Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

 

The various types of common mental health issues are as follows: 

7.6.1        Anxiety disorders:

Feeling anxious when something significant is about to happen is normal, but an anxiety disorder occurs when there is an extreme level of anxiety, even for minor things, and the person finds it difficult to control these extreme feelings.

The various types of anxiety disorders are as follows:

Ø  Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Ø  Social Anxiety Disorder

Ø  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Ø  Specific Phobias

7.6  Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

In this, a person feels anxious from time to time. Constant anxiety for small things or extreme worrying about everyday events for no rational reason is a significant part of Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The other symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder are as follows:

·         Dried mouth and palpitation

·         Restless or nervous about small things.

·         Shortness of breath, breathlessness, or chest pain.

·         Feeling nauseous frequently without any physical/medical reason.

·         Muscle tension or pain in the muscles.

·         Tired very quickly and may not even have the energy to do everyday activities.

·         Insomnia or significantly less sleep for just one to two hours

·         Unexplained or awful aches and pains in different body parts like the stomach, joints, etc

·         Continuous or frequent headache

·         A concise span of attention or may have difficulty concentrating.

·         Hot and cold flashes or excessive sweating.

7.6 Social Anxiety Disorder

A person with this disorder may show fear or extreme anxiety in social situations or interactions. They experience anxiety only when they have to interact with other people.

Some of the other symptoms of SAD are as follows:

·         People with SAD feel very anxious in social situations like family gatherings, parties, etc.

·         May feel very conscious about themselves in front of others and may think that others will humiliate, ridicule, embarrass or reject them.

·         Afraid that people will be judgmental about what they wear, what they do etc.

·         Avoid places or gatherings where they have to meet people.

·         Worry before and after going to a social event.

·         Extreme blushing, sweating, or being restless when other people are around them is one of the significant symptoms of this disorder.

7.6.1.3  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder( OCD)

It is a disorder where obsessive (repetitive) thoughts, images, urges or compulsive behaviour, or both affect the actions of an individual.

The other symptoms of OCD are as follows:

·         Repeated unwanted thoughts, urges, images

·         They repeat their actions, e.g., checking whether the windows are closed, lights are switched off, rechecking the lock, etc.

·         Repeated mental acts in their mind that other people cannot see or hear. For example, repeating a sentence often in their mind, counting the room tiles, etc.

·         Due to fear of getting infected, activities are repeated repeatedly. For example, mopping the floor repeatedly and washing the same clothes repeatedly.

·         They are obsessed with keeping everything properly and focusing on excessive symmetry or arrangements. They get very disturbed if the arrangement or symmetry is not followed. For example, if the books are slanting and not arranged size-wise, they get very irritated because of OCD.

This is different from being organized generally and doing things in a well-planned manner. It is a good practice o be organized and to keep your surroundings clean. In OCD, the level of organization or symmetry is beyond normal or beyond what is possible and starts negatively affecting the functioning of day-to-day life. For example, trying to arrange the books size-wise by constantly measuring them with a scale and then arranging them according to their dimensions.

·         Showing aggressive obsessions like wanting to harm them or others is a significant symptom of OCD.

·         Hoarding or collecting things at an extreme level that is of no use to them can also be a sign of OCD.

·         People may have only one kind of obsession and compulsion as described above or more than one.

7.6.1Depression

Every individual has both good as well as bad times in their life. It is normal to feel sad or low when something terrible happens, like the death of a loved one. A general feeling of sadness is not depression, but depression is when this sadness is prolonged for an extended period. Because of this, people lose their interest in life, or it negatively affects their actions or behaviour.

There are many symptoms of depression, varying from person to person. Each individual has their own experiences based on their situation. The various symptoms of depression are as follows:

·         Low mood and feeling down or hopeless for an extended period.

·         Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy doing. Lose interest in their favourite game or food etc.

·         Lack of energy even for the ordinary daily course without any physical cause.

·         Feeling sad and restless continuously.

·         Disturbed sleep is like too much or too less sleep.

·         Disturbed appetite, e.g., eating more or significantly less.

·         Self-harming or self-injurious behaviour.

·         Crying spells or breakdowns even in minor situations of life.

·         Agitated, irritable, or angry about small trivial issued things.

· Feel guilty for small things and blame themselves for situations beyond their control.

· Feel helpless and might not even be able to do the basic day-to-day activities.

·         Feeling worthless and having low self-esteem or self-confidence affects their overall behaviour and actions.

·         Aches and pains in different parts of the body like continuous headaches.

·         Lack of concentration and finding very decision-making difficulties.

·         Gaining or losing weight drastically depending on the change in their appetite.

7.Specific phobias- Immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety, and panic when exposed to or even thinking about the source of your fear. Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them. Some other significant symptoms are as follows:

·         Worsening anxiety as the situation or object gets closer to you in time or physical proximity like if the child fears lizards, he or she will get more anxious if the lizard is coming nearer.

·         Doing everything possible to avoid the object or situation or enduring it with intense anxiety or fear

·         Difficulty generally functioning because of your fear, e.g., if the child fears lizards, he will not even enter the room even if he will miss his/her exam.

·         Physical reactions and sensations, including sweating, rapid heartbeat, tight chest, or difficulty breathing

·         Feeling nauseated, dizzy, or fainting around blood or injuries if having a fear of seeing blood or injuries

·         In children, possibly tantrums, clinging, crying, or refusing to leave a parent’s side or approach their fear 

7.6.1.Post-traumatic stress disorder-Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Anyone can have these symptoms after a traumatic experience, but if it persists for a long with increasing difficulties, then it is a matter of concern. Symptoms may be as follows:

·         Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating

·         Bad dreams and nightmares related to the adverse events

·         Frightening thoughts mainly related to the harmful event

• Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience
• Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
• Being easily startled
• Feeling tense or “on edge.”
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Having angry outbursts
• Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
• Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities

Symptoms in children may also include the followings:

• Wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet
• Forgetting how to or being unable to talk
• Acting out the scary event during playtime
• Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult

7.6.2        Bipolar Affective Disorder- Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Episodes of mood swings may occur rarely or multiple times a year. While most people experience some emotional symptoms between episodes, some may not experience any. Symptoms of the disorder may be as follows:

At the time of Hippomanic or Manic episodes, symptoms may be as follows:

·         Abnormally upbeat, jumpy, or wired

·         Increased activity, energy, or agitation

·         An exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria)

·         Decreased need for sleep

·         Unusual talkativeness

·         Racing thoughts

·         Distractibility

·         Poor decision-making — for example, going on buying sprees, taking sexual risks, or making foolish investments

At the time of Depressive episodes, symptoms may be as follows:

·         Depressed mood, such as feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or tearful (in children and teens, depressed mood can appear as irritability)

·         Marked loss of interest or feeling no pleasure in all — or almost all — activities

·         Significant weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite (in children, failure to gain weight, as expected, can be a sign of depression)

·         Either insomnia or sleeping too much

·         Either restlessness or slowed behaviour

·         Fatigue or loss of energy

·         Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt

·         Decreased ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness

·         Thinking about, planning, or attempting suicide

Symptoms of bipolar disorder can be challenging to identify in children and teens. It is often hard to tell whether these are regular ups and downs, the results of stress or trauma, or signs of a mental health problem other than bipolar disorder. The most prominent signs of bipolar disorder in children and teenagers may include severe mood swings that are different from their usual ones.

7.6.3        Substance Abuse Disorder (Drug Addiction):-Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behaviour and leads to an inability to control a legal or illegal drug or medication. When a person gets addicted, He/she may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine also are considered drugs.

Drug addiction symptoms or behaviours include, among others:

·         Feeling that one has to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day

·         Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts

·         Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect

·         Taking more significant amounts of the drug over a more extended period than intended

·         Spending money on the drug, even if the person cannot afford it

·         Not meeting obligations and work responsibilities or cutting back on social or recreational activities because of drug use

·         Continuing to use the drug, even though the person knows it is causing problems in their  life or causing  physical or psychological harm

·         Doing things to get the drug that generally a person would not do, for example, stealing

·         Driving or doing other risky activities when under the influence of the drug

·         Spending a good deal of time getting the drug, using the drug, or recovering from the effects of the drug

·         Failing in the  attempts to stop using the drug

·         Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when the person attempts to stop taking the drug

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish normal teenage moodiness or angst from signs of drug use. Possible indications that your teenager or other family member is using drugs include:

·         Problems at school or work — frequently missing school or work, a sudden disinterest in school activities or work, or a drop in grades or work performance

·         Physical health issues — lack of energy and motivation, weight loss or gain, or red eyes

·         Neglected appearance — lack of interest in clothing, grooming, or looks

·         Changes in behaviour — exaggerated efforts to bar family members from entering his or her room or being secretive about where he or she goes with friends; or drastic changes in behaviour and relationships with family and friends

·         Money issues — sudden requests for money without a reasonable explanation; or the discovery that money is missing or has been stolen or that items have disappeared from  home, indicating maybe they are being sold to support drug use