Young Adults and Mental Illness-what are the Warning Signs?

 Mental Health  No Responses »
Nov 132010
 

Mental illness is not just an affliction that you are born with; mental illnesses can develop over time, whether as something that was predestined to occur or as an illness that develops over time. While some mental illnesses are certainly not generally found in young people, like Alzheimer’s disease, others such as depression can strike as early as childhood and mental illnesses like ADHD, though over diagnosed, does affect many children and adults.

Young adults can suffer from a wide range of mental illnesses, and are more commonly afflicted for the first time than any other age group because of their rapidly developing brains and the many new circumstances to which they are exposed to during their late teens and early twenties. Young adults are not necessarily particularly vulnerable; however, whatever mental illnesses they were possibly born with are more likely to come out of dormancy at this point in their lives.

Schizophrenia is one mental illness that often strikes for the first time in young adults. Individuals may suffer moodiness or paranoia, which can both be potentially recognized by a loved one and reported to the individual’s physician. Other warning signs might include the young adult hearing voices or seeing things that are not there. Schizophrenic individuals may also experience apathy or lack of emotions and might become worse at social functions. They may also begin to have trouble concentrating or following directions and completing tasks, and their memories might suffer. Schizophrenic patients also almost always begin feeling depressed before their symptoms degenerate.

Depression is another mental illness that is very common in young adults. It is characterized by feelings of extreme helplessness, hopelessness, and is not nearly the same thing as “feeling blue” or being “down”. Depression is a serious mental condition that affects millions of Americans, and can cause suicidal thoughts as well as over, or under-eating, over, or under-sleeping, and a change in moods. Depression is not something that people can just “get over” or “snap out of”, and may in fact require medication or therapy or a combination of both before the individual begins to see a lifting of their symptoms. The symptoms of depression can come and go, and are similar but slightly different from the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression, can be managed with medication. It is characterized with intense manic or “high” periods in which the individual becomes overly enthusiastic or optimistic and may begin tasks or plans that are not feasible. These high periods are followed by crashes and intense “lows”, which can involve sleeping all day, feeling hopeless, suicide attempts, and other symptoms shared with depression.

ADHD is more of a disorder than a disease as it does not often seriously impair a young adult’s ability to function normally in society, however it is possible for a young adult to have ADHD that does affect their ability to hold a job or otherwise function individually. This disorder often involves an inability to focus, being easily distracted, and similar kinds of symptoms. It may be made apparent in forgetfulness that is almost chronic or in an inability to hold still, and also with a hyper-focus on certain activities.

The diagnosis of a mental illness should be left to medical professionals; however it is often up to the family and loved ones of the affected young adult to recognize the symptoms before the individual can get treatment. Many mentally ill individuals do not know that they are suffering, or do not wish for various reasons related to their illness to seek treatment on their own.

People who love anyone affected by the above mentioned mental illnesses and by other mental illnesses should make a list of the specific symptoms that they see so that they can present these symptoms to a mental health specialist. Symptoms that you should look out for include changes in sleeping and eating patters, weight gain or loss, changes in personality, an inability to function normally, paranoia, aggression, and other unusual behavior. Even a feeling that something is “off” with a loved one might warrant extra attention or even investigation to help them get help with their mental illness.

No matter what symptoms are displayed, no diagnosis can be made until the individual who is suffering is taken to a doctor. A person taken to the hospital by police is likely to be treated and released quickly without enough attention paid to their actual needs. It is up to the family and loved ones of young adults affected by mental illness to get them help.

Schizophrenia and Traumatic Brain Injury

 Basic  No Responses »
Nov 052010
 

For victims of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families, side effects such as bipolar disorder and memory loss are tragic, but well known and well understood. But in the last decades, scientists have begun to study another serious side effect of brain damage that may go undetected: schizophrenia.


What is Schizophrenia?


Schizophrenia (Greek for “shattered mind”) is a psychotic disorder that affects behavior, mood and thinking. The term was originally coined as “the schizophrenias” because of the wide variety of symptoms characterizing the condition. The most widely known symptom, auditory hallucination (“hearing voices”), may not even be present in all who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Psychologists break symptoms of schizophrenia into three categories:


* Positive symptoms are behaviors that are not present in normal individuals. They include auditory hallucinations, delusions and thought disorder, or disorganized thinking.


* Negative symptoms are symptoms showing loss of normal abilities. They include loss of ability to show or feel emotion, lack of motivation and trouble with speaking.


* Neurocognitive defects are problems with brain function in areas such as memory, problem-solving, attention and social functioning.


Schizophrenia Related to Brain Injury in Patients


Scientists have established that psychiatric conditions such as bipolar and anxiety disorders are more common in patients who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries. We also know that patients with schizophrenia have a high incidence of past brain damage, regardless of whether they have other strong predictors for schizophrenia, such as a family history of the disorder or maleness. But it is only since the early 1990s that researchers have begun to explore in depth that connection between brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia.


Schizophrenia and Brain Injury: Recent Studies


* Among the findings of those studies:


* TBI-associated schizophrenia is true schizophrenia, not another disorder with similar symptoms, according to a 2001 study by Columbia University. The scientists observed that traumatic brain injury was associated with a greater risk of schizophrenia, suggesting that one condition increases a person chances of developing the other.


* Another study in the same year at the University of New South Wales in Australia discovered that TBI patients with schizophrenia-like psychosis had more widespread brain damage and cognitive impairment than TBI patients without psychosis. It also suggested that a family history of schizophrenia and the severity of the brain damage sustained during TBI increased the risk of schizophrenia.


* Scientists at the Hawaii State Hospital found in 2002 that it took an average of four to five years after a traumatic brain injury for psychosis to manifest, with most cases arriving within two years. The scientists in that study proposed that damage to frontal and temporal areas of the brain, and to the system that regulates dopamine, can cause psychosis.


While the complex nature of schizophrenia makes its cause unclear, as the last study suggests, there is evidence to believe that brain injury directly causes schizophrenia, by damaging the areas of the brain that control higher functions. There is also evidence that a traumatic brain injury may cause psychosis indirectly. Scientists believe that schizophrenia is caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility to the disease and an emotionally or physically traumatic experience that triggers this susceptibility. Some studies exploring the two conditions suggest that traumatic brain injury and its complications may act as such a trigger.


Many physicians know a traumatic brain injur may cause neurocognitive disorders such as trouble with speech, and psychiatric problems like bipolar disorder, but not all are aware of the growing evidence linking schizophrenia with brain damage. TBI patients and their families should be sure to include a qualified psychiatrist in their plans for brain damage treatment. In addition, brain injury patients and their families shoud consult an experienced brain injury attorney as they seek to recover costs for expenses such as lost wages, current medical costs and future medical care.

Detailed Information on Schizophrenia

 Tips  No Responses »
Nov 022010
 

Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. Approximately 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime – more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don’t hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three broad categories. Positive symptomsare unusual thoughts or perceptions, including hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and disorders of movement.

Schizophrenia is found all over the world. Negative symptoms delineate a loss or a decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. Cognitive symptoms(or cognitive deficits) are problems with attention, certain types of memory, and the executive works that allow us to plan and organize. Cognitive deficits can also be difficult to recognize as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a normal life. The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability. The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even shocking, changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia can be especially difficult for family members who remember how involved.

Antipsychotic medication shortens the duration of psychosis in Schizophrenia, and prevents recurrences (but psychotic relapses can still occur under stress). Rehabilitation emphasizes social and vocational training to help people with schizophrenia function more effectively in their communities. Psychotherapy is also widely recommended and used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to reduce symptoms and improve related issues such as self-esteem. People respond individually to antipsychotic medications, although agitation and hallucinations usually improve within days and delusions usually improve within a few weeks. Social rehabilitation (e.g., club-houses, supervised social activities) and sheltered/volunteer employment are also essential.

Schizophrenia Treatment Tips

1. Illness Management Skills active role in managing their own illness.

2. Psychotherapy is also widely recommended and used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

3. Social rehabilitation and sheltered/volunteer employment are also essential.

4. Rehabilitation emphasizes social and vocational training to help people with schizophrenia function

5. Cognitive behavioral therapy is useful for patients with symptoms that persist even when they take medication.

6. Self-help groups for people with schizophrenia and their families are becoming increasingly common.

The Basic Concepts of Paranoid Schizophrenia

 Basic  No Responses »
Nov 022010
 

Paranoid schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that causes a person to interpret reality in an abnormal way. Some of the most common characteristics of this condition include believing things that are not real which is also referred to as having delusions as well as hearing things that aren’t there which is known as auditory hallucinations.

Although this type of schizophrenia often allows an individual a better ability to function in daily activities it can still have serious effects on the person affected by it including suicidal tendencies however with the proper treatment an individual faced with this disorder can lead a productive life.

A person who is affected by this condition may show signs and symptoms such as hearing voices that aren’t there, the belief that people are out to get them, anger, anxiety, thought of suicide or actual suicide attempts and acts of violence.

‘Positive symptoms’ is a phrase that is used to describe symptoms that show the existence of thoughts or beliefs that are often indicative of having lost contact with reality. Examples of positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions.

With this particular type of mental disorder most delusions center on the belief that someone is after you specifically. In most cases there is little that can be done to lessen these beliefs even with physical evidence showing this is not the case and in most case these delusions result in acts of violence because a person believes they must defend themselves from those they believe are trying to cause them harm.

Hallucinations commonly occur in the auditory sense meaning it is something that is heard and often is in the form of voices. These voices can only be heard by the individual and no one else and may talk directly to the person or even to each other and in most cases are unpleasant to hear. In many cases these voices direct the individual to do things that are dangerous to themselves or other people and may seem very real to that person making it difficult if not impossible to distinguish between what is reality and what is not.

Doctors are unsure at this point what actually causes paranoid schizophrenia however evidence suggests that it may be caused by dysfunctions in the brain such as imbalances of certain chemicals as well as possible genetic and environmental factors.

If you experience any of the signs or symptoms that are known to be associated with this condition you should seek the advice of a licensed mental health care provider promptly as this condition will not improve by itself and in most cases will only get worse without the proper diagnosis and treatment however with the necessary treatment it is often possible for individuals affected by this disorder to lead normal and productive lives.

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