Running Head: Psychiatric Disorders, Diseases, and Drugs

Psychiatric Disorders, Diseases, and Drugs

Sheldon Richardson
1/15/15
University of Phoenix

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Psychiatric Disorders, Diseases, and Drugs

There are many different types of psychiatric disorders. What is a psychiatric disorder?
Well, a psychiatric disorder is an illness that interferes with the way a person behaves, interacts
with others, and functions in daily life. Psychiatric disorder is sometime referred to as a mental
illness. In this topic, I will be discussing five different psychiatric disorders which are:
Schizophrenia, Depression, Mania, Anxiety Disorder, and Tourette syndrome.
Schizophrenia means the splitting of psychic functions. Schizophrenia is a severe brain
disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Symptoms of schizophrenia fall into two
major categories: positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms of
schizophrenia are symptoms that seem to represent an excess or distortion of normal function.
Delusions is a symptom. Delusions are false beliefs that are not part of the person's culture and
do not change. People with schizophrenia can have delusions that seem bizarre, such as believing
that neighbors can control their behavior with magnetic waves. Another positive symptom is
hallucinations, which are things a person sees, hears, smells, or feels that no one else can see,
hear, smell, or feel. "Voices" are the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Also,
Odd behavior. Difficulty performing everyday tasks, lack of personal hygiene, talking in rhymes,
catatonia (remaining motionless, often in awkward positions for long periods). Some negative
symptoms include the following: "Flat affect" (a person's face does not move or he or she talks in
a dull or monotonous voice), lack of pleasure in everyday life, lack of ability to begin and sustain
planned activities, Speaking little, even when forced to interact. Schizophrenia is believed to be
caused by several factors. Genes and the environment believed to play a factor in the cause.
Many environmental factors may be involved, such as exposure to viruses or malnutrition before
birth, problems during birth, and other not yet known psychosocial factors. Also, problems with

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certain naturally occurring brain chemicals, including neurotransmitters called dopamine and
glutamate, also may contribute to the cause schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications are the
most commonly prescribed drugs to treat schizophrenia. They're thought to control symptoms by
affecting the brain neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Antipsychotic medications have
been available since the 1950's. The older types are called "typical" antipsychotics and the new
antipsychotic medications are called atypical which came in 1990s. Clozaril is an effective
medication that treats the symptoms like hallucinations but this drug can also cause a serious
problem called agranulocytosis which is a loss of white blood cells that help a person fight off
infections. Chlorpromazine, have also some neurological side effects, including the possibility
developing a movement disorder (tardive dyskinesia) that may or may not be reversible. It is the
best option to take treatment of schizophrenia it is the best option usually to combat the disorder.
Secondly, another psychiatric disorder is called depression. I am sure we all have suffered
from a form of depression. Depression is a normal reaction to grievous loss such as the loss of a
loved one, the loss of self-esteem, or the loss of health. When a person is repeatedly falling into a
depression throughout their lives and this prevents them from leading productive lives, they are
experiencing clinical depression. Depression is an affective disorder (any psychiatric disorder
characterized by disturbances of mood or emotion). There are two theories associated with
depression which are; The Diathesis-Stress Model and Monoamine Theory. The monoamine
theory of depression holds that depression is associated with underactivity at serotonergic and
noradrenergic synapses. The Diathesis-Stress Model uses genetic factors to determine the
susceptibility of depression. The central idea of the Diathesis-Stress Model is that if susceptible
individuals are exposed to stress early in life, their systems become permanently sensitized, and
they overreact to mild stressors for the rest of their lives. Treatment can be administered to

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people suffering from depression. The most common treatments are medication and
psychotherapy. Antidepressants primarily work on brain chemicals called neurotransmitters,
especially serotonin and norepinephrine. Some of the newest and most popular antidepressants
are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Some antidepressants include; Prozac,
Zoloft, and Celexa are some of the most commonly prescribed SSRIs for depression. Some
negative side effects include addiction, suicide risk, sexual dysfunction; gastrointestinal
problems, motor problems, anxiety and obesity, but about half of all depressed patients see an
enhancement in their state.
Mania, another affective disorder, is in some respects the opposite of depression; it is
characterized by overconfidence, impulsivity, distractibility, and high energy. Many patients are
diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder that goes through both mania and depression stage.
Those depressive patients who do not experience periods of mania suffer from unipolar affective
disorder. Common treatment to treat Mania are antidepressants. Four main antidepressant drugs
include: MAO (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors), Tricyclic, Lithium, and SSRI. Taking MAO,
there is a health risk involved and this effect is known as the cheese-effect. Taking MAO when
combined with foods high in tyramine such as cheese or wine, it can increase blood pressure
which run the risk of strokes caused by surges in blood pressure.
A most common known psychiatric disorder is called Anxiety. Anxiety disorders are
characterized by fear, nervousness, stress, and worrying. There are some common known anxiety
disorders faced. A wide variety of anxiety disorders, include, post-traumatic stress disorder,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder to name a few. Serotonin agonists and
Benzodiazepines are used to treat with people suffering with anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines
also used to help patients with sleeping disorders. Benzodiazepines have several adverse side

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effects: sedation, ataxia, tremor, nausea, and a withdrawal reaction that includes rebound anxiety.
Another serious problem with benzodiazepines is that they are highly addictive.
Lastly, Tourette syndrome is a disorder of tics a la repetitive, involuntary, vocalizations or
stereotyped movements. It typically begins early in lifeusually in childhood or early
adolescencewith simple motor tics, such as eye blinking or head movements, but the
symptoms tend to become more complex and severe as the patient grows older. Treatment
usually consist of medication and therapy for people suffering from Tourette syndrome. The tics
of Tourette syndrome are usually treated with neuroleptics. Neuroleptics can reduce tics by about
70%, but in practice their benefits are only modest because patients often refuse, or are not
allowed by their parents, to take them because of the adverse side effects such as, weight gain,
fatigue, and dry mouth.
In conclusion, the many psychiatric disorders discussed, each one of them have a
dramatic impact on people lives each and every day. We must continue to research these
disorders to design a probable solution to each disorder to better the person suffering and to
provide much relief for the families of the person suffering from the disorder.
References
Biopsychology, Eighth Edition, by John P.J. Pinel 2011
The National Institute of Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/