Psychological Problems and Disorders
Psychological Problems and Disorders
Stress
When faced with important events (stressors) which are threatening or
very hard to deal (cope) with, people experience stress. Psychological
symptoms of stress include anxiety and tension, uncontrollable worrying,
irritability, distractibility, and difficulty in learning new things.
Physical symptoms include difficulty in sleeping, loss of appetite or
excessive appetite, fatigue, and aches and pains.
Neurosis
A neurosis is characterized by anxiety, internal tensions and conflicts,
uncontrollable avoidance of threatening situations, and ineffective
coping. Examples include panic, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
and posttraumatic stress.
Hypochondriasis
A neurotic disorder in which people channel their anxieties, worry, and
obsessional thinking into the conviction that they have a specific
physical illness (e.g., cancer of the colon). That is, they are
preoccupied with having an illness, even though tests and reassurances
by medical personnel indicate that they do not have this illness. People
with this disorder spend a lot of time and money visiting doctors and
undergoing various tests. Their relationships with doctors and nurses
are often conflictual, to the point where a real sickness may well be
overlooked by those who are tired of the person's previous unrealistic
insistence that they are ill.
Somatization Disorder
A rare disorder, but it is time-consuming and infuriating for medical
personnel. The person, usually a woman, has a long, complicated medical
history and series of dramatic but vague physical symptoms which "demand
the doctor's immediate attention." The complaints usually involved a
combination of gastrointestinal, gynecological, and sensori-motor
symptoms, coupled with "aches and pains." The personalities and lives of
people with this disorder are typically dramatic and chaotic.
Factitious Disorder
Individuals with this disorder create the appearance of a physical
illness (e.g., by "doctoring" blood samples) in order to become the
center of medical attention and/or to obtain various types of drugs.
When they are questioned or challenged about inconsistencies in their
symptoms or stories, they usually become evasive and belligerent, and
will probably escape the hospital or clinic at the first opportunity,
only to try somewhere else. Many people with this disorder have the same
type of "histrionic" or "borderline" personality as those with
somatization disorder.
Schizophrenia
A set of severe psychological symptoms which make it very hard to work,
play, and be with other people. "Positive" symptoms include delusions
(irrational beliefs), hallucinations (sensory experiences in the absence
of stimuli), incoherent thought and speech, intense and uncontrollable
anxiety or paranoia, and bizarre behavior. "Negative" symptoms include
loss of both emotional experiences and emotional expressiveness, loss of
willpower and initiative, inability to experience pleasure or interest
in things, and withdrawal from contact with others.
Paranoia
In general, this refers to high levels of suspicion and mistrust,
usually seen in the person's belief or delusion that he or she is the
target of other people's hate, jealousy, and resentment. In paranoid
schizophrenia the person has delusions that he or she is being
persecuted by "others" (for example, neighbors, the government, being
from outer space), often because the person is someone special such as
"the messiah" (a delusion of grandiosity). In paranoid personality
disorder the person appears normal, but is actually suspicious,
mistrustful, hostile but guarded, controlling, and quick to develop
resentment (grudges) and jealousy. Some men who batter their wives or
girlfriends have this disorder.
Depression
A severe emotional problem in which the person cannot stop feeling sad
or "down" or "empty," and constantly feels helpless and hopeless.
Depressed people often struggle with anxiety and irritability, a lack of
motivation, a loss of pleasure in things they used to like to do, and
problems with eating, sleeping, and aches and pains. Many depressed
people have suicidal thoughts, and 10-15% will eventually take their own
lives.
Mania
A period of time (usually a week to a month long) in which the person is
(and feels) very excited, talkative, active, and impulsive. In most
episodes of mania the person is unusually happy and confident, but some
people are edgy and irritable. Manic people seem to have endless energy
(they are "driven") and do not need more than a few hours of sleep at
night, if they sleep at all. In its mild form (hypomania) the person may
be very creative and productive at work. In its severe forms the person
becomes "psychotic." That is, the person loses the ability to think
straight and make realistic judgments, and may experience delusions and
hallucinations. Manic people tend to be very impulsive, demanding, and
aggressive, which often results in spending too much money, drinking too
much, sexual promiscuity, and trouble with the law.
Manic-Depression
Approximately 1-2 in every 100 to 250 people around the world experience
episodes of mild or severe mania, interspersed with episodes of mild or
severe depression. If the episodes of both types of emotional problems
are mild(er), the condition is known as cyclothymia. If the episodes of
depression are severe, regardless of whether the episodes of mania are
or not severe, the condition is known as bipolar disorder (formerly
called "manic-depression"). The age of onset is typically in the late
teens or early 20's, and the condition is usually chronic. Many
individuals with these disorders return to a somewhat normal state
between episodes, and there is a statistical association with creativity
and even artistic genius. However, the impact of this disorder on a
person's life is often devastating. The risk of marital problems,
substance abuse, suicide, and problems with the law is very high.
Delirium
Sometimes referred to as "rapid onset brain syndrome," this
psychological condition is associated with acute physical sickness
(e.g., drug overdose or accidental poisoning). Symptoms include
confusion and disorientation, lapsing in and out consciousness,
agitation, apathy, and "illusions" (misperception of external stimuli,
such as hearing the turning wheels of a hospital cart as a the sound of a
huge grinding machine which is comiing to grind you up). Delirium
should be taken very seriously and treated immediately, because it often
represents a serious physical illness.
Dementia
Refers to a generalized decline or deterioration of intellectual
faculties, most notably memory, attention, and abstract thinking. The
person may get lost easily and be unable to do simple things such as
make change or figure out how to get back into the house after he or she
has mistakenly locked the doors. Depression and paranoia are often
associated with dementia, and some demented people develop delusions and
hallucinations. One of the best known examples of dementia is
Alzheimer's disease, which typically begins after age 55.
Narcissism
People with this personality characteristic have an uncontrollable need
to feel important, successful, and admired by other people. They act as
if they are unique and entitled to special favors. They really don't
care about how other people are feeling and resent (are jealous of)
other people's accomplishments
