Three Major Psychological Disorders essays

Three Major Psychological Disorders essays There are many Psychological Disorders: Bipolar Disorder; Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Panic and Agoraphobia Disorder; Schizophrenia.... Disorders like depression, neuroses, anxiety disorders, psychosomatic diseases, posttraumatic stress disorders, are very common in the adult population. Depression and anxiety disorders may affect heart rhythms, increase blood pressure, and alter blood clotting. They can also lead to elevated insulin and cholesterol levels. These risk factors, with obesity, form a group of signs and symptoms that often serve as both a predictor of and a response to heart disease. Furthermore, depression or anxiety may result in chronically elevated levels of stress hormones, such as adrenaline. As high levels of stress hormones are signaling a "fight or flight" reaction, the body's metabolism is diverted away from the type of tissue repair needed in heart disease. In this paper we will look closer at three major psychological disorders: depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. We take a look at four main points of the disease: a) Clinical Presentation, b) Risk Factors, c) Epidemiology, d) The Role of Culture. Mood Disorders Mood disorders clearly demonstrate a disturbance in emotional reactions or feelings. Almost all psychological disorders have an impact on mood or affect, but the major symptom of these disorders is the intensity or extreme nature of the mood. While we all experience occasional highs and lows, mood disorders, also known as affective disorders, are characterized by their extremes in both intensity and duration. Even at their most intense, however, symptoms of affective disorders are often misinterpreted as merely mood swings. Worse, affective disorders are sometimes considered personality flaws rather than real medical conditions. The truth is that mood disorders are treatable medical illnesses caused by a complex interacti...