Mitchell Cooper

Allen Welch

Intro to Psychology

11/11/14
Mental Disorders Essay

There are hundreds of mental disorders, ranging from somewhat harmless to life changing. These disorders tend to share characteristics and as such are grouped into categories. The major groups are as follows; Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Eating Disorders, Impulse Control and Addiction Disorders, and Personality Disorders. Anxiety Disorders tend to make people react to certain objects/situations with so much fear/stress that it interferes with their daily life. Mood Disorders are mainly one of three things; either they cause persistent sadness, an extreme feeling of happiness, or constant fluctuations between the two. Psychotic Disorders are characterized by distorted awareness and thinking, either hallucinations (experience of images or sounds that aren’t real) or delusions (false beliefs that the person accepts as the truth). Eating Disorders include extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviours associated with food. Impulsive Control and Addiction Disorders generally involve the person to be unable to resist urges/impulses that could prove harmful to either themselves or others. Finally Personality Disorders are diagnosed to people with extreme and inflexible personality traits that are either distressing or are causing problems in their daily lives.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is something I have had personal experience with. This disorder inhibits the person’s social communication and interactions. They also have a great fondness for routine/repeating things, any break in their routine results in great frustration and anger. Symptoms of ASD must be present within the early stages of development; it is generally diagnosed within the first 2 years of life. Currently there aren’t any cures however there are some medications that help people with ASD function better in society. Also there are no medical tests available to diagnose ASD; it is diagnosed mainly through observations. Often times it is the parents who first notice it; however in my case I was the one who noticed my twin was different.

Bipolar Disorder is a mental disorder that brings about unusual shifts mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day to day tasks. Bipolar disorder is a more noticed disorder because the ups and downs that it causes are pretty severe. When diagnosing Bipolar Disorder, doctors consult the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).