Question

Answer the following questions in a minimum of 500 words total.

Briefly describe the main features associated with anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, substance-related disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia.

Next, pick a specific disorder from one of those categories (ex: phobias from anxiety disorders) and do some outside research. You must cite at least two scholarly sources.

Describe in detail the symptoms and criteria for diagnosing this disorder. What are the likely causes of this disorder? What is the general course (i.e. how long does it usually last, what is the average age of onset, etc.)? What are some promising treatments?

Answer 1

Briefly describe the main features associated with anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, substance-related disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia.

Anxiety disorders have following main features:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense.
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom.
• Having an increased heart rate.
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating.
• Trembling.
• Feeling weak or tired.
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry.

Dissociative disorders have following main features:

• Memory loss (amnesia) of certain time periods, events, people and personal information
• A sense of being detached from yourself and your emotions
• A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal
• A blurred sense of identity
• Significant stress or problems in your relationships, work or other important areas of your life
• Inability to cope well with emotional or professional stress
• Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors

Personality disorders have following main features:

• Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling or binge eating.
• Unstable or fragile self-image.
• Unstable and intense relationships.
• Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress.
• Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury.

Substance-related disorders have following features:

• Feeling of exhilaration and excess confidence.
• Increased alertness.
• Increased energy and restlessness.
• Behavior changes or aggression.
• Rapid or rambling speech.
• Dilated pupils.
• Confusion, delusions and hallucinations.
• Irritability, anxiety or paranoia.

Mood disorders have following features:

• Decreased energy or fatigue.
• Headaches, body aches, pains, cramps or digestive problems.
• Difficulty remembering details, making decisions or concentrating.
• Loss of appetite or overeating.
• Excessive sleeping or insomnia.

Schizophrenia:

• Delusions. These are false beliefs that are not based in reality.
• Hallucinations. These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don't exist.
• Disorganized thinking (speech).
• Extremely disorganized or abnormal motor behavior.
• Negative symptoms.