Psychologist assess patient and diagnose with psychological disorder like depression, anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, OCD, personality disorder, pain disorder, psychosexual problems and behavioral issues etc. treatment include guiding people about how to deal with problem, how to keep life positive, how to decide better, solve problem, stress management, how to maintain positive relation to other peer, siblings and parents. Therapy include behavior therapy, conflictive behavior therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, hypnosis etc.
The term psychological disorder is sometimes used to refer to what is more frequently known as mental disorders or psychiatric disorders. Mental disorders are patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life. These disorders create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms.
While not a comprehensive list of every mental disorder, the following list includes some of the major categories of disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The latest edition of the diagnostic manual is the DSM-5 and was released in May of 2013. The DSM is one of the most widely used systems for classifying mental disorders and provides standardized diagnostic criteria.
Neurodevelopmental disorders are those that are typically diagnosed during infancy, childhood, or adolescence. These psychological disorders include:
Intellectual disability (or Intellectual Developmental
Disorder) was formerly referred to as mental retardation. This type of
developmental disorder originates prior to the age of 18 and is
characterized by limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive
behaviors.
Limitations to intellectual functioning are often identified through the use
of IQ tests, with an IQ score between 70 and 75 often indicating the
presence of a limitation. Adaptive behaviors are those that involve
practical, everyday skills such as self-care, social interaction, and living
skills.
Global developmental delay is a diagnosis for developmental
disabilities in children who are under the age of five. Such delays relate
to cognition, social functioning, speech, language, and motor skills. It is
generally seen as a temporary diagnosis applying to kids who are still too
young to take standardized IQ tests. Once children reach the age where they
are able to take a standardized intelligence test, they may be diagnosed
with an intellectual disability.
Communication disorders are those that impact the ability
to use, understand, or detect language and speech. The DSM-5 identifies four
different subtypes of communication disorders: language disorder, speech
sound disorder, childhood onset fluency disorder (stuttering), and social
(pragmatic) communication disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by persistent
deficits in social interaction and communication in multiple life areas as
well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors. The DSM specifies
that symptoms of autism spectrum disorder must be present during the early
developmental period and that these symptoms must cause significant
impairment in important areas of life including social and occupational
functioning.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized
by a persistent pattern of hyperactivity-impulsivity and/or inattention that
interferes with functioning and presents itself in two or more settings such
as at home, work, school, and social situations. The DSM-5 specifies that
several of the symptoms must have been present prior to the age of 12 and
that these symptoms must have a negative impact on social, occupational, or
academic functioning.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by shifts in mood as well as changes in activity and energy levels. The disorder often involves experiencing shifts between elevated moods and periods of depression. Such elevated moods can be pronounced and are referred to either as mania or hypomania.
Mania is characterized by feeling overly excited and even
hyper. Periods of mania are sometimes marked by feelings of distraction,
irritability, and excessive confidence. People experiencing mania are also
more prone to engage in activities that might have negative long-term
consequences such as gambling and shopping sprees.
Depressive episodes are characterized by feelings of
intense sadness, guilt, fatigue, and irritability. During a depressive
period, people with bipolar disorder may lose interest in activities that
they previously enjoyed, experience sleeping difficulties, and even have
thoughts of suicide.
Both manic and depressive episodes can be frightening for both the person
experiencing these symptoms as well as family, friends and other loved ones
who observe these behaviors and mood shifts. Fortunately, appropriate and
effective treatments, which often include both medications and
psychotherapy, can help people with bipolar disorder successfully manage
their symptoms.
Anxiety disorders are those that are characterized by excessive and persistent fear, worry, anxiety and related behavioral disturbances. Fear involves an emotional response to a threat, whether that threat is real or perceived. Anxiety involves the anticipation that a future threat may arise. Types of anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder which is marked by excessive
worry about everyday events. While some stress and worry are a normal and
even common part of life, GAD involves worry that is so excessive that it
interferes with a person’s well-being and functioning.
Agoraphobia is characterized by a pronounced fear a wide
range of public places. People who experience this disorder often fear that
they will suffer a panic attack in a setting where escape might be
difficult.
Because of this fear, those with agoraphobia often avoid situations that
might trigger an anxiety attack. In some cases, this avoidance behavior can
reach a point where the individual is unable to even leave their own
home.
Social anxiety disorder is a fairly common psychological
disorder that involves an irrational fear of being watched or judged. The
anxiety caused by this disorder can have a major impact on an individual’s
life and make it difficult to function at school, work, and other social
settings.
Specific phobias involve an extreme fear of a specific
object or situation in the environment. Some examples of common specific
phobias include the fear of spiders, fear of heights, or fear of snakes. The
four main types of specific phobias involve natural events (thunder,
lightening, tornadoes), medical (medical procedures, dental procedures,
medical equipment), animals (dogs, snakes, bugs), and situational (small
spaces, leaving home, driving). When confronted by a phobic object or
situation, people may experience nausea, trembling, rapid heart rate, and
even a fear of dying.
Panic disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by
panic attacks that often seem to strike out of the blue and for no reason at
all. Because of this, people with panic disorder often experience anxiety
and preoccupation over the possibility of having another panic attack.
People may begin to avoid situations and settings where attacks have
occurred in the past or where they might occur in the future. This can
create significant impairments in many areas of everyday life and make it
difficult to carry out normal routines.
Separation anxiety disorder is a type of anxiety disorder
involving an excessive amount of fear or anxiety related to being separated
from attachment figures. People are often familiar with the idea of
separation anxiety as it relates to young children’s fear of being apart
from their parents, but older children and adults can experience it as well.
When symptoms become so severe that they interfere with normal functioning,
the individual may be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder.
Symptoms involve an extreme fear of being away from the caregiver or
attachment figure. The person suffering these symptoms may avoid moving away
from home, going to school, or getting married in order to remain in close
proximity to the attachment figure.
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There is no single cause for mental health disorders; instead, they can be caused by a mixture of biological, psychological and environmental factors. People who have a family history of mental health disorders may be more prone to developing one at some point. Changes in brain chemistry from substance abuse or changes in diet can also cause mental disorders. Psychological factors and environmental factors such as upbringing and social exposure can form the foundations for harmful thought patterns associated with mental disorders. Only a certified mental health professional can provide an accurate diagnosis of the causes of a given disorder.
Mental health disorders exist in broad categories: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disordersand impulse control disorders. If someone you know experiences erratic thought patterns, unexplained changes in mood, lack of interest in socializing, lack of empathy, inability to tell the difference between reality and fantasy, or a seeming lack of control, that person may have a mental health disorder. This is, by no means, a complete list of symptoms.
Mental health problems can cause a wide variety of emotional symptoms, some of which include:
Mental health problems typically do not cause physical symptoms in and of themselves. Depression, however, can indirectly cause weight loss, fatigue and loss of libido, among others. Eating disorders, a separate class of mental health disorders, can cause malnutrition, weight loss, amenorrhea in women, or electrolyte imbalances caused by self-induced vomiting. This makes eating disorders among the most deadly of mental health disorders.
In the short-term, mental health problems can cause people to be alienated from their peers because of perceived unattractive personality traits or behaviors. They can also cause anger, fear, sadness and feelings of helplessness if the person does not know or understand what is happening. In the long-term, mental health disorders can drive a person to commit suicide. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, over 90 percent of suicides have depression or another mental disorder as factors.
It is hard, bordering on impossible, to accurately diagnose yourself for mental disorders with an online questionnaire. You do not have an objective view of yourself and are bound to answer questions inaccurately. Also, online tests are not comprehensive, so they do not check for all possible symptoms. Only a face-to-face session with a qualified mental health professional can begin to diagnose a mental health disorder with any degree of accuracy, because that professional has an outside viewpoint and can pick up on subtle cues.
Fortunately, prescription drugs can be used to treat mental health disorders in conjunction with behavioral therapy or cognitive therapy. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics are the broad types of medication prescribed to treat mental illness.
Depending on the disorder, different medications will be prescribed. Antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, and a variety of SSRIs, SNRIs and MAOIs can be used to treat depression. Mood stabilizers such as lithium tablets are used to treat bipolar disorder, as are anticonvulsants like Depakote. Antipsychotics like olanzapine or clozapine are used to treat schizophrenia or psychotic depression.
Some of the side effects of mental health medication include nausea, headache, changes in appetite, dry mouth, increased urination, change in libido, irritability, blurred vision and drowsiness. Other side effects can occur; each person’s body and brain chemistry is unique, and it is impossible to predict with certainty how a given medication will affect you or how well it will work. People who are prescribed these medications should regularly communicate with their doctors and notify them of any side effects.
Some mental health medications are known to cause physical and psychological dependency due to their changes in brain chemistry. Over time, dependency can become an addiction if the person isn’t careful. The withdrawal process can exacerbate the original mental illness because of the brain’s sudden loss of some chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and other endorphins. In severe cases, the person may need to be placed in a drug rehab facility to detox from prescription medication.
It is possible to overdose on medication in an effort to get the same effects as initially received, and this is more common when users are dependent on medications. Some signs of overdose can include seizure, coma, slowed heartbeat, or extreme paranoia. If these signs are present, immediately call 911 or your local Poison Control Center and have the prescription on hand if possible.
Depression often coexists with other mental disorders, or certain disorders may have caused depression in the first place. For example, 40 percent of people with post-traumatic stress disorder also have depression.
In drug rehab facilities, counselors are usually trained to identify dual diagnosis issues. This is because addiction is itself a type of mental health disorder, or the addiction can be the symptom of some other disorder. People may, for instance, turn to recreational drugs to combat depression or to help stabilize mood swings associated with bipolar disorder.
It’s important that you or your loved one should seek help to treat mental health issue. First, a physical checkup can rule out physical illnesses. An appointment with a mental health professional will usually include an interview and subsequent evaluation to determine the most obvious symptoms and to ascertain the type and severity of mental disorder. In certain cases, an intervention may be required from family and friends. If you or someone you know needs help, call us at to get more informationon treatment.