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Bipolar Disorder | Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder is a common mental illness, characterized by episodes of mania and major depression. Mania consists of an elevated mood or ‘high’ where the sufferer may be very energetic with little sleep. They may have false beliefs that he/she is ‘god’ or the ‘messiah’ and this can cause delusional thinking when it’s severe. Extreme Irritability is also part of mania and the denial that anything is wrong. Depression is the other side of the coin when a person suffers from bipolar. Feelings of extreme sadness and loss of interest in pleasurable activities are part of major depression. A total sensation of guilt is very common which may appear when the sufferer experiences something that makes them feel good. The person may become so distressed that suicidal thoughts manifest and actual visions of ones death which can lead to suicide attempts. Bipolar I Disorder There are two types of bipolar disorder diagnosis. Bipolar I is the more chronic illness of the two which is characterized by having at least one manic episode and one depressive episode. There also may be psychotic features in bipolar I. This form of bipolar may require hospitalization and almost always requires antidepressants and/or mood stabilizing medication. Bipolar II Disorder This type of bipolar is less debilitating, usually not requiring hospitalization. Hypomania is evident, which is a much less severe form of mania. Bipolar II is when there haven’t been any manic episodes and hypomania may be present, often only lasting a number of days. Major depression is evident in bipolar II however there are no symptoms of psychosis in this type of bipolar. Bipolar Disorder is the third most common mood disorder and affects about 1% of adults. Symptoms typically begin in adolescence or early adulthood and continue to occur during life. Bipolar Disorder used to be called ‘manic depression’ but through better education and new developments in research on the illness, it has changed to a much less stereotypical name. Let’s make a stigma change like that for mental health and the people battling mental illness.
Schizophrenia is the most serious and disabling of all mental illnesses. Typically appearing in adolescence or young adulthood, it can be extremely distressing and often, doesn’t allow for people who get the illness to develop relationships or a career. 1-2% of the population develop schizophrenia and in men, symptoms usually occur at the age of 16-25 whereas for woman they occur at 25-30. Schizophrenia is a brain disease where there is a chemical imbalance and is not “split personality”. This is a common, yet false notion because the two illnesses are totally different. The brain has a number of receptors which are stimulated by chemicals. The two chemicals affected in schizophrenia are dopamine and serotonin. The dopamine receptor, responsible for thought processors is the main factor that causes schizophrenic symptoms. In a ‘normal’ person, this receptor can produce more or less dopamine as needed for the brain and thought process to function properly. In a person with schizophrenia, dopamine production cannot be controlled and therefore the thought process is severely damaged. The symptoms of schizophrenia are very terrifying for the sufferer and can seem obscure by others. Hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder are some of the symptoms. They can cause severe paranoia and make the person lose touch with reality. Often, schizophrenics may think that he or she is being ‘watched’ or ‘monitored’ by the government, police or even a next door neighbour. They also may think that they are being ‘broadcast’ and people are listening to and/or watching them. Also, the sufferer may be convinced that people are reading their thoughts and this totally puts them in a state of fear and despair. Imagine a time when you were “scared out of your mind”. Well this is what people with schizophrenia go through day in and day out. These symptoms cause the person to have something that doctors call a psychotic episode. This can also be referred to as a ‘nervous breakdown’. Psychotic symptoms require antipsychotic medication, which have their own drawbacks and the side effects from such drugs can sometimes be as or even more distressing than the illness itself. Almost all schizophrenics will have a number of psychotic episodes and require medication for the rest of their lives. Stigma that is attached to schizophrenia makes the illness even more difficult
to manage. The media and news tend to link schizophrenia with criminal behavior
and often omit to report anything else about the criminal’s history other
than that they have a history of schizophrenia. In actual fact, schizophrenics
are more likely to be the victims of crime rather than criminals themselves. There
are far more people committing crimes that don’t have schizophrenia and
it’s a sad fact that schizophrenics are labeled as ‘crazy murderers’
when most people with this awful illness are withdrawn and have never been violent
in their lives.
Social phobia affects about 7% of the population. It occurs more in women than men and usually starts showing itself in childhood or early adolescents. People with social phobia find it very uncomfortable in social situations. They feel that they are being judged or looked at and are most distressed if they are the centre of attention. Anxiety levels in people with social phobia can be so high that they avoid social functions altogether. The phobias may become so severe that they turn down career opportunities and can even become ‘house bound’. Physical symptoms of social phobia do occur. Profuse sweating, trembling and blushing are all symptoms and there may even be a great increase in their heart rate. This all adds to the fear of social phobia and the sufferer may become afraid to get these physical symptoms again and therefore avoid any situation that the symptoms could develop. Not only are they worried about the discomfort of the physical symptoms but the fear that other people watching them will notice the symptoms and that they will stand out ‘like a sore thumb’. Depression can develop in social phobia and in extreme cases, the sufferer may attempt suicide. Therefore the treatment of social phobia is quite difficult because although antidepressants are used to treat the depression, there may also be a need for other medications such as anti anxiety medicines and sometimes beta blockers which are more commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Severe sufferers of social phobia will often not go outside their own house and this has caused stigma that these people are ‘hermits’ and people are scared of the unknown. If we have respect for the sufferer and treat them as just another neighbour or person of the community, the ‘phobia’ might vanish from social phobia.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects men, women and children of all races and religions. In the United States, approximately 1 in 50 people are affected by OCD. OCD is characterized by Obsessions and Compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts and fears that the sufferer has such as thinking that others are contaminated and not wanting to touch anything that might be contaminated. They may worry that their hands are dirty and must be cleaned or a fear that they have inadvertently hurt someone while pulling out of a driveway. Compulsions are things that a sufferer of OCD will do to try and make their obsessions go away. They will perform certain acts that are done over and over again following certain ‘rules’. A person may repeatedly wash their hands again and again till the point that they may become inflamed and raw. They also might check repeatedly to see if they left the stove on because of a fear that they may burn the house down and make sure the doors are locked 5, 10 or even 100 times a day. OCD compulsions do not give the sufferer pleasure like compulsive gambling or drinking. It is very frustrating for the person and they are often ashamed for having to do these things. If someone you know has OCD, try to be understanding because when we see past the obsessions, we see the real person. By Elijah B. |
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