxiety disorder characterised by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry, that is, apprehensive expectation about events or activities.

The anxiety level in GAD is excessive and usually long-lasting, which often interferes with daily functioning, and hampers personal growth of person.

​

Symptoms:

• Prominent tension, worry, and feelings of apprehension, about everyday events and problems.

• Palpitations or pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate.

• Sweating

• Trembling or shaking

• Difficulty breathing, and chest pain

• Nausea or abdominal distress

• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, faint or light-headed.

• Fear of dying

• Hot flashes or cold chills

• Numbness or tingling sensations

• Restlessness and inability to relax

• Persistent irritability

• Muscle tension

• Difficulty in concentrating

​

​

2.    Social anxiety disorder

​

Social anxiety disorder (SAD or also  social phobia) characterises an intense fear and avoidance of negative public scrutiny, public embarrassment, humiliation, or social interaction.

This fear can be specific to particular social situations (such as public speaking) or, more typically, is experienced in most (or all) social interactions, thus the person suffering from SAD finds difficulty in social contact (mostly crowd)

Signs and symptoms include blushing, sweating, and difficulty speaking.

​

​

​

3.    Specific phobias:

​

A specific phobia is a kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations. The affected person, has excess level of fear from specific situations or objects, that they try to avoid any type of contact, or mention about those situations or objects.

​

Signs of phobia, is intense fear or anxiety rising in phobic person due to the object or situation creating phobia.

Types according to DSM:

​

• Animal type: Fear of specific animals.

• Environment type : Fear of water (Aquaphobia), heights (Acrophobia), lightning and thunderstorms (Astraphobia), or aging (Gerascophobia).

• Situational type: Fear of small confined spaces (Claustrophobia), or the dark (Nyctophobia).

• Blood/injection/injury Type:  Fear of medical procedures, including needles and injections (Trypanophobia), fear of blood (Hemophobia) and fear of getting injured.

• Other – Fears of loud sounds or certain characters.

​

​

4.    Agoraphobia:

​

Agoraphobia is the specific type of anxiety, in which the person fears about being in a place or situation from where escape is difficult and help may be unavailable.

Agoraphobia usually occurs in patients with panic attacks, since it is often enhanced by the fear of having a panic attack again.

For example, following a panic attack while driving, someone suffering from agoraphobia may develop anxiety over driving and will therefore avoid driving. 

​

​

5.    Panic disorder:

​

Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterised by recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something really bad is going to happen.

Panic attacks area condition of intense fear or discomfort that abruptly arises and peaks in some minutes and can last for several hours.

​

The problem associated with panic attacks is all symptoms occur within a short time, and duration or prediction is unexpected. Also, there is always an ongoing anxiety about having further panic attacks, that situates more fear in the person having panic disorder.

​

Symptoms:

• Rapid heartbeat 

• Perspiration

• Dizziness 

• Trembling

• Uncontrollable fear of losing control and going crazy

• Fear of dying

• Hyperventilation

• Lack of proper consciousness

• Sweating

• Paralysis

• Severe chest pain

• Numbness or tingling

• Chills or hot flashes

• Negative social experiences (Social anxiety)

​

​

6.    Post-traumatic stress disorder:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that results from a traumatic experience in the past, i.e a mental disorder that develops after person is exposed to a traumatic event. 

Post-traumatic stress can result from an extreme situation, such as combat, natural disaster, rape, hostage situations, child abuse, bullying, lost of someone, or even a serious accident. It can also result from long-term (chronic) exposure to a severe stressor.

​

A person with PTSD is at a higher risk for suicide, a criminal event and self-harm.

​

Sympoms:

• Disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the event

• Mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues

• Increased fight-or-flight response

• Self harming tendencies

• Sudden high level of irritation or anxiety

• Criminal thoughts

​

​

7.    Separation Anxiety Disorder:

​

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD), is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety  regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g. a parent, caregiver, significant other or siblings).

Separation Anxiety is most common in infants and small children, typically between the ages of 6–7 months to 3 years, although it may pathologically manifest itself in older children, adolescents and adults.

​

The problem arises when person shows an an excessive display of fear and distress when faced with situations of separation from the home or from a specific attachment figure, it is then called separation anxiety disorder.

​

SepAD may cause significant negative effects within areas of social and emotional functioning, family life, and physical health of the disordered individual.

​

Signs & Symptoms:

• Children with SAD face more obstacles at school like inability in adjustment and relating school functioning, poor academic performance or decline in performance, alienation from peers.

• Some may show symptoms of Generalised anxiety disorder or mood disorders.

• The mental illness affects the workplace productivity.

• Inability to work in a social environment, (increased absenteeism)

​

​

8.    Situational anxiety:

​

Situational anxiety is type of anxiety that develops when person is exposed to certain specific situations usually caused by new situations or changing events.

It can also be caused by various events that make that particular individual uncomfortable.

​

Symptoms

Often, an individual will experience panic attacks or extreme anxiety in specific situations. Symptoms are same as in anxiety or panic disorder.

​

​

9.    Obsessive–compulsive disorder:

​

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly (called "rituals"), or have certain thoughts repeatedly. It is a condition where the person has obsessions (distressing, persistent, and intrusive thoughts or images) and/or compulsions (urges to repeatedly perform specific acts or rituals), People are unable to control either the thoughts or the activities for more than a short period of time.

OCD tends to affect the normal behaviour and routine of a person in worse way, since the person is not able to stop the compulsion created by OCD.

Some common OCD behaviours are, like

• Hand washing

• Counting of things

• Checking to see if a door is locked, etc

Signs & Symptoms:

• Obsessions:        Obsessions or intrusive thoughts are thoughts that recur and persist despite efforts to ignore or                               confront them.

                                  This involves intrusive thoughts like a belief that life cannot proceed as normal, thought or image                                    of  someone very  close  to them dying, either the person with  OCD or  the people or the  things                                    that person cares about will be harmed, etc.

​

• Primarily obsessional:        Primarily obsessional OCD has been called one of the most distressing and challenging                                           forms of OCD. People  with this form of OCD have distressing and unwanted thoughts                                              emerging frequently, and these thoughts typically center on a specific fear that one may                                           do something totally uncharacteristic of oneself, possibly something potentially fatal to                                               oneself or others. The thoughts may likely be of an aggressive or sexual nature.

​​

• Compulsions:        Some people with OCD perform compulsive rituals because they inexplicably feel they have to,                               so as to mitigate the anxiety that occurs from particular obsessive thoughts. The person might                                 feel that these actions somehow either will prevent a dreaded event from occurring, or will push                               the event from their thoughts.                                                                                                                                       Some examples are excessive skin picking, hair-pulling, nail biting, and other body-focused                                     repetitive behaviour disorders.

• Other Signs of OCD are associated with different mental disorders, like mood or generalised anxiety disorders.  

​​

​

10.    Selective mutism:

​

Selective mutism (SM) is a disorder in which a person who is normally capable of speech does not speak in specific situations or to specific people. Selective mutism usually co-exists with shyness or social anxiety. 

People with selective mutism stay silent even when the consequences of their silence include shame, social ostracism or even punishment.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

According to DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) Mood disorder is a type of mental disorder which is characterised by a disturbance in the person's mood, (thus called mood affective disorders). 

Depressive episodes: An episode or period characterised by various depressive symptoms, for about period of more than two weeks.

​

Symptoms:

​

• Mood, anhedonia and loss of interest:

       Depressed mood or appear depressed to others.

       Decreased  interest or pleasure in everyday activities called Anhedonia  

       Week emotions: Sadness, Emptiness, Hopelessness, Guilt, Indifference, Anxiety, Tearfulness, Irritability, etc.

       A loss of interest in or desire for sex.  

       Neglect or avoid doing activities that were once a source of enjoyment

       Unusual feelings of guilt that go beyond a normal level  

       Very negative, unrealistic thoughts 

​

• Change in eating, appetite, or weight:

       Loss or gain of weight (such as 5% of their body weight in one month) 

       Changes in appetite take on two manifestations: under- or over-eating

​

• Affect on Sleep:

       Sleep Disturbances​

       Sleep disorders like Insomnia or Hypersomnia

       Seasonal affective disorders (Varied sleep patterns in different seasons)

​

• Abnormal Motor activity:

       Psychomotor agitation:     Overly active motor activity like difficulty in sitting still, pacing the room, wringing the                                                        hands, or fidgeting with clothes or objects

       Psychomotor retardation:  Very lethargic motor activity like tending to move sluggishly, moving across a room                                                          very slowly, averting the eyes, sitting slumped in a chair and speaking slowly

​

• Fatigue and affects on concentration:

       Experience extreme fatigue, tiredness, or loss of energy

       Tired feeling without having engaged in any physical activity

       Increasingly difficult day-to-day tasks 

       Very tiring job or housework task   

       Indecisive or trouble thinking or concentrating

       Problems with memory 

​

• Thoughts of death and suicide:

       Repeated thoughts about death or suicide (with or without a plan),

       May have made a suicide attempt

​​

Classifications:

​

1.    Depressive disorders:

​

Major depressive disorder: (Also Major depression, Unipolar depression, or Clinical depression)

• ​       A person has one or more major depressive episodes (Shows symptoms as mentioned above)

•        Individuals with a major depressive episode or major depressive disorder are at increased risk for Suicide

•        About 8.5 percent of the world's population are suffering from a depressive disorder

​

Other Types:

​

      1.  Atypical depression (AD): Characterised by mood reactivity (anhedonia), significant weight gain and increased             appetite, excessive  sleep or  hypersomnia, a sensation of heaviness in limbs known as  leaden paralysis, and              significant social impairment as a consequence of hypersensitivity to interpersonal rejection.

      2.  Melancholic depression: Characterised by a loss of pleasure (anhedonia) in almost all activities,  a quality of                  depressed mood, a worsening of symptoms in the morning hours, psychomotor  retardation, excessive weight              loss, or excessive guilt.

      3.  Psychotic major depression (PMD): A term for a major depressive episode, in particular of melancholic nature,              wherein the patient experiences psychotic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. These are most                      commonly mood-related.

      4.  Catatonic depression: It is rare and severe form of major depression involving disturbances of motor behaviour              and other symptoms. Here, the person is mute and almost stopped, and either is immobile or exhibits either                  purposeless or even bizarre movements.

      5.  Postpartum depression (PPD): It refers to the intense, sustained and sometimes disabling depression often                   experienced by women after giving birth. It affects 10–15% of women, typically sets in within three months of                 labor, and lasts as long as three months.

      6.  Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): Also known as "winter depression" or "winter blues", is a seasonal pattern,               with depressive episodes coming on in the autumn or winter, and resolving in spring.

      7.  Dysthymia is a condition related to unipolar depression, where the same physical and cognitive problems are                evident, but they are not as severe and tend to last longer (usually at least 2 years).

      8.  Minor depressive disorder: Also called minor depression, which refers to a depression that does not meet full                criteria for major depression but in which at least two symptoms are present for two weeks.