DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS are called affective or mood disorders. Mood governs motivation, energy, emotional experience and attitude toward life. The two basic mood disorders are bipolar disorder (formerly called manic depressive illness) and unipolar disorder. During the active phase of unipolar disorder, mood is depressed. In bipolar disorder, moods are marked by periods of greatly elated moods or excited states as well as by periods of depression. Two of the most common types of depression are listed below but there are several other kinds of depressions which include:

Dysthymia (a constant, lasting depressive mood).

Post Partum Depression (depression experienced by some women after delivering a baby).

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) depression experienced by some people during certain times of the year; usually winter.

Clinical Depression:
Depression is a serious illness. Besides affecting feelings, it can change a person's behavior, physical health, appearance, and the ability to handle decisions and tasks. Depression is often linked to poor school performance in students and poor work performance in adults, alcohol and drug abuse, and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Look for these symptoms.
· Feelings of sadness and/or irritability
· Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
· Changes in weight or appetite
· Changes in sleeping patterns
· Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
· Inability to concentrate, remember things, or make decisions
· Fatigue or loss of energy
· Restlessness or decreased activity
· Thoughts of death or suicide
If two or more symptoms persist for two weeks or longer, seek help. Go to a doctor.

Bipolar Disorder: Sometimes people experience severe mood swings from periods of extreme depression to periods of exaggerated happiness. This is known as bipolar disorder or manic depression. This illness usually starts in adolescence or early adulthood and continues though out life. Look for the following symptoms of lower pole or depression listed above and the upper pole called mania listed below.
· Increased energy, decreased need for sleep
· Racing thoughts, rapid talking, sometimes a loud voice
· Excessive "high" or euphoric feelings
· Behavior that is different than usual
· Inability to concentrate
· Irritability; sometimes extreme
· Obnoxious, provocative or intrusive behavior
· Denial that anything is wrong
· Heightened sexuality
· Rash spending behavior
Don't ignore it if you or someone you know is experiencing either mania or depression. Bipolar disorder is treatable with psychotherapy and medication. Often individuals with the illness need help getting help. The most important thing family and friends can do to help is to educate yourself about the disorder, attend the Families in Touch Support Group (740-522-1341) and encourage the person to get treatment.

ANXIETY DISORDERS all into five main categories. What connects each of them is that people resort to extreme measures to avoid or 'white knuckle' their way though anxiety-provoking situations, even when they are quite aware that their actions are irrational. Stress and anxiety are a normal and necessary part of life. People who struggle with anxiety disorders, however, face days filled with debilitating discomfort and fear that can make even normal routines unbearable. They often co-occur with depression, substance abuse other anxiety disorders.

Panic Disorder: Reported episodes of intense fear that strike often and without warning. Physical symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and fear of dying.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Repeated, unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to control. You are so afraid of germs that you wash your hands repeatedly until they are raw and sore. You can not leave the house until you check the locks on every window and door over and over again. You are terrified that you will harm someone you care about. You just cannot get these thoughts out of your head. These are examples of OCD and they are treatable.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Persistent symptoms that occurs after experiencing a traumatic event such as rape, child abuse, war, natural disasters, violence, crashes. Many people who suffer from PTSD experience loss of sleep, nightmares, anger, a lack of trust, and flashbacks.

Phobias: There are three major types of phobias; social, specific and agoraphobia. Social phobia deals with a fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situation. People with a specific phobia experience extreme disabling and irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Agoraphobia describes the anxiety a person prone to panic attacks feels when in situations from which escape may be difficult, embarrassing or help is not immediately available.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Constant exaggerated worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life activities lasting a minimum of six months. Symptoms include fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, nausea, and a 'flurry of worry'.
While the specifics for these disorders differ, there are two general treatment methods that have been proven effective in medication and psychotherapy. A combination of the two treatments can provide a very successful outcome. Get help.

SCHIZOPHRENIA: schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder and is one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses. Many people believe incorrectly that schizophrenia is 'split personality'. The illness can best be described as a collection of particular symptoms may include:
· High level of anxiety
· Hallucinations
· Disconnected and confusing language
· Delusions, persistent false beliefs
· Eating and sleeping disorders
· Poor reasonings , memory and judgment
· Loss of motivation and poor concentration
· Deterioration of appearance and hygiene
· Hearing and seeing things that exist only in the mind of the individual
While there is no cure for schizophrenia, proper treatment can usually control the symptoms. With treatment most people with schizophrenia can lead productive and fulfilling lives in working, living and enjoying friendships. There are specialists trained to treat and work with people experiencing schizophrenia. Get treatment.

SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER: is one of the most confusing and controversial diagnostic categories in psychiatry. People suffering from schizoaffective disorder experience a chronic roller-coaster ride of symptoms and problems that may be more difficult to cope with than either of its parent diseases, schizophrenia or affective disorders (formerly known as mood disorders). Researchers have identified two subtypes of schizoaffective disorder: bipolar type and depressive type. Bipolar type is associated with the presence of manic or mixed episodes. Such episodes bring on sudden elation, euphoria or extreme irritability to the point of serious impairment. Depressive type is associated with major depressive episodes. Depressive episodes ate often characterized by feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness or indifference, and inability to concentrate or remember details, and thoughts of death or suicide attempts. Like schizophrenia and affective disorders, schizoaffective disorders is caused by a chemical imbalance. Since schizoaffective disorder bears a close resemblance to both schizophrenia and affective disorder, people with the illness experience a combination of symptoms associated with both diseases. Like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder usually begins in early adulthood. Although research on the disorder is scarce, women seem to suffer from the illness more often than men. Schizoaffective disorder responds to treatment with antimanics (such as lithium), antidepressants, and antipsychotics. 

SUBSTANCE ABUSE: In today's society and though history, having an occasional drink, smoking, self-medicating with prescription drugs, or even getting 'high' on illegal drugs is not uncommon. Substance abuse can affect anyone from adolescents to adults. Broadly defined, substance abuse is the regular, habitual use of any substance to the degree that it causes self-detrimental behaviors. Substances may include alcohol (beer, wine, hard liquor), psychoactive drugs (heroin, cocaine, sedative hypnotics, tranquilizers, marijuana , PCP , hallucinogens , inhalants , etc ) and tobacco.

ALCOHOLISM is a chronic and progressive disease characterized by addiction to or dependence on alcohol. It can be fatal or cause medical problems such as brain atrophy, liver disease, cancer, and birth defects. Alcohol abuse also has been linked to car accidents, violence, and suicide. People who can not control their compulsion to drink are alcoholics.

DRUG ADDICTION is a chronic and progressive disease characterized by addiction to or dependence on other drugs.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS is a condition where a person with substance abuse is also contending with a mental illness. For the best success in recovery, both disorders should be treated at the same time. The first step in any recovery and treatment plan is to completely stop the use of the substance and in some cases, go detoxification. It is very difficult for a person to overcome substance abuse alone. The type of treatment depends on the nature of the substance abuse and the severity of abuse. Treatment can be found though outpatient and inpatient care in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, community mental health centers, halfway houses, support groups, and 12-step programs such as alcoholics anonymous (AA) ,Narcotics anonymous (NA) , and cocaine anonymous (CA). All mental illness can be seriously complicated by abuse of alcohol and other drugs, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult. Get Help immediately..

Other Common Problems and Disabling Disorders:

Anorexia occurs when a person goes beyond dieting and literally stops eating. Anorexia usually begins with dieting which is common in young adolescents. However, when people become obsessed with being thin and view there bodies in a distorted way (i.e, an emaciated girl thinks she is 'fat', this diet takes a potentially dangerous turn. There is no single known cause for the disease. Doctors attribute it's emergence to certain physical, personal, familial, or societal pressures. The susceptibility may come from low self-esteem, a genetic predisposition, or particular metabolic and biochemical makeup. Warning signals can include: significant weight loss, cessation or delayed onset of menstruation, distorted body image, persistent 'fad' dieting with poor nutrition, excessive exercise, moodiness, impatience, rudeness, secretiveness, and social isolation, depression, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat (even when under weight).

Bulimia occurs when a person gorges themselves with huge quantities of food (binges) and then gets rid of it by inducing vomiting or using laxatives (purging), and exercising excessively. Warning signals can include: binge eating, hoarding food, leaving the table immediately after meals to go to the bathroom, spending long periods in the bathroom, secretive behavior (pretending not know what happened to missing food), denial that anything is wrong, depression, anger, anxiety.

Overeating can lead to obesity and to serious emotional and physical consequences.

DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER'S: The main feature is important in short and long-term memory and problems with abstract thinking, judgment, and other cortical functions such as language, motor activities and the ability to recognize common objects. Dementia is diagnosed when the loss of intellectual function is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning, although the degree of impairment may vary. See a physician for consultation and treatment and get connected with the Alzheimer's Association for support and help.

CONDUCT DISORDER AND OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER: is a condition where children or adults disobey authority, pick fights, steals and lie usually with little remorse or concern about how their behavior affects others.

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER (BPD):  A mental illness that affects a person's Mood, Self-Image and Relationships

• Mood:  the person's mood may quickly change from joy to extreme depression.  He or she may burst out in a rage against others.
• Self-Image:  the person may feel very confused about goals, sexual identity and direction in life.
• Relationships:  people with BPD dislike being alone.  But, they often have trouble maintaining relationships because of their manipulative, demanding and unpredictable behavior.

BPD can cause a lot of pain:  some people with BPD continuously threaten suicide (and sometimes complete it).  Others physically hurt themselves or engage in risky behavior, such as reckless driving or alcohol abuse, etc.

BPD is treatable:  it may take time to diagnose BPD properly, but with proper treatment, many people with BPD can learn to cope with symptoms and lead more satisfying lives.

AUTISM