Mental Hospital Lagankhel
Mental Health Nepal
Common mental illnesses
The following are common mental illness diagnoses, click on them to learn more: |
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| Alcohol/Drug abuse -------------------------------------------- Anxiety and Panic (Neurotic Disorders) The symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder are persistent and not restricted to any particular circumstance. There are three characteristic features: i. Worries which are widespread, prolonged and difficult to control; ii. Tension which may present in the form of headache, restlessness or tremors; iii. Automatic hyperactivity which may be experienced as sweating, palpitation, dryness of mouth and dizziness In addition other symptoms like: poor concentration, irritability, feeling of constriction in the chest, feeling of discomfort over the heart and increased frequency of malnutrition may be present. The essential feature of panic disorder are recurrent attacks of severe anxiety which are not restricted to any particular situation. Panic attacks occcur unexpectedly. A panic attack is often followed by a persistent fear of having another attack. The symptoms of panic disorder are: shortness of breath; choking, palpitation; chest discomfort; sweating; dizziness; nausea or abdominal distress; depersonalisation or derealisation; numbness and tingling sensations; flushes or trills; trembling or shaking; fear of dying; fear of going crazy or doing something uncontrolled. Depression & Mania (Mood Disorders) Depression (unipolar) is characterised by persistent depressed mood not fully explained by circumstances, loss of interest or pleasure, and decreased energy extending for at least 2 weeks coupled with loss of confidence, guilt, suicidal ideation, diminshed ability to think or concentrate, change in psycho motor activity, and sleep and appetite disturbances. Depression's symptoms are intense, prolonged and interfere with the person's daily activities. Its effects on quality of life are comparable to, and in some cases greater than the effects of such chronic physical disorders as hypertension, diabetes and arthritis, to name but a few. Bipolar depression is where symptoms of depression fluctuate with symptoms of mania or hypomania. Manic states often start as hypomania, characterised typically by heightened mood, more and faster speech, quicker thought, brisker physical and mental activity levels, more energy with a corresponding decreased need for sleep, irritability, perceptual acuity, paranoia, heightened sexuality and impulsivity. As it evolves, it can often progress to frank psychosis with prominent paranoia and grandiose delusions. Psychosis Acute psychotic disorders are a group of disorders with a sudden onset with psychotic features. There is usually a suddent change in behaviour that it difficult to explain. Behaviour is often strange, may be frightening, threatening or suspcicious. The presenting symptoms include: hearing voices when no one is around, strange beleifs or fears, confusion, insomnia, agitation, violence etc. However most patients do not accept (or are not aware) that their symptoms are as a result of mental illness. Schizophrenia is a further psychotic disorder and one of the major mental disorders. It normally occurs between the ages of 15 and 35 years but can also occur in children or the elderly. The characteristic symptoms are: + hearing voices, giving a running commentary on the patient's behaviour or discussing the patient among themselves (auditory hallucinations) + persistent delusions that are completely impossible like superhuman powers or political identity + delusions of being controlled or influenced by some forces. They may believe that people are plotting to harm them + thought echo, thought insertion, thought withdrawal and thought broadcasting + irrelevant speech which is not understandable + social withdrawal, poor speech and inappropriate emotional response. Epilepsy Epilepsy is classified according to seizure type. The commonest forms are tonic clonic seizures and complex partial seizures. The clinical features of tonic clonic seizures are: loss of consciousness; a fall (often resulting in an injury); stiffening (tonic phase) and then spasming of the body (clonic phase); tongue biting, in contience, and cyanosis; confusion, drowsiness, sleep, headache and muscle pain. Generally seizures are self limiting and they stop spontaneously in a few minutes and the patient regains consciousness. Antiepileptic drugs are very effective at countering epilepsy. Mental retardation Normally, a child (or adult) of a certain physical or chronological age, should have a mental age that corresponds to his physical age. When we find that his mental age is considerably less than his physical age we consider him to be mentally retarded. Mental retardation is the condition of an indvidual who has sub average intellectual functioning which originates in hte development period and is associated with impairment of adaptive behaviour. Mentally retarded children will show a slowness in all areas of functioning (delayed milestones): communication skills, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills, adaptive behaviour. Cogntively: concreteness, distractability, short attention span, sensory hyperactivty leading to hyperkinetism. Emotionally: difficulty in expressing feelings and percieving affects in self; impulsive angers and low frustration tolerance, impulse dyscontrol leading to violence and destruction; resistance to environment change. Alcohol/Drug abuse Patients with alcohol use disorders may present with: + physical complication of alcohol use. e.g. liver disease; gastritis + accidents or injuries due to alcohol use + alcohol withdrawal features like anxiety, tremors, sweeating, insomnia etc + depressed mood Alcoholics have difficulty controlling alcohol use, strong desire to use alcohol, high tolerance of alcohol (can drink large quantities of alcohol without apprearing intoxicated), will experience withdrawal symptoms while trying to reduce or stop alcohol use. |
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