Mental Illness Unit

Mood Disorders  Characterized by emotional states of extreme lows and/or highs that last for long intervals  Becomes a disorder when alters the ability to function

Major Depressive Disorder  Definition: severe form of lowered mood in which a person experiences feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure or interest in many activities  Extreme Sadness Inability to function and/or interact with others To be diagnosed can not be due to a death of a loved one Must last at least 2 weeks but can last for months (years)

Major Depressive Disorder  To be diagnosed a person must have at least four of the following symptoms Trouble eating Sleeping Thinking Concentrating or decision making Lacking energy Thinking about suicide Feeling worthless or guilty

Mania  Definition: mood of an abnormally elevated arousal energy level  Experiences of Elation, Extreme Confusion, Distractibility and Racing Thoughts  Exaggerated sense of self-esteem  Engages in Irresponsible Behavior

Bipolar Disorder  Definition: disorder in which an individual alternates between feelings of mania (euphoria) and feelings of depression

Seasonal Affective Disorder  Struggle with depression through the winter and spirits lift with the coming of spring  Some people are reversed and depressed in the summer  Might be caused by the hormone Melatonin  Symptom Sleeping and Eat Excessively Look how emo this guy is!

Suicide  Not all who are depressed commit suicide and not all depressed people try to commit suicide  Many reasons: Possibly to escape physical or emotional pain Terminal illness or old age Torment of unacceptable feelings Punish themselves for wrongs they think they’ve committed Punish others who have not perceived their needs  More women attempt but more men succeed  Fourth highest cause of death people 18 to 65 30,000 Americans per year (1 every 20 minutes)  Those that threaten are serious 70% of those who threaten do it