Section 7: Common Disorders in Adults

Seasonal Affective Disorder

• Depression that occurs at the same time every year

• Can cause– Substance abuse– Suicidal thoughts /

behavior– School / work

problems– Social withdrawal

Symptoms

• Depression• Anxiety• Loss of energy• Oversleeping• Appetite changes• Weight gain• Loss of interest

Why?

• Biological clock• Living further from

equator• Family history• History of

depression / bipolar disorder

Treatment

• Light Therapy• Antidepressants• Psychotherapy• Home remedies– Exercise– Brighten rooms– Get outdoors

Postpartum Depression

• Most mothers get baby blues for a brief time– Trouble sleeping– Mood swings

• Postpartum depression is more intense and longer lasting

• Men just as likely to develop

Symptoms

• Loss of appetite• Insomnia• Intense irritability and anger• Feelings of shame / guilt• Severe mood swings• Difficulty bonding with baby• Fatigue• Thoughts of harming self / baby

Why?

• Physical changes

• Emotional factors

• Lifestyle influences

Treatment

• Antidepressants• Home remedies– Realistic expectations– Make time for self– Avoid isolation– Healthy lifestyle

Section 8: Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

• Most serious mental disorder

• Hallucinations (usually auditory), delusions, thought disorders

• Social withdrawal, loss of social skills, loss of normal emotional responsiveness

• Distortion/disturbance of cognition, emotions, perception, and motor functions

Example of delusional thoughts

• “This morning when I was at Hillside (Hospital), I was making a movie. I was surrounded by movie stars…I’m Mary Poppins. Is this room painted blue to make me upset? My grandmother died four weeks after my eighteenth birthday.”

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Early Warning Signs

• Mother’s long-lasting schizophrenia• Birth complications, oxygen deprivation, low

birth weight• Short attention span & poor muscle

coordination• Disruptive and withdrawn behavior• Emotional unpredictability• Poor peer relations and solo play

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Some more on Schizophrenia

• Loss of contact with reality

• Lives life in an unreal dream world

• No single cause or cure

• Collection of symptoms

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Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• Delusions/paranoia• Hallucinations• Language changes• Positive / negative

symptoms• Movement changes• Diverted attention

http://imgur.com/a/15A60

Types of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid • Catatonic • Disorganized /

Undifferentiated• Residual

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Paranoid Schizophrenia

• Complex delusions • Perceived persecution• Hallucinations of

smell, taste, other bodily sensations

• Unseen voices that give them commands

• Belief that they have a special mission

Paranoid Schizophrenia

• Delusions or frequent auditory hallucinations; all relating to a single theme

• Have less disordered thoughts & bizarre behavior than other types

• Agitated, confused, afraid

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Catatonic Schizophrenia• Catatonic state: mute,

immobile, mostly unresponsive

• “Waxy flexibility”• Unusual postures held

for long periods of time

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Disorganized / Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

• Incoherent language• Inappropriate

emotions• Disorganized motor

behavior• Hallucinations and

delusions

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Residual Schizophrenia

• Withdrawal• After hallucinations

and delusions have disappeared

• Coming out of schizophrenia

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Causes of Schizophrenia

• Brain Abnormalities– Frontal Lobe / cortex / thalamus

• Biochemistry– Dopamine

• Environment– Pregnancy complications– Family life stress