Walk across the mental disorders and causes there of

Though there was no favorable perception towards mental illnesses before, today mental illnesses are also treated and managed as other physical diseases. Majorly, mental disorders are classified in to two groups psychoneurotic disorders and psychotic disorders or in other words Psychoneuroses and Psychoses. Within these two major groups, diverse disorders and the subgroups have been identifies based on the symptoms, causes and other influencing factors. Hence it is highly necessary to each of them closely for better understanding the disorders and their causes Psychoneurotic disorders are characterized by milder disturbances of cognitive, emotional and motor process due to the emotional stress, frustrations, and conflicts etc, which partially disturb the daily life of the individual. All the anxiety disorders are considered to be in this category. E.g. obsessive compulsive disorder, hypochondriacal disorder, hysterical disorder with both dissociate and conversion types, specific phobias, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder GAD, post traumatic stress disorder PTSD, etc. Among these disorders generalized anxiety disorder and post traumatic stress disorder can be considered as most important ones. Earlier called as shell shock or war neuroses, post traumatic stress disorder , known as PTSD is characterized by recurrent images flashbacks, dreams of the traumatic event, evidence of the stimuli associated with the event, amnesia about important aspects of the event, depressed mood, irritability, withdrawal, insomnia, nightmares, intense arousal, anxiety, startle responses and lack of concentration. The cause of PTSD is always exposure to an overwhelming traumatic event that exceeds the coping capacity of the individual and the disorder develops within 3 6 months following the event. Anxiety is provoked by preoccupation of the belief of having a serious illness can be highlighted as the main characteristic of hypochondriac disorder. Increase arousal of anxiety, insomnia, repeated body inspection, repeated medical consultations and preoccupation with physical complaints are identical symptoms of this disorder. Known as GAD generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common form of anxiety disorders that is characterized by general and persistent symptoms of anxiety, driven by irrational worry that affects many aspects of life of the individual such as finance, work, personal health, family. Also GAD is a chronic disorder that fluctuates severity overtime. Nervousness, trembling, insomnia, sweating, poor concentration, palpitations, muscular tension, hyper vigilance, depressed mood, shortness of breath, irritability and frequent urination can be introduced as symptoms of GAD. Somatoform disorders, psycho-physiological disorders or in other words psychosomatic disorders such as cardio vascular disorders, respiratory disorders, gastro intestinal disorders, headaches, disorders in sense organs, endocrine disorders and dissociative disorders are also considered as psychoneurotic disorders. Causation of psychoneurotic disorders is diverse but there are common causes for most of the disorders in similar groups. There is adequate proven information that anxiety disorders run in families. Studies show that if one identical twin has an anxiety disorder, the second twin is more likely to have an anxiety disorder than nonidentical (fraternal) twins. These findings suggest that a genetic factor, possibly activated in combination with life experiences, predisposes some people to these disorders. As symptoms of anxiety disorders are often relieved by medications that alter levels of chemicals in the brain, scientists believe that brain chemistry appears to play a role in the onset of anxiety disorders. The personality plays a significant role in the development of an anxiety disorder, noting that people who have low self-esteem and poor coping skills may be more prone. Conversely, an anxiety disorder that begins in childhood may itself contribute to the development of low self-esteem. In addition, there is a belief that the relationship between anxiety disorders and long-term exposure to abuse, violence, or poverty is an important area for further study, as life experiences may affect an individual's susceptibility to these disorders . As per international classification of diseases 10th edition (ICD 10) affective disorders and as per diagnostic statistical manual IV TR mood disorders are identified under the category of psychotic disorders which are characterized by fundamental change in mood or affect, usually to depression with or without associated anxiety or elation. This mood change is accompanied by change in overall level of activity. In addition, the affective disorders tend to be recurrent and the onset of episodes is often related to stressful events. Also those who suffer from affective disorders often suffer from anxiety disorders as well. Manic depressive psychoses the general term given for all types of depression, which has been categorized in to in to two major forms, unipolar depression- which is either with manic symptoms or depressive symptoms present and bipolar disorder in which both symptoms is present simultaneously. In addition, there are three sub types of manic depressive psychosis can be found, manic type with excessive elation, depressive type with severe depression and circular or mixed type with alternated elation and depression. Depression is one of the most common psychotic disorders which are characterized by low mood and lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities. The depressive disorder is demarcated by the intensity, recurrence, duration and severity of the depressed mood and its interference in functioning of the individual. Hence depression is classified in to three major levels such as mild, moderate and severe depression. Depression of all categories are caused by various factors such as personality styles, biological factors imbalances in chemical levels in brain, genetic tendencies and environmental factors- financial difficulties, stressful life events, loss, conflict, interpersonal relationships etc. But most often the depressive personality style coupled with one or more environmental factors cause the depression. Characterized by extreme deviation from the way an average person in a particular situation perceives, thinks and relates to others personality disorders represent a considerable proportion in mental disorders. Paranoid personality, dependant personality, schizoid personality, avoidant personality, antisocial personality is some examples. Schizophrenia or splitted personality is the most important thought disorder among the psychotic disorders. This is caused by malfunctioning of sex glands that result chemical imbalance in neural system. Caused by brain lesions or other disorders leading to a disturbance of rhythm of electrical discharge of brain cells epilepsy or falling disorder can be introduced as one of the mostly known mental disorders. In resumption the mental disorders are varied and causation is too diverse but most of the causes and triggers are environmental factors that often combine with predisposed genetic factors or biological factors of causation.

By Pramudith D Rupasinghe -Consultant clinical psychologist