Psychiatry

DEPRESSION

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorder. Depression may or may not be preceded by a negative life event. Depression is different from the day to day sadness, which is part of normal life. In depression, the sadness remains almost throughout the day and nothing makes the person happy. The person may start losing interest in all the activities, his work performance/academic performance may dip and he may start getting withdrawn (decreasing social interactions). Other symptoms include negative thinking, suicidal thoughts and frequent crying spells. Feeling weak and getting tired easily and poor sleep and appetite are some other common manifestations. Take the following online test to see if you have symptoms of depression:

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Anxiety has become a part and parcel of today’s world. It manifests with feeling of nervousness, increased heart beat (palpitations), tremors, sweating, heaviness in chest, difficulty in breathing and a fear that one will pass out. These symptoms when present in an intense form, constitute a Panic Attack. Another common anxiety disorder is Social Anxiety Disorder, in which the symptoms of anxiety are specifically present in social situations (e.g. in a meeting, while giving a presentation, during stage performance). Another common anxiety disorder is Phobia, or excessive and irrational fear of a situation or an object. Phobias may manifest in various forms such as fear of closed places, fear of travelling alone, fear of crowded places, fear of heights, fear of animals etc. In some patients, the symptoms of anxiety are always present irrespective of the situation. These patients have Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Take the following test to see if you have symptoms of anxiety:

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)

In this disorder, patient has repetitive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Despite understanding, that their thoughts are senseless, patients are not able to stop them and end up repeating a particular behavior. Many patients wash repeatedly, take long bath and clean the house for long hours, others keep on checking locks and gates, while many patients keep on getting unacceptable thoughts of sexual or religious nature. Obsessive compulsive disorder needs long term treatment which includes both medications and psychotherapy (counselling sessions).

SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that is characterised by presence of delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations. The patient may show suspiciousness towards family members, neighbours etc. Patient may appear fearful and may also at times become violent. There may be muttering to self (talking to self), poor hygiene, poor sleep and poor appetite. Apart, there may be negative symptoms such as not going to school, college, work; speaking less; lack of concern for others; lack of socialising. Schizophrenia needs long term medical treatment. However many a times patient refuses to accept that he has an illness and also refuses to take medicines. In such cases, injectable medications can be used (which are administered once a month)

BIPOLAR DISORDER

In this illness, patient has episodes of mania and depression. The manic episode is characterised by overtalkativeness, increased activity levels, irritability, decreased sleep, involvement in a lot of activities, increased sexual desire and increase in spending.

ALCOHOL, TOBACCO & OTHER DRUGS USE

Use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (cannabis, opioids, LSD etc) is increasing rapidly in our society. The adolescents and children have also started taking drugs from a very young age. These drugs not only cause significant damage to physical health but can also cause mental illnesses like psychosis and depression. It’s important to take the treatment as early as possible and treat the drugs problem as a medical disorder and not just as a bad habit.

CHILDHOOD PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

The common childhood psychiatric disorders include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (characterised by increased activity levels, poor attention, distractibility, impulsivity), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (characterised by poor social interaction, delayed language development, and having restricted interest in activities), Conduct Disorder (characterised by stealing, frequent lying, getting into fights, refusal to obey parents and teachers, truancy, hitting animals etc), Mental Retardation (low intelligence levels) and Learning Disorders (difficulty in reading, writing or arithmetics)

DEMENTIA

Dementia is a disorder seen in elderlies. The most characteristic symptoms is loss of memory. The patient may also have disturbances in speech, daily activities as well as difficulty in identifying faces and recalling words. The patient may show changes in behaviour, may become suspicious, irritable, quarrelsome. The patient may look apathetic or depressed.