Mental illness
Mental illnesses are just as diverse as the illnesses of the body. They impair moods and feelings, cause fear and compulsions, distort perception or disturb the ability to think and memory. Read here which diseases have psychological causes, how to classify them, how to recognize them and what treatment options are available.
Soul diseases are widespread: every third German citizen suffers from one or more mental illnesses within a year. Because mental illnesses are invisible like a broken leg, the suffering they cause is often underestimated. A large number of those affected do not receive any help. Read here what forms of mental illness there are, how they can be treated and where you can find help.
Mental illnesses from A to Z
The most common mental illnesses are anxiety disorders. More than 16 percent of people in this country suffer from it within a year, followed by alcohol-related disorders (11 percent) and depression (8 percent). Often those affected experience several mental illnesses at the same time, which can aggravate one another. For example, depression and anxiety disorders often go hand in hand. Many mentally ill people also try to “treat” their symptoms themselves to a harmful extent with alcohol or other psychologically active substances.
A.- ADHD
- Acute stress reaction
- Alzheimer
- Adjustment disorder
- Asperger syndrome
- autism
- Binge eating
- Bipolar disorder
- Borderline syndrome
- bulimia
- burnout
- Chorea huntington
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- dementia
- Depersonalization
- depression
- Dissocial Personality Disorder
- Dissociative disorder
- Dysmorphophobia
- Dysthymia
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Cardiac neurosis
- hypochondria
- anorexia
- mania
- multiple personality disorder
- Munchausen Syndrome
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Orthorexia
- Panic disorder
- Paranoid personality disorder
- Phobias
- Pica syndrome
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Psychopathy
- psychosis
- Irritable bladder
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Irritable stomach
- schizophrenia
- Self harm
- Somatoform disorder
- Addiction special
- Suicidality
- Tourette syndrome
- Postpartum depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Mental disorders: what forms are there?
Depending on the symptoms and causes, mental illnesses can be classified into different groups.
Anxiety disorders
In an anxiety disorder, the patient suffers from fears for which objectively there is no or no reasonable cause. The symptoms of an anxiety disorder can be so severe that those affected are severely limited in their participation in life.
- Agoraphobia
- Arachnophobia
- fear of flying
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Fear of heights
- claustrophobia
- Panic disorder
- Social phobia
- Dental fear
Affective disorders
Affective disorders affect the mood and feelings of the sick. These include depressive symptoms such as joylessness, despair and inhibition of drive, but also manic symptoms such as an excessively high mood with pronounced risk behavior.
Depression: Depressed, listless, joyless - the symptoms of depression are hard to bear. But there is help for those affected. Learn more
- Depression of old age
- Bipolar disorder
- Dysthymia
- Postpartum depression
Psychotic disorders
Psychotic disorders go hand in hand with a loss of reality. These include hallucinations, delusional disorders or ego disorders in which the person concerned loses the feeling for their own self.
- Hebephrenic schizophrenia
- Paranoid schizophrenia
eating disorder
Eating disorders have increased significantly in frequency over the past few decades. Anorexia nervosa receives the most common attention. However, it occurs much less often than bulimia (eating-vomiting addiction) and binge-eating disorders.
- Binge eating
- Orthorexia
- Pica syndrome
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Compulsive cleaning, hand washing, counting, checking: Obsessive-compulsive disorder significantly affects the quality of life of those affected. Exposure therapy, in which those affected face their fears step by step, can then help. For example, those who are compelled to wash, deliberately soiling their hands and then forego the cleaning ritual for the agreed time. At first you will feel strong inner restlessness or even fear if he cannot live the ritual. Because this breaks down again by itself, he increasingly learns to control his compulsion.
- Dysmorphophobia
- Compulsion to control
- Compulsory washing
- Obsessive thoughts
Addictions
Alcohol addiction, pill addiction, gambling addiction, drug addiction: there are many addictions and they are widespread. What they have in common is that they can usually only be overcome with a high level of self-motivation and professional help. Once the addiction has solidified, a return to controlled consumption is usually no longer possible.
- alcoholism
- Computer game addiction
- Drug addiction (drug addiction)
- Internet addiction
- Drug addiction
- Nicotine addiction
- Sex addiction
- Gambling addiction
- Sports addiction
Somatoform disorders
People with somatoform disorders suffer from physical complaints for which no organic cause can be found that adequately explains the extent of the complaint. They express themselves, for example, in the form of pain, dizziness, gastrointestinal complaints, heart problems or breathing difficulties.
- hypochondria
- Irritable bladder
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Irritable stomach
Stress disorder
Psychologists understand stress disorders as reactions that occur after severe emotional stress. These include acute stress disorder ("nervous breakdown"), which occurs immediately after an event, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which shows up after a delay. Sometimes so-called adjustment disorders are also included, in which a stressful event is difficult to overcome (e.g. separation, job loss).
- Adjustment disorder
- burnout
Personality disorders
Borderliner, narcissistic, dissocial type: Psychology names ten different personality disorders with very different characteristics. They all cause those affected to have significant social deficits and thus cause problems in their interpersonal relationships. It is often difficult for those affected to recognize their behavior as the source of the problem.
- Depersonalization
- Dissociative disorder
- multiple personality disorder
- Munchausen Syndrome
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Paranoid personality disorder
- Psychopathy
- Female narcissism
Organically caused mental disorders
Organic disorders in the brain, such as the death of certain brain cells, cause psychiatric symptoms. A common example of this is dementia, in which not only memory and thinking abilities decline, but also fears and depression often occur.
- Alzheimer
- Chorea huntington
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Dementia Syndrome
- Parkinson's disease dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Vascular dementia
Mental illness in children
An anxiety disorder or depression: Even small children can be seriously ill with mental illness. Young children then often complain of headaches and stomach aches because they have no words for the inner pain. The teenage years and the associated uncertainty is a phase in which mental disorders increase.
The following signs can indicate a mental disorder in childhood and adolescence:
- Anxiety, shyness, withdrawal
- Listlessness, loss of interest
- Hyperactivity, restlessness
- Inattention, difficulty concentrating
- Self-injurious behavior (nail biting, pulling hair out, cracking, etc.)
- aggressiveness
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Falling silent (mutism)
- Compulsively repetitive actions
- Tics (e.g. blinking, twitching, vocalizations)
- Bedwetting
Behavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence
Whether aggressive behavior, extreme shyness or hyperactivity: behavioral problems and disorders in childhood and adolescence prevent young people from developing according to their possibilities. In many cases, behavioral disorders trigger significant social conflict.
- Asperger syndrome
- Tourette syndrome
Mental illness in old age
Mental illnesses are often overlooked in the elderly. Changes in mood such as listlessness, depressed mood and loss of interest are then often classified as normal age-related symptoms, although depression is actually behind it.
Addictions also often go undetected. Unsteady gait, forgetfulness and confusion can also be traced back to alcohol or pill addiction.
In any case, the treatment of mental illnesses is also important in old age. Even in very old people, the mental well-being can be significantly improved and the quality of life significantly increased in the last phase of life.
Mental illness: symptoms
As diverse as mental illnesses are, as diverse are the symptoms that accompany them. For outsiders, they are usually very difficult to understand - and sometimes also frightening. This is another reason why people with mental illnesses are still often excluded.
The following symptoms can indicate a mental disorder:
- Mood swings
- Despondency, listlessness
- Inner restlessness, overexcitation, nervousness
- Trouble sleeping, nightmares
- Memory and concentration disorders
- Fears that are not rationally comprehensible or objectively exaggerated appear
- Loss of libido
- Delusions, hallucinations
- Physical symptoms such as back pain
Suicidal ideation
Some people with severe mental illness develop suicidal thoughts because of the great psychological stress. In severe depression, they are even a common symptom and part of the disease.
It is important for friends or family members to always take hints of suicide seriously. Encourage and support those affected to seek professional help.
Mental illness: causes
A predisposition to mental illness lies dormant in the genes. Mental illnesses often only occur when unfavorable external factors are added. Stressful situations in particular favor the outbreak of mental illness. In addition to negative experiences such as bullying or job loss, these can also be positive ones such as career advancement, moving or the birth of a child.
Imprints in childhood have a significant impact on susceptibility or resistance to mental illness. A reliable, loving and strengthening bond with a caregiver - be it a parent or a person outside the family - is crucial for inner stability.
Mental illness: diagnosis
For mental illness there are currently no objective measurable parameters such as certain blood values or the results of brain scans. The diagnosis is made on the basis of special questionnaires and the subsequent assessment by psychiatrists and psychologists.
It is not easy to make a diagnosis as the symptoms vary widely. In addition, some sick people try to hide their illness out of shame, for example in the case of addictions, or out of mistrust, for example in the case of delusional illnesses.
Mental illness: treatment with medication
Various drugs and psychotherapeutic therapy models are available for the treatment of mental illnesses. Medicines often target the neurotransmitter balance in the brain, which is often out of balance in people with mental illness. Others generally have a calming effect or dampen delusions. Depending on the symptoms, a combination of several active ingredients may be necessary.
Medication for anxiety disorders
The umbrella term anxiety disorders roughly comprises five different forms, each of which has a different drug approval. Among other things, the following are used:
- Citalopram
- Escitalopram
- Paroxetine
- Venlafaxine
- Clomipramine
- Pregabalin
- Moclobemide
- Buspirone
Medication for depression
If depression is treated with medication, it usually takes two to three weeks for the antidepressant (mood-enhancing) effect to occur. Drugs used are:
- Citalopram
- Sertraline
- Fluoxetine
- Venlafaxine
- Duloxetine
- Bupropion
- Mirtazapine
- Trazodone
Medication for mania
Manic disorders are associated with delusional-psychotic complaints, self-damaging behavior and uncritical danger to others. The following are used in drug treatment:
- lithium
- Valproic acid
- Aripiprazole
- Asenapine
- Olanzapine
- Quetiapine
- Risperidone
- Ziprasidone
Medication for psychotic disorders
In many cases, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia require medication. Common active ingredients in therapy are:
- Haloperidol
- Amisulpride
- Aripiprazole
- Risperidone
- Paliperidone
- Ziprasidone
- Olanzapine
- Fluphenazine
Medicines for eating disorders
Eating disorders are the mental health disorders with the highest mortality. They are a common disease in adolescence. If the course is severe, medication therapy may be necessary as part of an overall treatment plan:
- Olanzapine
- Fluoxetine
- Desipramine
- Topiramate
- Amitriptyline
- Imipramine
- Orlistat
Medication for obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder often leads to a severe impairment of the psychosocial functional level. The aim of treatment is to improve the obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The following are used:
- Citalopram
- Escitalopram
- Paroxetine
- Fluvoxamine
- Sertraline
- Clomipramine
- Venlafaxine
Drugs for addictions
Alcohol, opioid, cannabis and cocaine or amphetamine abuse are by far the most common addictions in Europe and the USA. Withdrawal is difficult and is supported by the following drugs:
- Clomethiazole
- Acamprosate
- Disulfiram
- Naloxone
- Naltrexone
- Buprenorphine
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Clonidine
- Desipramine
- Nortriptyline
Drugs for somatoform disorders
Somatoform disorders are physical symptoms for which, despite medical clarification, no sufficiently explanatory organic cause can be found. Examples of helpful drugs in connection with psychotherapy are:
- Opipramol
- Pregabalin
- Gabapentin
- Duloxetine
- Milnacipran
- Citalopram
- Sertraline
- Quetiapine
Medication for personality disorders
In the treatment of people with personality disorders, pharmaceuticals are just one component among many. The following are used, among others:
- Amitriptyline
- Fluoxetine
- Fluvoxamine
- Tranylcypromine
- lithium
- Aripiprazole
- Olanzapine
Drugs for dementia
There are different forms of dementia and not all of them are amenable to drug therapy. The following drugs are available for dementia of the Alzheimer's type:
- Rivastigmine
- Donepezil
- Galantamine
- Memantine
Medication for ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHD) is a complex clinical picture that manifests itself either through an attention disorder or hyperactivity or a combination of both and usually already comes to light in childhood. Approved drugs are:
- Methylphenidate
- amphetamine
- Lisdexamphetamine
- Atomoxetine
- Guanfacine
Mental illnesses: psychotherapeutic treatments
There are a number of different psychotherapeutic approaches. They help overcome entrenched, unfavorable or self-deprecating thought patterns that fuel many mental illnesses. Or they help to control fears and support in resisting addictive impulses.
Many mental illnesses can be positively influenced or even overcome through psychotherapy. A combination of both approaches often makes sense.
Professional help: differences between psychotherapist, psychiatrist, psychologist
Psychotherapist, psychiatrist, psychologist - they are all experts who are familiar with the human psyche. Only those who have completed additional psychotherapeutic training are suitable as therapists.
Not every psychologist is automatically a therapist. This requires a degree with a focus on clinical psychology. This is followed by several years of additional practical training. Since psychological psychotherapists do not have a medical degree, they cannot prescribe psychotropic drugs.
A psychiatrist, on the other hand, has completed a medical degree and then completed specialist training in psychiatry. A psychiatrist can make psychiatric diagnoses and prescribe appropriate medication and refer to a psychological psychotherapist. Psychiatrists rarely offer psychotherapeutic treatment.
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