Neuroscience: Mental Health Disorders

- slides 269-282; identify mental health disorders

What is anxiety disorder?

• Persistent feeling of fear and dread that interferes with normal functioning

• Overreacting in certain situations

• Inability to control the response to situations

What are examples of anxiety disorders?

• Generalized anxiety disorder

• Panic disorder

• Social anxiety disorder

• Phobias

What are mood disorders? (affective disorders)

The most common mood disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymic disorder. 

• Persistent feelings of sadness 

• Periods of feeling overly happy

• Fluctuations from extreme happiness to extreme sadness

What are psychotic disorders?

• Distorted awareness and thinking

• Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder

What are the two most common symptoms of psychotic disorders?

• Hallucinations (the experience of images or sounds that are not real, such as hearing voices)

• Delusions (false fixed beliefs that the ill person accepts as true, despite evidence to the contrary)

What are eating disorders?

• Involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. 

• Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common eating disorders.

What are impulse control & addiction disorders?

• Inability to resist urges, or impulses, to perform acts that could be harmful to themselves or others. 

• Examples of impulse control disorders are pyromania (starting fires), kleptomania (stealing), and compulsive gambling. 

• Alcohol and drugs are common objects of addictions

What are personality disorders?

• Extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. 

• The person's patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the expectations of society

What are some examples of personality disorders?

• Antisocial personality disorder 

• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

• Histrionic personality disorder

• Schizoid personality disorder

• Paranoid personality disorder

What is Histrionic Personality Disorder?

What is antisocial personality disorder?

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder? (OCD)

• Constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. 

• The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. 

• An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes their hands.

What is post-traumatic stress disorder? (PTSD)

• develops following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster.

• People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event, and tend to be emotionally numb