Psychiatric Disorders, diseases, and Drugs
Kimberly A. Sarda
PSY240 introduction to Biopsychology
Feb. 23, 2014
Dr. Susan Kennedy
Psychiatric Disorders, diseases, and Drugs
The statistics say that one in every four Americans over the age have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. These disorders range from mild depression to severe forms of schizophrenia. One of the toughest jobs our doctors face is to put a name to the condition their patient presents. There are many symptoms which can fall into more than one category. The DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association) covers more than 250 different disorders. There are four major disorders which will be addressed in this paper. They are Schizophrenia, Affective Disorders, Anxiety Disorder and Tourette Syndrome.
Schizophrenia is a very misunderstood disorder. When most people think of a "schizo" they immediately think multiple or split personalities, similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is not true. Schizophrenia is a splitting of psychic functions. When the patient presents behavior that seems in excess, or distortion of normal function, it is considered to be a positive symptom of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms may include delusions such as being controlled or persecuted by a perceived enemy. They may at other times suffer from delusions of great grandeur, with an overblown sense of entitlement, and impulsive or illogical behavior. Schizophrenics suffer from hallucinations both visual and auditory. Auditory hallucinations are more common, with the patient hearing voices bestowing critical judgments, or giving them orders. They have a difficult time responding appropriately with their emotional responses, and exhibit odd behaviors (i.e.: poor hygiene, catatonia, speaking in rhyme). There are many other troubling symptoms of schizophrenia; illogical thinking, peculiar ideas association, echolalia, or incoherent speech among...