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Ashlyn Staggs

Professor Tyler

English 1201

November 30, 2020

What are Mental Disorders and What Can People do to Treat Them?

We live in an age where there are more and more cases of the different types of

mental illnesses. I am here to talk all about what those are, and how/if you can

overcome or deal with those illnesses. There are more and more people who are getting

diagnosed with mental diseases, which is very sad, so I think it is important to talk about

the different diseases and how people can treat them. The illnesses that I will be talking

about in this essay include bipolar disorder, anxiety, dementia, depression,

schizophrenia, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, and tourette syndrome. I know

this may sound like a lot, but these are the main illnesses that happen mentally. There

are so many more that I could talk about, but these are the most common types.I think

that it is important for people to know what these are, and to be aware of them. There is

a lot to know about each illness.

Firstly, let’s take a look at bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness

that causes a complete change in your mood. Scientists actually still don’t know the

causes of this disorder, but there are some things that we know contribute to it. In order

to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you have to experience an episode of mania or

hypomania. Mania is pretty much just an episode of an extreme mood change. Some of

the contributions that could increase the chances of you having this disorder are

genetics, stress, and brain structure and function. If someone in your family has had
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bipolar disorder that increases the chances of you having it, just like many other

illnesses you can get. Something traumatic happening in your life, or anything that gives

you stress could also cause an episode. Scientists and doctors have still not found a

single cause of bipolar disorder, but they have seen that people with this disorder have

little differences in their brain structure, but it’s not something that can really prove

anything yet.

There are four types of Bipolar Disorder. These types consist of Bipolar I and II

Disorder, Cyclothymia, and “other specified” and “unspecified”. These are in order from

the most extreme to the least extreme, which just means that Bipolar I Disorder is the

most severe type. The first one is when someone has experienced one or more

episodes of mania. “Most people diagnosed with bipolar I will have episodes of both

mania and depression, though an episode of depression is not necessary for a

diagnosis. To be diagnosed with bipolar I, a person’s manic episodes must last at least

seven days or so or be so severe that hospitalization is required” (NAMI). So, this tells

us that Bipolar I Disorder is extremely severe, and it is the worst type you could have.

Bipolar II is when you don’t reach a “full” manic episode. Cyclothymia is “a chronically

unstable mood state in which people experience hypomania and mild depression for at

least two years” (NAMI). If you have this type, it is possible for you to have a normal

mental state, but it does not last very long usually.

Some of the ways Bipolar Disorder is treated is by medications, psychotherapy,

self management strategies, or by complementary health approaches. These are the

main ways people with Bipolar Disorder have tried to treat the disease, but like many

others, there is no long term fix or cure.

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The next mental illness I will be discussing is anxiety. If you don’t know exactly

what anxiety is, it is when you have extreme worry all of the time, and it starts to

interfere with what you are doing in your life, such as daily activities. Anxiety is actually

a part of everyone’s daily life, but some people have this to an extreme. These people

who have extreme cases of anxiety usually have panic attacks often. A panic attack is

“a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is

no real danger or apparent cause” (Mayo Clinic).

Some of the symptoms of anxiety include sweating, a feeling of nervousness,

feeling weak, having a sense of danger, having an issue with controlling your worries,

trouble sleeping, and many other things as well. Depending on who you are, these

symptoms vary from each person that has this illness. Some people may only have a

couple symptoms, while others could show lots more.

Just like Bipolar Disorder and some others, there are many types of Anxiety

Disorder. The types of anxiety are “agoraphobia, anxiety disorder due to a medical

condition, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, selective mutism, separation

anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, substance-induced anxiety

disorder, other and unspecified” (Mayo Clinic). The two most common types are

generalized and social anxiety. If you have ever met someone who is usually

introverted, doesn’t talk to many people, or just doesn’t go out much in general there is

a chance that person might be experiencing social anxiety. Many people who struggle

with this tend to avoid situations just because of the fact that those situations make

them uncomfortable. Generalized anxiety is pretty much when someone is constantly

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worrying way too much. These things don’t have to be extreme, it can be something as

little as normal, everyday activities.

Anxiety Disorder is the most common mental illness in the United States. There

are actually about 40 million people just in the United States. With this illness being so

common, there are things you can do to treat it. The main form of treatment for anxiety

is therapy. Someone with this illness has the option to go to therapy to talk to a doctor

about their problems, then that doctor can help them get into a better mindset and

hopefully help them overcome their illness and get better. Another form of treatment for

anxiety is medication. These medications would have to be prescribed to you, but there

are some that exist to help with the symptoms of anxiety.

The next mental illness I will be discussing is dementia. Dementia is “a

syndrome-usually of a chronic or progressive nature-in which there is deterioration in

cognitive function (the process of thought) beyond what might be expected from normal

ageing)” (World Health Organization). People who suffer from dementia are usually of

older age, because this gets worse over time. There are many symptoms that could

indicate dementia. In the early stage, you could experience things like losing track of

time, forgetting things, or getting lost in places you are familiar with. There are three

stages to having this illness, which are early, middle, and late. These just mean exactly

what they sound like. You will start out at an early stage with the symptoms I just

mentioned, then it will most likely get worse and worse and you could experience

symptoms such as not knowing the time or where you are, not remembering your family

or friends, or having difficulty walking. This is a very sad thing to see happen to

someone, but it is unfortunately not uncommon. There are nearly 50 million people who
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suffer from dementia around the world. There is research and things to be done to try

and figure out possible treatments for dementia, but sadly there is no cure nor any

treatments for people diagnosed with dementia. This is something that happens over

age to some people, and there is really no way to prevent it.

Another mental illness that I will be talking about is Clinical Depression.

Unfortunately, this is another one that is very common, with more than 3 million cases in

the United States each year. Depression is “a common and serious medical illness that

negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act” (Torres 2020).

There are some people who may say they’re depressed, but maybe they’re just having

a bad day. Depression is a real thing, which requires a medical diagnosis, and is not

meant to be taken lightly. It is not normally just a temporary feeling if something bad

happens to you. People who suffer from depression are sad or upset the majority if not

all of the time, constantly. Some of the symptoms of depression include “feeling sad or

having a depressed mood, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, changes in appetite,

fatigue, feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty thinking or making decisions, and thoughts

of death or suicide” (Torres 2020). I just listed quite a few symptoms, but I felt they

should all be included because they are all very important to understand what people

with depression go through. I feel like this is definitely one of the more important mental

illnesses that I can talk about because the number of cases are actually going up, and I

believe people need to be aware of that.

The treatments people use to treat depression are medications and therapy.

Depression is actually one of the easiest of the mental illnesses to treat. The

medications that they use to treat patients with depression are called antidepressants,
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which should help relieve symptoms within a week. “Psychiatrists usually recommend

that patients continue to take medication for six or more months after the symptoms

have improved” (Torres 2020). This is just so that they can insure the symptoms don’t

come back right away after you go off of the medication. For treatment of severe

depression, doctors have the patients go to psychotherapy while taking the

antidepressants. According to Felix Torres, M.D., treatment significant improvement can

be made in 10-15 sessions of psychotherapy.

You can tell the difference of someone who has depression over someone who is

just sad in a number of ways. The first way is by seeing how someone who is sad will

only be that way for so long, it could possibly be days or a week. Where someone with

depression will be in a mood or be sad for a number of weeks or maybe even as long as

months. Another big way you could tell if someone has depression is if they start to feel

worthless. Someone who is sad usually still keeps their self esteem, and not have

thoughts as the way people with depression do.

The next mental illness I will be talking about is schizophrenia. This is a well

known illness, but if you don’t know what it is, I will explain it. “When schizophrenia is

active, symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with

thinking and lack of motivation” (Torres 2020). One of the main symptoms of this illness

is when people have it, they often see and talk to people who aren’t really there. Like

some of the other mental illnesses, the causes for schizophrenia are still unknown and

being discovered. There is no cure for this disease, so the only thing you can do for the

people with it is treatment.

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The treatments for schizophrenia consist of medication and therapy, like most

mental disorders. According to Mayo Clinic, “Medications are the cornerstone of

schizophrenia treatment, and antipsychotic medications are the most commonly

prescribed drugs” (Mayo Clinic). The whole point of using drugs as treatment is to lower

the symptoms of the disease. “They’re thought to control symptoms by affecting the

brain neurotransmitter dopamine” (Mayo Clinic).

The next mental illness I will be explaining is obsessive compulsive disorder, also

known as OCD. I think that this disease has actually confused many people because of

what it actually is versus what people think it is. “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a

disorder in which people have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations

(obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions)”

(Gorrindo and Parekh 2017). Most people think OCD is when someone wants

everything to be perfect, which is somewhat correct, but there is more to it than that. I

have actually experienced these kinds of things happen to me ever since i was little, so I

can relate to these things and understand this disease very well, even though I have

never been diagnosed or anything like that. This disease may not seem like a big deal,

but let me tell you, it can drive you absolutely crazy.

The compulsions could be anything from convincing yourself to do something

again to convincing yourself to do anything really. “The behaviors are aimed at

preventing or reducing distress or a feared situation” (Gorrindo and Parekh 2017). I

guess that you could say that the symptoms for this disease would be the compulsions

or behaviors. Like it says in the quote above, most people convince themselves to do

something to prevent feared situations from happening. According to the American

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Psychiatric Association, some of the main compulsions include “cleaning to reduce the

fear of germs, repeating to dispel anxiety, checking to reduce the fear or harming

oneself or others, ordering and arranging to reduce discomfort, and mental compulsions

to reduce intrusive obsessive thoughts” (Gorrindo and Parekh 2017).

Just like many other mental disorders, there is no cure for obsessive compulsive

disorder. There are treatments like medications and therapy like many mental illnesses.

With this disease, it helps more often if people do both. Some of the antidepressants

that help control OCD are “clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and

sertraline” (Mayo Clinic). The type of antidepressant you would use depends on the age

of the person in need of the medication.

I will now be talking about tourette syndrome. Many people may not know this is

a mental illness because it consists of actions you cannot control, but this does happen

in the brain. There is pretty much only one symptom when it comes to tourettes, which

would be tics. Tics are “sudden, brief, intermittent movements or sounds” (Mayo Clinic).

There are simple and complex tics, and the difference between those is the amount of

muscles used when you have a tic. Like it says in the quote above, a tic could be a

movement or sound, it just depends on the person. Some people have sudden

movements and others say things out loud without being able to control it. A few of the

simple motor tics according to the Mayo Clinic are eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder

shrugging, eye darting, nose twitching, and mouth movements. Some of the complex

motor tics include touching or smelling objects, repeated observed movements,

stepping in a certain pattern, obscene gesturing, bending or twisting, and hopping. The

mayo clinic also lists simple and complex vocal tics. Some of the simple vocal tics they
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list are grunting, coughing, throat clearing, and barking. The complex vocal tics they list

are repeating one’s own words or phrases, repeating others’ words or phrases, using

vulgar, obscene, or swear words. As you can see, there are many kinds of tics someone

can have when diagnosed with this disease.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease, and if you are diagnosed you

really just have to try and learn what is happening to you and try to work with it. Many

mental illnesses are very hard to keep under control, but you just have to learn more

about yourself because the more you know, the more you can try to help yourself.

The main cause for tourettes is still unknown, but it is “likely caused by a

combination of inherited (genetic) and environmental factors. Chemicals in the brain that

transmit nerve impulses (neurotransmitters), including dopamine and serotonin, might

play a role” (Mayo Clinic). So, the doctors still don’t really know the exact cause of this

disease, but they know what might play a role, so this is good and could hopefully lead

them to find out what the exact cause is of this illness. This information could also

maybe and hopefully help the doctors to figure out the causes for other mental illnesses

that are still unknown.

The last mental illness I will talk about in my essay is autism. This is also known

as autism spectrum disorder. I think that most people are at least a little bit aware of this

illness, but for the people who aren't, “People with ASD may communicate, interact,

behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning,

thinking, and problem solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to

severely challenged” (CDC). Some of the symptoms of autism according to the CDC,

include avoiding eye contact and wanting to be alone, have trouble adapting when a
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routine changes, lose skills they once had, have unusual reactions to the way things

smell, taste, look, feel, or sound, have trouble expressions their needs using typical

words or motions, have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people

at all, prefer not to be held or cuddled, and many many other things. There are so many

symptoms that could allude to autism, and I think it is very important that we are aware

of these things.

Sadly, there is also no cure for autism, but there are treatments that can help

with these people who have this illness. “Research shows that early intervention

treatment services can improve a child’s development” (CDC). Early intervention help

the kids who are diagnosed with autism early with their learning skills and other

important skills they need in life that their disease will make hard for them to learn.

We also do not know all of the causes for ASD, but according to the CDC, boys

are four times more likely to be born with autism than girls are. There are also other

things that can factor into the risk of having autism such as your “genes, children born to

older parents, or children who have a sibling with ASD” (CDC). There are also many

other risk factors of being born with autism.

In conclusion, after writing this essay, I am well more knowledgeable about the

different mental disorders many people in the world have to live with. I learned so much

about these disorders and I feel that I have a very good idea about the important things

about each one. I am so glad that I chose to research this topic because I feel like

mental illness is something that has always been important, but especially right now it is

important for everyone to know and be aware of the mental illnesses that the people

around them could have. I just want everyone to know that it is always important to take
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care of yourself and please get help if you need it. Mental health is not something to

joke about, and I believe that it is important for everyone to be aware of not only their

own, but also the people who are important to you.

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Bibliography/Works Cited

“Bipolar Disorder.” ​NAMI​,

www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder.

Accessed November 30, 2020.

“Anxiety Disorders.” ​Mayo Clinic,​ Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 4 May 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961.

Accessed November 30, 2020.

“Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder.” ​Mayo Clinic,​ Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 4 May 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-203

76021. Accessed November 30, 2020.

“Facts & Statistics.” ​Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA,​

adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics. Accessed November 30, 2020.

“Dementia.” ​World Health Organization,​ World Health Organization,

www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia. Accessed November 30,

2020.

What Is Depression?​,

www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression. Accessed

December 1, 2020.
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What Is Schizophrenia?,​

www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia.

Accessed December 1, 2020.

“Schizophrenia.” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 7 Jan. 2020,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20

354449. Accessed December 1, 2020.

What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?,​

www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.

Accessed December 6, 2020.

“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).” ​Mayo Clinic,​ Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 11 Mar. 2020,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/diagnosis

-treatment/drc-20354438. Accessed December 6, 2020.

“Tourette Syndrome.” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 8 Aug. 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tourette-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc

-20350465. Accessed December 6, 2020.

“What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention​,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Mar. 2020,

www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html. Accessed December 6, 2020.

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