Mental Health

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder. It affects how a person behaves, thinks, feels, and interacts with the world and the people around them. Symptoms first appear in a person's teenage years or early 20s. Today, scientists believe the earliest signs of the condition develop even earlier and that they're visible on images of the brain. In fact, recent research has been able to pinpoint differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia and those of neurotypical people, or people without the disorder. However, research is ongoing. In this article, learn how schizophrenia affects a person's brain. Plus, learn what treatments might help stop or slow the changes to the brain. The brain is a complex organ made up of tissues that house all the important components of brain activity, from neurons to nerve fibers. Compared with a neurotypical person, a person with schizophrenia has detectable changes to the brain. These changes are noticeable in the regions of ...

My group of friends and I did not know what to think or do when, back in my teenage years, one of our friends started seeing things flying around his head that none of the rest of us saw, but we all knew something was wrong. We have learned more about mental illness since then, including what anybody with a little training can do to help. We continue to learn how to treat psychosis, a condition that affects three in 100 of us and costs $300 billion each year, with the greatest economic burden coming in the first year of symptoms. Unfortunately, the average delay in getting treatment is 74 weeks after the illness onset, a huge problem for individuals experiencing this type of illness — not only because the symptoms can feel terrifying, but because the longer treatment gets delayed, the more complicated and challenging the disease can be to treat. Like my friend, most individuals are young, between 16 and 25 years old, when they experience their first episode of psychosis as...

Evidence for the use of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) appears to be limited and of low quality, according to the findings of a systematic review recently published in CNS Drugs . While no drugs are currently approved for the treatment of BPD, nearly all patients with this condition receive at least 1 psychotropic medication. The aim of the review was to evaluate the efficacy, as well as compare the effectiveness, of various pharmacological therapies used in the management of BPD. The authors searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO for studies assessing the use of drug therapy in BPD patients at least 13 years old. Treatments included anticonvulsive medications, antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, benzodiazepines, melatonin, opioid agonists or antagonists, and sedative/hypnotic medications. The analysis included 21 randomized controlled trials with a total of 1768 patients, of the 87...

It can be difficult to talk about depression symptoms, but reaching out for help is an important first step. People with depression can talk to licensed mental health professionals as well as friends and family. Depression is a widespread mental health condition affecting about 5% of adults globally. It can make someone lose interest in the things they once enjoyed and decrease their ability to function at work and at home. Doctors can treat depression with medication and therapy. Although talking about depression can be challenging, the sooner people seek treatment, the better their quality of life will be. Individuals can speak with friends and family if possible or contact a counselor, psychiatrist, or another registered medical professional. Read more to learn about who people can talk to about depression and what they should look for in a mental health professional. Depression is a relatively common yet treatable mental health condition. Doctors treat depression with various medi...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) may be far more interconnected than previously believed and dual diagnoses may occur more frequently than previous literature suggests. They remain as separate diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). ASD is characterized by social and communication dysfunction as well as restrictive and repetitive behavior, whereas SSD is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech, disorganized motor behavior, and negative symptoms. SSD includes schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. It is theorized that multiple genes are involved in both disorders. A common genetic underpinning could be rooted in an imbalance in the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neuronal activity. Responsible genes are proposed to be those that code for synaptic proteins or GABAergic/glut...

As a practicing psychiatrist, I'm no stranger to treating mental illnesses like major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety, or PTSD. But the past two years–as the coronavirus pandemic changed the way we live, work, and navigate the world–has allowed me to understand both personally and professionally the importance of self-care for mental health. That's why I wrote a book about it called The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression and Revitalizing Your Life. Let's face it, most of us have a basic appreciation of the importance of eating a well-balanced diet, getting to bed at a reasonable time, exercising when we can, and how paying attention to ourselves can make us feel better. However, the idea that self-care can treat diagnosable mental illness is still a foreign concept for many people. Whenever I meet a patient for the first time, I always ask about self-care. Questions like: What's your typical breakf...

Feb 16, 2022 8:00 AM Author: University of Utah Health Communications It's common for teenagers go through emotional ups and downs and do things...

Bipolar disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are different mental disorders. These two conditions can have some overlapping traits. At times, it may be hard to tell them apart. BPD features distinct mood shifts that may last weeks or longer. These include: Manic episodes: Extreme energy, elation, or irritability Depressive episodes: Sadness, hopelessness, and lack of interest Mixed episodes: Symptoms of both moods at the same time Key NPD symptoms are: An inflated sense of their own importance An extreme preoccupation with themselves A lack of empathy Narcissism and NPD aren't the same. Narcissism is an inflated sense of your importance. NPD takes this to an extreme and includes other symptoms. This article will compare the symptoms and causes of BPD and NPD, as well as how they're diagnosed and treated. martin-dm /E+/Getty Images Symptoms: Similarities and Differences Not everyone wi...

Many people think of bipolar disorder as a mental health condition where a person has episodes of mania or depression. However, some people with bipolar disorder have periods of time when they may experience both. These periods of time were formerly called "mixed episodes," but are now known as "mixed features." During these times, individuals have symptoms of mania and depression at the same time. About one-third to one-half of people with bipolar disorder have mixed states. Knowing more about mixed features can help people navigate an episode and get help. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), provides doctors with criteria for determining a bipolar episode with mixed features. This criteria is outlined below. How does a bipolar mixed feature episode compare with a bipolar manic episode? In a manic episode, symptoms can include: elevated mood doing enjoyable activities rapid speech risky behaviors less sleep racing thou...

When you live with mood disorders, you may experience prolonged mood episodes or significant mood changes. What does it depend on? Suppose you're having trouble finding pleasure in things you used to enjoy, or you find yourself constantly switching from being extremely happy to extremely sad. If that's the case, it could be worth exploring what you're going through so that you can regain your balance. Two things worth exploring and learning more about to see whether they resonate with your personal experience are unipolar depression and bipolar depression — both of which are treatable. To put it simply, unipolar depression is another name for major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression. This mood disorder is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness or a lack of interest in things that you used to enjoy. To consider a diagnosis of MDD, a health professional will assess whether you meet the criteria set in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual o...