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What Is It? Why Do I Have It? How Do I Cope?

Some Background

Have you ever worried about your health? Money? The well-being of your family? Who hasn’t, right? These are common issues we all deal with and worry about from time to time. However, if you find yourself in constant worry over anything and everything in your life, even when there should be no cause for concern, you might be suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. People with this condition often recognize they are “over-worrying” about a lot of issues, but have no control over the worry and associated anxiety. It is constant and can interfere with your ability to relax or sleep well and can cause you to startle easily.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders and affects approximately 3.1% of the American adult population. With 6.8 million reported cases among American adults aged 18 and older, the average age of onset is 31 years old. While it can occur at any point of life, the most common points of onset occur between childhood and middle age. If you are a woman, you are twice as likely to suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder than men.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is different than having a phobia about something. People with phobias are fearful of something in particular – for example, spiders, heights, or speaking in public. If you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you have an uneasy feeling about life in general. Often associated with feelings of dread or unease, you are in a state of constant worry over everything. If a friend doesn’t call you back within an hour, you may start to worry you did something wrong and the friend is upset with you. If you are waiting for someone to pick you up and he is a few minutes late – you may start to fear the worst – that he was in an accident, instead of thinking something more minor, like he got stuck in traffic. The feelings are not as intense as those that occur during a panic attack episode; however, the feelings are long-lasting. This results in having anxiety toward your life in general and the inability to relax – what some may consider far more debilitating than a specific phobia to a certain thing or situation, which you could possible avoid. There is no “off” switch. If you are suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you are experiencing a constant state of worry – and you cannot avoid it, because life, in general, is causing you anxiety.

Studies have shown that if you are living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you are more likely to also suffer from other mental health issues and ailments. Common conditions that are associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder include depression, irritable bowel syndrome, stress, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse.

What are the Symptoms?

If you are suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you just can’t shake your concerns about anything and everything. And the severity of the condition may come and go. During mild episodes of your condition, you are more likely to be able to hold down a job and not have the disorder interfere too much with your social life. When your anxiety flares up, you might experience difficulty with everyday life situations and find the simplest tasks unbearable.

So how do you know if your anxiety is “normal” or “excessive?” It’s normal to be worried about an upcoming test or wondering how you are going to cope financially when you unexpectedly find out you need major repairs done to your house. If you are suffering from the type of excessive worry that accompanies Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you may see a report on the local news about a new health scare in a different country and stay awake at night worrying about you or your family being affected, even though risks are minimal at best. You will likely spend the next few days and weeks in a constant state of worry about the well-being of your family and experience anxiety that is debilitating, intrusive, excessive, and persistent.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder can present itself mentally and physically. If you think you are suffering from this condition, you might be experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms:

• Perpetual state of constant worry
• Inability to relax or enjoy quiet time
• Muscle tightness or body aches
• Feeling tense
• Avoidance of stressful situations
• Difficulty concentrating or focusing on things
• No tolerance for uncertainty – needing to know what is going to happen and how it is going to happen
• Constant feelings of dread or apprehension
• Feeling overwhelmed and avoiding things or situations because of it
• Intrusive thoughts of things that cause you to worry – even when you try to stop thinking about them
• Feeling like you can’t control your emotions and constant worry – nothing you do helps you to relax
• Not being able to sleep at all or to sleep well because you are in a constant state of worry
• Feeling jumpy, on edge, or restless
• Stomach upset – including nausea and diarrhea
• Fatiguing easily
• Heart palpitations – feeling like your heart is racing
• Trembles or shakes
• Sweating and dry mouth
• Having difficulty breathing and/or feeling like you are choking
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Cold chills or hot flashes
• Numbness or tingling sensations
• Feeling like you have a lump in your throat
• Persistent irritability

To be classified with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, you must be experiencing a constant state of worry about a variety of everyday situations for at least six months. In addition, you must be experiencing at least three of the following six symptoms:

• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep disturbances
• Easy fatigue
• Restlessness or feeling on edge

Guidelines about diagnosis and treatment follow.

How is it Diagnosed? What Causes it?

Great questions. Unfortunately, there is usually no clear cut answer – and like many mental health disorders – it is likely caused by a combination of genetic, behavioral, and developmental factors. Anatomically speaking, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is most closely related to a disruption in the functional connectivity of the amygdala – the “emotional control center” of the brain – and how it processes feelings of fear and anxiety. Genetics also play a role in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. If you have a family member that also suffers from this disorder, your chances of suffering from it are increased, especially in the presence of a life stressor. Interestingly, long-term substance abuse also increases your chances of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, as the use of benzodiazepines can worsen your anxiety levels, as can excessive alcohol use. Tobacco use and caffeine are also both associated with increased levels of anxiety.

If you believe you are suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, your doctor will perform a variety of physical exams as well as mental health checks. You might first go to your doctor complaining of constant headaches and trouble sleeping. After he or she rules out any underlying medical conditions that are causing your physical symptoms, s/he may refer you to a mental health specialist for further diagnosis. Your mental health specialist will ask you a series of psychological questions to get a better understanding of your condition. To be clinically diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, your doctor and/or mental health provider will assess the length of time you have been suffering from excessive worry and anxiety, your difficulty in controlling your anxiety, how your anxiety interferes with your daily life, and if you are experiencing fatigue, restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating.

What Treatment Options are Available?

Like other anxiety disorders, medications and therapy are the most common treatment options if you are suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Psychotherapy – often referred to as “talk” therapy is one treatment option. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a very common method of psychotherapy that has shown great results for people living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This form of therapy is geared toward helping you recognize and understand your thoughts and the pattern of any negative thoughts you may experience. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on teaching you coping skills or mechanisms you can use to help you return to normal functioning and ease your feelings of anxiety. It is normally a short-term therapy and people who undergo this type of psychotherapy have found great results.

Medications are also a common form of treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The most common types of medications prescribed to individuals living with this form of anxiety include anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and in some cases, sedatives. Antidepressants are used to treat depression, but have been found effective in the treatment of anxiety as well. They commonly take a couple of weeks to start taking effect and may cause some mild side effects, including headache, nausea, or difficulty sleeping. Most of the side effects are mild and tend to subside within a few weeks. Anti-anxiety medication is also often prescribed to help individuals cope with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. These types of drugs are powerful in their treatment of this type of anxiety; one of the most commonly prescribed types is a drug called buspirone often under the brand nane Buspar.

During acute attacks of anxiety, your doctor may prescribe a sedative to ease your anxiety symptoms – though these should be used as needed and on a short-term basis.

Some people find that medication alone can be helpful in the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, while others are more likely to benefit from psychotherapy. Some find that the combination of psychotherapy and medication is the best course of action. Engaging in certain behaviors may also ease your anxiety and promote a healthier lifestyle. These include:

• Daily exercise
• Limiting or stopping the use of caffeine
• Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet
• Stress management techniques – such as yoga or meditation

To decrease the occurrence of your anxiety in general, don’t miss your medication or any counseling sessions – even if you don’t feel like talking or feel “fine” and make sure you attend your regularly scheduled doctor’s appointments.

Cyclothymic Personality Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

What is Cyclothymia?

Most people have heard of bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder), where individuals experience cycles of highs and lows (mania and depression). But, what is cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder)? Cyclothymia is a rare mood disorder which has similar characteristics of bipolar disorder, just in a milder and more chronic form. If you are suffering from cyclothymia, you experience cyclic highs and lows that are persistent for at least two years or more. With cyclothymic disorder, your lows are a mild depression – not characteristic of full major depression. Your highs are classified as symptomatic of hypomania – a less severe form of mania. During your highs, your mood elevates for a time before returning to its baseline. During your lows you feel mildly depressed. In between your elevated and depressed moods, you are likely to feel like yourself.

Everyone has their ups and downs, right? What distinguishes cyclothymia from regular mood swings? Cyclothymia can increase your chances of developing bipolar disorder (estimates vary widely from a 15% to 50% increased risk of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder if suffering from cyclothymia) and your highs and lows interfere with your daily life functions and relationships – so it’s essential to seek treatment to get a handle on the disorder before it becomes fully disruptive.

It is estimated that the rate of occurrence of cyclothymia in the general population is between 0.4% to 1%, with it equally affecting men and women. Though, women are more likely to seek treatment. While typical onset of the disorder occurs during adolescence, its onset is consistently hard to identify. Risk of suffering from Attention-Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder, substance abuse, and sleep disorders are elevated among individuals suffering from cyclothymic disorder.

What are the Symptoms?

The standard diagnostic criteria from the American Psychiatric Association states that to be diagnosed with cyclothymia, you must meet all of the following:

• Multiple periods of hypomanic symptoms that do not meet criteria for a hypomanic episode and multiple periods of depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria for a major depressive episode for at least two years (one year for children and adolescents)
• Throughout the two year (one for children and adolescents) time frame, symptoms of hypomania and depression have been present for at least half the time, with no more than two consecutive months showing no symptoms
• Criteria for a major depressive episode, manic episode, or hypomanic episode have never been met
• Other mental disorders (e.g., schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder) have been ruled as the the contributing factor to hypomanic and depressive symptoms
• Hypomanic and depressive symptoms are not related to medications, substance abuse, or other medical conditions
• Hypomanic and depressive symptoms cause significant disruption in social, occupational, or other functional areas

If you or someone you know is suffering from cyclothymia, depressive signs and symptoms may include the following:

• Feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness
• Irritability
• Feeling tearful
• Sleep disturbances – sleeping much more or much less than usual
• Restlessness
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Fatigue
• Concentration problems
• Suicidal thoughts
• Loss of interest in activities once considered pleasurable
• Weight changes – due to eating much more or much less than usual
• Lack of motivation
• Impaired judgment, planning, or problem-solving abilities
• Low self-esteem
• Pessimism
• Loneliness
• Submissiveness
• Social withdrawal
• Difficulty handling conflict
• Lacking meaning and purpose in life

If you or someone you know is suffering from cyclothymia, hypomanic signs and symptoms may include the following:

• Euphoric state – exaggerated sense of well-being and happiness
• Inflated self-esteem
• Inflated optimism
• Irritability and agitation
• Decreased need for sleep
• Racing thoughts
• Poor judgment resulting in risky behaviors
• Talking more than usual
• Excessive physical activity
• Easily distracted
• Concentration problems
• Increased drive to perform or reach goals
• Hyperactivity – inability to sit still
• Emotional instability – overreacting to events
• Reckless thrill seeking (e.g., gambling, sports)
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility

What are the Causes and Risk Factors?

Like most mental health disorders, the exact cause of cyclothymia is unknown. However, the genetic component of cyclothymia is strong. For cyclothymia, major depression, and bipolar mood disorders, a family history indicates a greater risk of development. Twin studies suggest that the risk of developing cyclothymia is 2-3 times more likely if an identical twin is diagnosed with the disorder, pointing to the strong genetic component of the mood disorder.

Environmental factors are also a likely contributing factor to being diagnosed with cyclothymia. As with bipolar disorder and major depression, certain life events may increase your chances of developing cyclothymia. These include things like physical or sexual abuse or other traumatic experiences and prolonged periods of stress.

Cyclothymia Tests and Diagnoses

If you think you might be suffering from cyclothymia, seek the help of your medical doctor or mental health provider. Your doctor will likely perform a series of tests to make sure the causes of your depressive and hypomanic symptoms are not due to an underlying medical condition or medication you are taking.

Your mental health provider will perform a series of assessments to diagnose the occurrence of cyclothymia, with the ultimate diagnosis being made on your mood history. During your psychological evaluation, the doctor will ask about your family history of mood disorders and might ask you to complete a daily diary of your moods to indicate mood swings that occur during a typical day.

Treatment Options

Medications and psychotherapy are the common treatment options prescribed to patients living with cyclothymia. Treatment is usually a chronic, lifelong process, with the aim to decrease your depressive and hypomanic symptoms and to decrease your risk of developing bipolar disorder.

Currently, there are no known medications that can effectively treat cyclothymia, though, your doctor may prescribe commonly used medications known to treat bipolar disorder to ease your symptoms and reduce their frequency. Commonly prescribed drug treatments include the use of anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotics – such as Lithium and Quetiapine. Antidepressants have not been shown to be effective in the treatment of cyclothymia.

More research is needed to successfully conclude the benefits of psychotherapy, or talk therapy, in the treatment of cyclothymia. However, some of the common methods used to treat bipolar disorder are also used in the treatment of cyclothymia, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – a focus on changing negative thoughts and beliefs into positive ones; stress management techniques; identification of trigger points
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – teaches awareness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation
• Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) – a focus on the stabilization of daily rhythms – especially related to sleep, wake, and mealtimes; routines being indicative of helping stabilize moods

Living with Cyclothymia

Less than half of individuals living with cyclothymia develop bipolar disorder. In most, cyclothymia is a chronic disorder that remains prevalent throughout the lifetime. In others, cyclothymia seems to dissipate and resolve itself over time.

The effects of cyclothymia can be detrimental to social, family, work, and romantic relationships. In addition, the impulsivity associated with hypomanic symptoms can lead to poor life choices, legal issues, and financial difficulties. Research has also shown that if you are suffering from cyclothymic disorder, you are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

To decrease the negative effects of cyclothymia on your daily life, take your medications as directed, do not use alcohol or take recreational drugs, track your moods to provide helpful information to your mental health provider about the effectiveness of treatment, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly.

A Guide to Spotting the Signs of Borderline Personality Disorder – BPD

A personality disorder is a pattern of feelings and behaviors that seem appropriate and justified to the person experiencing them, even though these feelings and behaviors cause a great deal of problems in that person’s life.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder that typically includes the following symptoms:

• Inappropriate or extreme emotional reactions
• Highly impulsive behaviors
• A history of unstable relationships

Intense mood swings, impulsive behaviors, and extreme reactions can make it difficult for people with borderline personality disorder to complete schooling, maintain stable jobs and have long-lasting, healthy relationships.

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder symptoms vary from person to person and women are more likely to have this disorder than men. Common symptoms of the disorder include the following:

• Having an unstable or dysfunctional self-image or a distorted sense of self (how one feels about one’s self)
• Feelings of isolation, boredom and emptiness
• Difficulty feeling empathy for others
• A history of unstable relationships that can change drastically from intense love and idealization to intense hate
• A persistent fear of abandonment and rejection, including extreme emotional reactions to real and even perceived abandonment
• Intense, highly changeable moods that can last for several days or for just a few hours
• Strong feelings of anxiety, worry and depression
• Impulsive, risky, self-destructive and dangerous behaviors, including reckless driving, drug or alcohol abuse and having unsafe sex
• Hostility
• Unstable career plans, goals and aspirations

Many people experience one or more of the above symptoms regularly, but a person with borderline personality disorder will experience many of the symptoms listed above consistently throughout adulthood.

The term “borderline” refers to that fact that people with this condition tend to “border” on being diagnosed with additional mental health conditions in their lifetime, including psychosis.

One of the ironies of this disorder is that people with BPD may crave closeness, but their intense and unstable emotional responses tend to alienate others, causing long-term feelings of isolation.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Suicidality

Around 80 percent of people with borderline personality disorder display suicidal behaviors, including suicide attempts, cutting themselves, burning themselves, and other self-destructive acts. It is estimated that between 4 and 9 percent of people with BPD will die by suicide.

Help for Borderline Personality Disorder

Living with borderline personality disorder, or being in a relationship with someone who has BPD, can be stressful. It can be very difficult to acknowledge and accept the reality of BPD, but treatment may help.

If you are concerned that you, or that someone you care about, may have borderline personality disorder, contact a licensed mental health professional. Many supportive healthcare professionals are available to help you get started on the path to healing. Since BPD can be a complex condition, and treatment usually requires long-term talk therapy, it will be important to find a mental health professional who has expertise in treating this condition.

It is possible to learn how to manage feelings better and find ways to have healthier and more rewarding relationships. With the help of talk therapy, one can learn how to reduce impulsive and self-destructive behaviors and understand more about the condition. With a commitment to long-term treatment, positive and healthy change is within reach.

Lives are Saved with Proper Diagnosis & Treatment

What Is It?

You’ve been diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder – what are you experiencing? Hallucinations? Delusions? How do you feel? Depressed? Manic? Schizoaffective disorder is characterized by two types of mental disorders – schizophrenia and mood disorder. If you have schizoaffective disorder, you experience symptoms of both a loss of contact with reality and a type of mood disorder – depression or mania. If you are coping with schizoaffective disorder, you might have originally been misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia, depression, major depression, or bipolar disorder. This is because of the overlap between these mental health conditions that present themselves in schizoaffective disorder. If you suffer from this condition, you do not meet the necessary diagnostic symptoms for either schizophrenia, depression, or bipolar disorder alone. Rather, your symptoms represent a combination of them – psychosis and a mood disorder. This is why schizoaffective disorder is typically poorly understood among mental health professionals and medical practitioners. The mixture of symptoms across different types of mental illness that present themselves uniquely from person to person makes this disorder a very hard one to define and diagnose.

Schizoaffective disorder appears in a very small percentage of the population – 0.3% and is experienced almost equally among women and men. Women only have a negligibly higher rate of occurrence than men (insert cite). Though, men typically experience a slightly earlier onset than women. The disorder typically surfaces in young adulthood and is first diagnosed through observation of individual behavior and the affected person’s reported experiences – for example, hallucinations, delusions, depression, hypomania. Reported cases of schizoaffective disorder in children is effectively non-existent or very, very rare. If you suffer from schizoaffective disorder, you might report seeing things, hearing voices, and also experience depression or hypomania. It’s the combination of these factors that points to a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. If you were only experiencing hallucinations, disorganized speech, or delusions – a mental health professional would consider a form of psychosis, usually schizophrenia, as the culprit. If you only experienced symptoms of depression or mania, or ups and downs of both – you are likely to be diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder alone.

Because of its debilitating conditions, if you are affected by schizoaffective disorder, it has likely negatively impacted your life. You could be having a hard time in school, staying in school, finding and keeping a job, and lead an overall lonely life. Because of this condition, you are more likely to heavily rely on your family members and friends for support, causing a strain in those relationships, or live in supportive environments, such as group homes. In many cases, people suffering from schizoaffective disorder who do not undergo or maintain treatment end up homeless.

What are the Symptoms?

There are a number of signs and symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. As previously mentioned, if you are suffering from this disorder, you will experience both psychotic symptoms and mood disorder symptoms – either depressive or manic states. The psychotic symptoms in schizoaffective disorder remain even if you are no longer experiencing mood disorder symptoms at the time of occurrence and are reflective of your inability to determine what is real from what is imagined. The symptoms of individuals experiencing schizoaffective disorder may vary greatly between person to person and may come in more mild or more severe forms. Some of the common signs and symptoms, presented by mood and psychosis, are listed below.

If you have schizoaffective disorder, your symptoms may include:

Depression:

• Poor appetite
• Weight loss or gain
• Lack of energy
• Loss of interest in everyday activities
• Agitation, excessive restlessness
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness
• Changes in sleeping patterns (sleeping much more or much less)
• Guilt or self-blame
• Inability to concentrate
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Feelings of constant sadness or fatigue
• Complaints of various physical symptoms

Mania:

• Increased activity related to work, social engagements, and sexual activity
• Agitation
• Rapid and racing thoughts
• Increased talking and/or rapid talking
• Little need for sleep or rest
• Easily distracted
• Inflated self-esteem
• Engaging in self-destructive or dangerous behavior (for example, speeding and overall reckless driving, going on spending sprees, participating in unsafe sexual behaviors)
• Cheerfulness that rapidly turns to irritability
• Indiscreet sexual advances and poor financial investments, impulsive choices
• Paranoia and rage

Schizophrenia:

• Hallucinations (perception of sensations that are not based in reality – for example, hearing voices or seeing things that do not actually exist)
• Delusions (strange beliefs, not based in reality, that the individual believes to be true even when presented with factual information that is based in reality)
• Disorganized thinking and speech (rapidly going from topic to topic – not following through on thoughts)
• Slow movements or immobility
• Odd or unusual behavior
• No motivation or poor motivation
• Lack of emotion in facial expressions and/or speech
• Overall problems with speech and communication
• Appearing apathetic
• Emotionally unresponsive
• Possess inappropriate emotional reactions
• Lack of concern with hygiene or grooming
• Paranoid thoughts and ideas
• Impaired occupational and social functioning

How is it Diagnosed and What Causes It?

If you think you might be suffering from schizoaffective disorder, schedule an appointment with your doctor or a mental health professional. They can help assess your symptoms and thoughts and point you in the right direction for treatment and a better quality of life. If you a friend or family member of someone you think might be suffering from schizoaffective disorder, you cannot force them to go see a doctor, but you can and should encourage and support them in their time of need.

When going for treatment, your health care provider will perform a number of tests to gather information about your behavior and symptoms. You may undergo a variety of blood tests and brain imaging (e.g., MRI) to rule out other physical conditions. A psychiatrist may be brought in to confirm a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. By definition, to be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, you must possess symptoms indicative of both psychosis and a mood disorder. Additionally, psychotic symptoms (e.g., hallucinations or delusions) must still be present during periods of a normal mood for at least two weeks. Because psychosis can present itself in a variety of mood disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder), it is necessary to continue to see psychotic symptoms during periods of normal mood for a correct diagnosis. If you are suffering from this condition, your mood disorder is likely present for the majority of the total duration of the illness. In addition, drug abuse and or different medications cannot be the cause of the symptoms. Some research that may help diagnose schizoaffective disorder in individuals include, the onset of illness in early adulthood, a person’s difficulty in visually following a moving object, and dreaming (rapid eye movement) that begins unusually early in the night.

You may be wondering why you are experiencing schizoaffective disorder. What caused it? Did you get it from your parents? Was it something you experienced that led to this disorder? A brain chemical malfunction? In all likelihood – it was caused by a combination of all of those factors. While the exact cause of schizoaffective disorder is unknown, genetics, brain chemistry and structure, stress, and drug use have been found to all be contributing factors. Genetically-speaking, schizoaffective disorder does run in families. This is not a certain factor that because a relative has it, you will also suffer from it. It just means that it increases your chances of suffering from this disorder. Brain structure and chemistry may also contribute to this disorder – but the research behind this is still in its infancy. Scientists are using brain scans to aggressively advance research in this area. Stressful life situations have been found to correlate with the onset of the disorder – things like a death in the family, job loss, or other tragic events may trigger symptoms. Certain psychoactive drugs, such as LSD, have also been linked to the development of schizoaffective disorder.

How is it Treated?

The two most common treatments for individuals suffering from schizoaffective disorder are medications and psychotherapy. If you have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, you are likely undergoing both types of treatment for the best possible effect on your well-being. Medications, including mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotic medications are usually prescribed for this disorder. The antipsychotic medications are used to treat the psychotic episodes experienced in schizoaffective disorder and the mood stabilizers and antidepressants are used to treat the mood disorder side of the condition.

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy has shown to be very effective in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder as well. This type of therapy will help you create plans, solve problems, and maintain relationships. Group therapy sessions have been shown to help you if you are suffering from social isolation. The goals of psychotherapy including educating you about your illness and manage everyday problems that are associated with it. Skills training focuses on work and social skills related to grooming and hygiene and money and home management.

While there is no cure for schizoaffective disorder, you have a great chance of coping and operating with this disorder while undergoing medication and psychotherapy than individuals who do not seek treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment is key to reducing or avoiding frequent relapses or possible hospitalization related to the condition. In addition, treatment and diagnosis helps to restore family and social relationships and decrease the occurrence of disruption to your life, family, and relationships.

Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, chief physician at Salpetriere Hospital in Paris though he had discovered a new disease. This was the late 1880s when a lot more new diseases were being discovered. He called this new disease Hystero-Epilepsy. As you can tell by the name the disorder was thought to combine some traits of two already discovered mental disorders, hysteria, and epilepsy. Ever since this was first discovered people have been fascinated with what has later become known as Multiple Personality Disorder.

The symptoms when the disease was first discovered were contortions, convulsions, fainting, and impaired consciousness. Charcot was considered the preeminent French psychologist at the time and was able to demonstrate the symptoms in his patients to his staff all around the hospital. Ever since the disease was first discovered we have learned more and more about it and it has developed into being called Multiple Personality Disorder.

Multiple Personality Disorder is being diagnosed more and more as we move forward. As a result of this, more and more students are questioning whether or not the disease actually exists at all. Most of the symptoms found with MPD are found in other diseases that have been known for hundreds of years and they don’t really teach us anything new about mental health.

Not everyone believed Charcot when he first came up with hystero-epilepsy. One of the most noted doubters of Charcot’s initial discovery was actually one of his students, Joseph Babinsky. He felt that Charcot had in fact invented the disease. He said that he demonstrated the symptoms of convincing patients that were actually much more mentally healthy and had only more mild complaints that they had this serious disease. Once he convinced them that they had the disease he would invite them to join his other patients that he said had the disease. Babinski felt that they started having seizures not because they had epilepsy, but because they had been stuck in Charcot’s treatment ward for so long that they were imitating other patients with epilepsy and making it seem like they had hystero-epilepsy.

Babinski eventually proved his point with Charcot. He proved that some patients could be convinced that they had mental diseases that they didn’t have. This was especially true with women that had been under some kind of distress or other mentally vulnerable patients. This led to Babinsky and Charcot working together to develop a treatment program for their patients. Because of Babinsky’s claim, one of the tenants of this treatment procedure isolation to reduce the effect that other patients had the symptoms of other patients in the ward.

The very first patients that had the disease of hystero-epilepsy were put in general wards of the hospital while still being separated from each other. This means that they were kept apart from anyone that was observed to have been exhibiting the same symptoms associated with the disease that they were. This treatment method was very effective as far as reducing the symptoms is concerned.

After isolation, there was another step to the treatment, this step was called counter suggestion. This step was designed to give their patients a different self-view. This adjusted self-view could cause the patients to stop having the symptoms associated with the disease. Some of these counter suggestions would be viewed as inhumane today. They included electric shock therapy. The most effective way to treat it was to completely ignore that the patient was showing the symptoms at all.

When the staff members that were treating these patients began to ignore the symptoms that they were displaying, they did it gradually. They would ignore the hysterics that the patient was going through and instead talk to them as if they wanted to treat some other problem that may be causing the symptoms in the first place. When this happens, the patient doesn’t feel the need to produce the symptoms because they are starting to realize that the disease isn’t real. Babinsky and Charcot then would later understand who actually had the disease because of the people who were still exhibiting hysteroeplieptic symptoms well after the counter suggestion had been enacted. Other patients simply found much more constructive ways to deal with their problems other than having hysterical outbreaks.

These rules and guidelines that Charcot and Babinsky found when it came to diagnosing hystero-epilepsy are not being used today by psychiatrists that are diagnosing patients as having Multiple Personality Disorder. This is causing a nationwide problem with the over diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder nationwide. The disease will respond to standard treatments because, like other mental diseases, it acts by making the person have a obscured view of themselves.

The most obvious way that these two diseases have come to be over diagnosed and incorrectly diagnosed by mental health professionals has to do with their origin. Both hystero-epilepsy and Multiple Personality Disorder were diseases that were invented by humans. They aren’t a virus or a bacteria that is found in nature. Therapists both discovered and invented the guidelines by which they are diagnosed in patients. This is why many MPD diagnosis’s are contested by other medical professionals and therapists. It is also peculiar to note how much more MPD is being found in people as it is portrayed more in movies and on television. The disease is well known in homes everywhere and has been somewhat romanticized by Hollywood and the media.

Here is some advice on how to get alternative personalities to appear in people. Stephen E. Buie, M.D., in North Carolina has offered some tips on how to get them to come out. He says that most alternate personalities will come out during the time that the patient is being assessed by their therapists. This is peculiar and does make the disease questionable in the person that is believed to have it. A great way to get the other personalities to come out is to ask questions of the patient and start out very broad by just suggesting that they may have alternate personalities in their psyche. Then get more specific about who the different personalities are until one of them reveals itself during the interview. Sometimes you can talk to the other personalities simply by asking permission to do so.

When the patient allows their doctor to speak with one of their alternative personalities they have then committed to the idea of having the disease. They now know that they have MPD and must keep up the appearance that they have the disease if they are pretending to have it. Usually, they will be placed in some kind of care depending on the severity of their specific case of Multiple Personality Disorder. It is usually easier for psychiatrists to find other alters once the first alter has been found. This is because the line between fantasy and reality for the patient has become more blurred.

It is interesting to note that patients have been known to develop more and more alters as the disease goes on. Sometimes patients will start with just 2 or 3 alter personalities and it will develop into nearly one hundred. It is common for those with MPD to have personalities of both sexes. In fact, multiple sex personalities are found in just about every patient that has MPD. There are even some patients that have alters that are animals like dogs, cats, or some kind of farm animal.

There are some underlying threads between patients when it comes to those with MPD. One of those is that most people with MPD have a similar background. The usual genesis of MPD is some kind of childhood sexual trauma enacted on the patient when they were a child. An inordinately high number of people with MPD have experienced some kind of childhood sexual trauma of some kind. It is thought that the trauma is troubling that the individual breaks off from themselves and creates other personalities that don’t have the problem. They may also have a personality that stops developing from the age at which the trauma happened. The therapist and the patient may search together for alter personalities that remember this trauma so that they can hash it out and work on it. Once this is addressed it can go a long way towards ending the MPD.

Modern patients, like the patients of Babinsky and Charcot, almost all had some kind of personal conflict or trauma that was said to be the cause for the hystero-epilepsy or the MPD. The problem with this disease is that people get so distracted by the dramatic symptoms that they fail to address the needs of the actual patient themselves. When therapists treat only the symptoms they may never end as the patient just enters and endless cycle related to the disease. This is why MPD is thought to be chronic in many individuals.

Charcot came to the realization that he was helping patients invent this disease and took them out of the special hospital areas that he had created for them. Isolation was found to be a much more effective method of treatment for hystero-epilepsy as it helped weed out those patients that didn’t actually have the disease. He came to the realization that it was better to ignore the alter personalities that the patients were displaying and treat just the problems of the original personality. Once these rules are followed, the MPD seems to go away by itself from in cases where it might be something else.

General Background Information on Mood Disorders

Mood Disorder Overview

Everyday life is a roller coaster of emotions. You may feel on top of the world one day because of a high-profile promotion or an awesome grade on a test. Another day, you may feel down in the dumps due to relationship problems, financial troubles, or because you got a flat tire on the way to work. These are normal fluctuations in mood that come and go. When your mood starts to have an impact on your daily activities and in your social, educational, and vocational relationships, you may be suffering from a mood disorder.

What is a Mood Disorder?

Mood disorders are characterized by a serious change in mood that cause disruption to life activities. Though many different subtypes are recognized, three major states of mood disorders exist: depressive, manic, and bipolar. Major depressive disorder is characterized by overall depressed mood. Elevated moods are characterized by mania or hypomania. The cycling between both depressed and manic moods is characteristic of bipolar mood disorders. In addition to type and subtype of mood, these disorders also vary in intensity and severity. For example, dysthymic disorder is a lesser form of major depression and cyclothymic disorder is recognized as a similar, but less severe form of bipolar disorder.

Depression Overview

If you are suffering from depression, feelings of negativity can affect your whole being. While different types of depression exist, most have mood, cognitive, sleep, behavioral, whole body, and weight effects. You are likely experiencing feelings of apathy, general discontent, loss of interest in things that used to be pleasurable, mood swings, or overall sadness. In addition, you may have thoughts of suicide, problems sleeping, feel excessively irritable, socially isolated, and restless. Depression often affects your weight as well – you may lose interest in eating and lose a significant amount of weight or feel overly hungry and put on excess weight.

Mania Overview

Manic moods are characterized by unusually high energy and mood. Feelings of euphoria are often present. These elevated moods typically last three days or more for most of the day. Classic mania symptoms include talking rapidly and/or excessively, needing significantly less sleep than normal, distractibility, poor judgment, impulsivity, and making reckless decisions.

Cause and Effect of Mood Disorders

What causes mood disorders? Researchers and medical professionals do not have a pinpointed answer for this question, but believe both biological and environmental factors are at play. If your family history includes individuals who have been diagnosed with mood disorders, your likelihood of experiencing them, while still low overall, is increased. Traumatic life events are also considered culprits of the onset of mood disorders as well. Mood disorders can negatively impact your work life and school life and intrude on your personal relationships. In some cases, medications and substance abuse can be the cause behind your disorder.

Prevalence of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders have been found to affect approximately 20% of the general population at any given point. More specifically, 17% of the U.S. population is thought to suffer from depression over the course of their lifetime, with bipolar disorder affecting only 1% of the general population. However, researchers agree that many instances of manic moods often go unnoticed or are deemed unproblematic, causing a significant decrease in their reported prevalence.

Diagnosis Methods

Mood disorders are diagnosed through both physical examinations and mental health evaluations. Your physician will perform a physical exam to rule out any underlying medical conditions that are causing an effect on your mood. If ruled out, a mental health provider may perform a series of assessments to determine your mood stability and mental health. Many individuals are reluctant to seek help for mood disorders due to the social stigma associated with them. Because of this, many go undiagnosed and approximately only 20% of those diagnosed receive treatment.

Treatment Options

Mood disorders are treated primarily through medications and psychotherapy. Even with treatment though, it is not uncommon for mood disorders to persist throughout a lifetime or to come and go on occasion. Education about mood disorders help individuals suffering from these conditions recognize patterns of behavior and thought that are indicative of a mood disorder resurfacing – and prompt them to seek additional treatment.

Typically, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are prescribed to individuals coping with mood disorders to alleviate emotional distress. Even with medications though, most mental health providers recommend them in combination with psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is focused on changing thought patterns and behaviors. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often considered the benchmark therapy treatment for individuals living with mood disorders. It has been found to have significant positive treatment effects, and in some cases, psychotherapy alone is enough to treat a mood disorder.

Some mood disorders, such as bipolar depression, are usually treated with lifelong medication of mood stabilizers combined with psychotherapy. In addition, the severity of some mood disorders may cause hospitalization, especially if the affected individuals has tried to inflict harm on themselves or others or have thoughts or attempted suicide.

For young adults, depression can feel like a “shroud of darkness” threatening to engulf the future. Recognizing that depression ebbs and flows over time offers one beacon of hope. For some people we interviewed, religion or spirituality offered another. In Tia’s words, “faith got me through” and she realized that depression “is a part of life that others have went through it.” Other people felt that religion worsened the impact of depression by impinging on their emerging identity or delaying access to treatment. Still others found that the search for their own beliefs after leaving their parents’ faith was difficult, and heightened the absence of purpose they already felt in connection with depression.

Religion and faith can ease the impact of depression

Some young adults said faith gave them strength to go on even when depression sapped their will. Some looked to their spiritual beliefs to sustain hope, when depression made the future seem bleak. Some – even if they are not themselves religious — found they were unconditionally accepted in communities of faith in unique ways. These experiences did not appear to be influenced by whether people were connected to conventional religious practices or more eclectic spiritual ones.

Many people talked about drawing on faith as a reservoir of strength during their struggles with depression. Leanna recalled that when she is in the depths of depression, she prays to the spirit of the earth to “like please help me and that usually slowly gets me out of there.” Others drew on varied faiths in their darkest moments or as they contemplated what the future might bring.