Mental Illness Paper
Katie Ramstack
HCA/240
06/14/2014
Shirlene Small
Mental Illness Paper
Mental Illness Paper

There are many different types of mental disorders, and Autism has been a disease that has made enormous strides and some that are unexplained. This paper will discuss the history, neurological symptoms, and treatments associated with the disease.
The history of Autism started before the disorder was named. People and patients with the disorder were named retarded or even mental insane. Autism’s name is Greek meaning “autos", which in English terms means “self" Autism is a disorder that removes a person from social interaction, and at times become disassociated with the outside world. The first physician to begin acknowledging the disorder is Eugen Bleuler. “Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, was the first person to use the term. He started using it around 1911 to refer to one group of symptoms of schizophrenia,” (WebMD, 2005-2014). In the 1940s, the term “autism” began being used to describe emotional and social problems. Leo Kanner used the term autism to describe children with withdrawn behaviors and also Hans Aspergers was also developing a common term as well. The standard form of Autism began to become a different kind of disorder.
In the 1960s and 1970s the treatments for the disorder were electric shock, LSD medications, and behavioral changes. Only till the 1980s and 1990s did we begin to develop a therapy for children with Autism that helped with the disorder. These therapies included behavioral therapy and language therapy. The myths of the Autism community is that Autism is brought on by bad parenting, it is just a brain disorder, they will just grow out of it, people with the disorder do not want friends or are intellectually disabled. These myths were proven untrue. The Autism disorder has confused individual physicians and other people because there is no known cure for the disorder.
There are many signs and symptoms for Autism. The Autism spectrum is complex in there are many different types of the disorder. The signs and symptoms of the disorder can be mild or severe, so it makes it difficult to diagnose without further signs or symptoms of the disorder. The three main signs that a child might develop autism is they have problems with communicating (verbally or non-verbally), relating to other around them, and thinking and behaving in an unusual manner. The earlier that you are to see the signs and symptoms of the disorder the better for treatment or therapy for the disorder. Some signs that might develop are avoiding eye contact, does not respond to their name, does not respond to touch (cuddling or hugging), and does not interact with others tends to be alone. Some symptoms that might be alarming with the disorder are repeats the same words over and over, sensitivity to sound or textures, does not understand their feelings including touch (knowing hot or cold). A person with Autism can develop severe behaviors that can be a danger to themselves and others. These behaviors might include, biting, twirling, and head banging. “Children with an ASD don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking,” (NINDS, 2009). Making sure that you see the signs and symptoms of the disorder early on will help a person to control the disorder.
These signs and symptoms cause the neurotransmitters causing the developmental and behaviors in the brain to become faulty in a way. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that help the nerve cells communicate with each other. The two neurotransmitters that are affected within Autism are the serotonin and the glutamate. These two neurotransmitters affect the behaviors, emotions, and the neuron activity within the brain. Serotonin originates in the thalamus-hypothalamus, and the thalamus affects the sensory and