World of Stress - Essay Example

Samson Mental Disorders (A review of the contribution of psychology to mental disorders) Samson 2 Introduction Modern world is living in a world of stress and is going through a lot of psychological disorders due to so many factors. Some of them may be individual while the others may come from the family or the society. Psychological review along with medicines required in the treatment of mental disorders.Mental disorder means the changes in behavioural patterns that occur in an individual which may cause distress and disability in his/her normal life. Most of the international clinical documents use the term mental disorder instead of mental illness. As the psychology advances the definition and the reasons for mental disorders also changes rapidly. It is classified in to so many categories based on the nature of the disorder such as dissociative disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, psychotic disorder, eating disorder, developmental disorder, personality disorder etc. There are two established systems which classify mental disorders: the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Both list categories of disorder and provide standardized criteria for diagnosis. Psychological studies are important for the treatment of mental disorders. Psychologists employ lot of different methods to study the inner mind of the mentally distorted person. There are different schools of psychology which deals with the treatment of abnormal persons. Samson 3 Psychological Theories The word Psychology originated from the two Greek words ‘psyche’ and ‘logos’ which means soul and science respectively. Psychology was the study of soul earlier. Then it was modified as study of mind and now it is the study of behavioural changes. “Theories of abnormal psychology describe mental illnesses, suggest possible causes of these illnesses, and propose certain methods of treating them. These theories can be divided into four main groups or schools: (1) biophysical, (2) intrapsychic, (3) existential, and (4) behavioural.”(Abnormal psychology) Physical causes lead to psychological disorders as per the findings of biophysical theories. Drug addicts and liquor maniacs are examples for this. The problems in early child hood can cause worries throughout the life as per the theories of intrapsychic. People with occasional abnormal behaviour can be called neurotic and those who lose full control of everyday life can be called psychotic. Psychotic patients usually develop delusions (unrealistic ideas). Psycho analysis is the method adopted in the treatment of neurotic and psychotic problems. Existential theories rooted its base on the importance of current experiences and the person’s view of himself. The therapists usually help the patients to gain insight in such cases. Behavioural theories dealt with the behaviour of the person. The therapist uses conditioning method to change the abnormal behaviour. Diagnosis of mental disorders Many psychiatrists seek to diagnose individuals by ascertaining their particular mental disorder. Some clinical psychologists, may avoid diagnosis in favor of other assessment methods Samson 4 such as formulation of a clients difficulties and circumstances. Routine diagnostic practice in mental health services typically involves an interview (which may be referred to as a mental status examination), where judgments are made of the interviewees appearance and behavior, self-reported symptoms, mental health history, and current life circumstances. The views of relatives or other third parties may be taken into account. A physical examination to check for ill health or the effects of medications or other drugs may be conducted. It has been found that most clinicians evaluate patients using an unstructured, open-ended approach, with limited training in evidence-based assessment methods, and that inaccurate diagnosis may be common in routine practice. Mental illness involving hallucinations or delusions (especially schizophrenia) is prone to misdiagnosis in developing countries due to the presence of psychotic symptoms instigated by nutritional deficiencies. The treatment or therapy for different psychological diseases can be varied as per the symptoms exhibited by the patient. Since the reasons for most of the psychological disorders are not exactly known the approach in therapy also varied based on the individuals. The symptoms of the same psychological disorder in different persons may be different. So based on the observations of the Psychologist/Psychiatrist the treatment can be varied. Causes of mental disorders Numerous factors have been linked to the development of mental disorders. In many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause currently established. A common view held is that disorders often result from genetic vulnerabilities combining with environmental stressors. There are many different categories of mental disorder, and many different aspects of human Samson 5 behavior and personality that can become disordered. The state of anxiety or fear can become disordered, so that it is unusually intense or generalized over a prolonged period of time. Commonly recognized categories of anxiety disorders include specific phobia, Generalized anxiety disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder. The fundamental characteristics of a person that influence his or her cognitions, motivations, and behaviors across situations and time - can be seen as disordered due to being abnormally rigid and maladaptive. Categorical schemes list a number of different personality disorders, such as those classed as eccentric (e.g. Paranoid personality disorder, Schizoid personality disorder, Schizotypal personality disorder), those described as dramatic or emotional (Antisocial personality disorder, Borderline personality disorder, Histrionic personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder) or those seen as fear-related (Avoidant personality disorder, Dependent personality disorder, Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder). Different types of mental disorders and treatment Schizophrenia, autism, psychosis, depression, anxiety disorders, mania, and bipolar disorders are some of the major mental disorders found among common people. Neuroleptics or antipsychotics are used in the treatment of Schizophrenia and psychosis while antidepressants used in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Antimanic and antianxiety medicines are used in the treatment of mania and bipolar disorders. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it difficult to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in social situations. Samson 6 Psychotic patients usually develop delusions (unrealistic ideas). These delusions can be extremely dangerous if it is not found out at an early stage and provided the required treatment. In the early stages it can be completely rectified using Psycho Analysis method of treatment. Some of the psychological disorders are attributed to genetics. Parents with some kind of psychological problems can give birth to children of the same caliber. In social behaviors, the traditions and the religion plays an important part of a person. “Like traditionalism and religiosity traits equally relevant to ultimate socialisation aggression seems to be affected by genetic factors and also by shared home environment”. (Lykken – 104). Anxiety disorders are mostly a common psychological disorder. But it is difficult to identify between the normal and abnormal anxiety since most of the common people exhibits anxiety at some stages of their life. Also all the anxiety disorders are not associated with the psychological disorders alone. Diseases like Thyroid can contribute to anxiety disorder. So the first thing the therapist should decide is whether this anxiety problem is related to physical causes or mental causes. Once it is confirmed, the therapist can start treatment. In some cases the free association with a psychotherapist can cure the anxiety disorder due to mental problems, without any medicines. I know the examples in which few people overcame their anxiety disorders after undergoing few sessions with the psychologist. But in some other cases along with the counselling, medicines also required.”The starting point in considering the ways in which anxiety might influence beliefs is to assume that individual differences in anxiety depend to some extent on genetic factors”.(Frijda, Manstead, Bem- 56). Samson 7 Psycho therapy is another method which is used in the treatment of some kind of mental disorders. In this the psychologist makes a free association with the patient in several sessions which will help him to identify the root cause of the problem. There are several main types. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely used and is based on modifying the patterns of thought and behavior associated with a particular disorder. Psychoanalysis, addressing underlying psychic conflicts and defenses, has been a dominant school of psychotherapy and is still in use. Systemic therapy or family therapy is sometimes used, addressing a network of significant others as well as an individual. Some psychotherapies are based on a humanistic approach. There are a number of specific therapies used for particular disorders, which may be offshoots or hybrids of the above types. Mental health professionals often employ an eclectic or integrative approach. Much may depend on the therapeutic relationship, and there may be problems with trust, confidentiality and engagement “Psychotherapy is to remove the blocks of truth, that you should not think about what is already happened, but just you have to think about the cause behind it and correct it” (Psychotherapy for Treating Mental and Emotional Disorders) We might have seen some people behave differently at times. They will be absolutely normal at times, but on occasions they will tend to behave indifferently. In order to treat them Psychologist sometimes adopt the methods of functional psychology. In this method the psychological act analyzed physiologically. The therapist will try to analyze all activities through physiological methods. But this alone will not give all the knowledge the therapist needed like learning, perceiving etc. The method of varied conditions is one way to study things. The individual is given a task and his performances observed. Then he is made to do the same task Samson 8 under different conditions. By controlling various conditions the therapist can analyze the complete process of the patient. Once the therapist analyzed the complete data from the patient, he can adopt the proper method of treatment. Relevance and conclusion of Psychology and Mental disorders We are living in a world of intense competition and struggles. Those who have a weak mental health will find it difficult to adapt with the realities of the world. Almost all the people, irrespective of rich or poor, male or female, educated or uneducated, younger or older, can be the victims of mental disorder. The personal tragedies, social, cultural and political problems can cause panic among common people. The September 11 th bombing of World trade centre, New York is the best example of how political problems contribute to the mental disorders. The American people were so much stressed after this incident. Psychology in conjunction with psychiatry can treat the mental disorders. The advancement of psychology contributed immensely to promote the mental health. Samson 9 Works Cited 1. David T. Lykken -The Antisocial Personalities - Page 104 Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1 edition (May 1, 1995) 2. Nico H. Frijda, Antony S. R. Manstead, Sacha Bem - Emotions and Beliefs: How Feelings Influence Thoughts (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction)- Page 56 Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (November 6, 2000) 3. Abnormal psychology  Retrieved on 26/11/2008 http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/abnormal.htm 4. Psychotherapy For Treating Mental And Emotional Disorders! 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