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Eating disorders are something that many people struggle with. While some people have eating disorders for a short period of time, others may suffer from them for most of their lives. Anorexia nervosa is one type of eating disorder that can be especially difficult to deal with. This article explores the symptoms and causes of anorexia nervosa along with treatment and prevention options.

Definition

Anorexia nervosa, most commonly referred to as anorexia, is a type of eating disorder where a person loses an unhealthy amount of weight. People with anorexia have an obsession with their body weight that often leads them to destructive behaviors, such as starving themselves or exercising excessively. In most cases, these individuals end up losing weight to the point where they reach a weight that is unhealthy for their age and height due to this distorted body image.

Because people with anorexia are often obsessive about eating limited food and dieting, it comes as a surprise to some people that anorexia really has little to do with food. In reality, the people with this disorder are often trying to cope with emotional stress, anger or anxiety. The way they fixate on their food intake and weight is a way for them to try to feel more in control of their life.

Symptoms

Anorexia is marked by the following physical signs and symptoms:
Extreme weight loss
Fatigue
Dizziness or fainting
Dehydration
Constipation
Insomnia
Brittle nails
Thinning hair
Dry skin
Bluish discoloration on the fingers
Swelling of the arms or legs
Absence of menstruation
Low blood pressure
Irregular heart rhythms
Abnormal blood counts
Osteoporosis

The following emotional and behavioral symptoms are also associated with anorexia:
Refusing to eat
Preoccupation with food (i.e. weighing food, counting calories)
Trying to hide a lack of eating (i.e. moving the food around the plate, not eating in public)
Eating only a few foods in very small amounts
Denial of hunger
Weighing themselves frequently
Looking in the mirror often
Irritability
Depression
Social withdrawal
Lack of emotion
Reduced sex drive

It’s worth noting that people with anorexia may use different methods to control their weight, including starving themselves or severely limiting their food intake, exercising excessively or by misusing laxatives, enemas or diuretics. Some may even exhibit a pattern of vomiting after eating, which is often associated with another eating disorder called bulimia. Whatever method is used for weight loss, however, the physical, behavioral and emotional signs listed above are typically the same for most individuals with the disorder.

Causes And Risk Factors

There is no one specific cause that leads a person to develop anorexia nervosa. In most cases, it is a combination of the following factors that play a role in the development of this eating disorder:
Biology: Chemical and hormonal changes in the body can play a role in the development of anorexia.
Psychological: Some people with anorexia develop the disorder as a result of their personal low self-esteem. Also, those who tend to have perfectionist or obsessive-compulsive tendencies may be more likely to develop the disorder.
Cultural: Modern society often associates – whether intentionally or inadvertently –success, worth, beauty and happiness with having an ideal body. Additionally, some people experience peer pressure that leads them to fixate on their weight.
Life changes: Undergoing a traumatic or stressful event can lead people to become anorexic. Examples include rape, the death of a loved one, starting a new job or experiencing a bad breakup.
Genetics: People with an immediate family member suffering from anorexia are more likely to develop the disorder. This suggests that genetics could be a cause factor, and researchers are currently investigating a particular chromosome area which seems to be linked to the disorder.

Based on research of those with the disorder, some people are more likely to develop anorexia. Those risk factors include:
Age: Young people, especially teenagers, are more likely to become anorexic.
Gender: Females develop anorexia more often than males.
Weight: People who lose or gain weight will sometimes develop anorexia in response to the positive or negative feedback they get on their results.
Profession/hobbies: People who are athletes, actors, celebrities, models or dancers are more likely to develop anorexia due to the pressure to look or perform better.

Prevention

There isn’t a guaranteed method for preventing anorexia nervosa. Instead, people can look for the signs and symptoms of the disorder in themselves or in others. It’s also helpful to talk to your doctor if you think that you may be at risk for the developing the disorder. If you are a parent or authority figure, it can also help to talk to younger people about the higher risk of developing the disorder at a young age, how to detect it and ways to develop a positive body image.

Treatment

There are several types of treatment that are used for people with anorexia, including:
Medical care: People with anorexia need to be monitored to ensure their vital signs are healthy. Some people with the disorder require tube feeding in order to get adequate nutrition.
Medication: In some cases, drugs to treat mental conditions like depression or anxiety can help someone recover from anorexia. There are no medications available for treating anorexia specifically.
Therapy: Individual, group and family-based therapy may be used to help the individual acknowledge and recover from the disorder.
Hospitalization: In more serious cases, an individual may require hospitalization due to the toll that anorexia takes on their body. While some are hospitalized for medical reasons, others may be hospitalized for psychiatric concerns.

People who recover from anorexia may be tempted by the eating disorder later in life, so sometimes ongoing therapy or medication may help to prevent them from succumbing to anorexia again in the future.

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Clinical Definition

Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling mental illness. Those affected may report hearing voices that others do not hear, believe people are reading their minds or controlling their thoughts, and may feel as if strangers are trying to harm them. The first delusions or breaks with reality typically occur in adolescence or young adulthood.

In Our Own Words

Schizophrenia, a severe and disabling mental illness, is more complex than simply hearing voices. At times, people with schizophrenia may have difficulty telling the difference between reality and what they are imagining “in their heads.” Some think others are plotting against them (paranoid schizophrenia), and become terrified and agitated. Some may sit for hours without moving or talking (catatonic). Some have problems with thought processes, shifting from one thought to the next and so, are unable to process facts logically. Patients who are affected often have trouble holding a job or tending to their own needs.

The cause of schizophrenia is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Schizophrenics are at high risk for suicide, so any discussions about self-harming should be taken seriously and professional help should be sought immediately.

Relevant Conditions
Substance abuse, drug addiction
Depression
Insomnia

Common Types
Paranoid
Catatonic
Disorganized

Side Effects
Hallucinations
Delusions and fear
Inability to find pleasure in everyday life
Problems with attention

What Is It?

When a person is overweight and if their Body Mass Index (BMI) measures over 30, the person is considered obese. The Body Mass Index is a scale that calculates obesity by measuring a ratio between height and weight. A BMI of 25 to 29 is considered overweight, and a BMI above 30 is considered obese.

It is important to understand that BMI is only a rough guideline for measuring obesity. A person may have a high BMI for reasons other than obesity including muscle mass and bone density. A doctor considers additional factors including your diet and lifestyle when determining whether you are obese. It is important to understand that there are varying levels of obesity and that a heavy person is not necessarily obese.

Obesity is common and is a risk factor for multiple conditions and health complications hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

A person can become obese as a result of a variety of causes. Your weight may be related to your diet and exercise, or it may relate to other factors including injuries and underlying medical conditions.

Types
Simple obesity (alimentary obesity) makes up about 95% of obesity cases and results when a person consumes more calories than the amount of calories that the body can burn.
Secondary obesity results from underlying conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and insulin tumors. Other conditions can also cause secondary obesity.
Childhood obesity occurs when children and adolescents are above the normal body weight for their age and height. Obese children are at risk for long-term problems such as diabetes, hypertension, thyroid problems, and high cholesterol. Even though these health complications are more common among older adults, they can still affect children. Obesity can cause problems for a child’s healthy growth and development.

Symptoms & Warning Signs

Symptoms of obesity include weight gain and an excess of fatty tissue all over the body. People may experience pain in the joints and arthritis flare ups due to the amount of pressure put on the joints by the excess weight, backaches, sleep apnea, heartburn and indigestion. Obesity can also result in high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood sugar, irregular menstruation, shortness of breath, and other potential complications.

Causes & Risk Factors

While poor eating habits and overeating are main causes of most obesity, hereditary also plays a vital part in becoming obese. You may become obese as a result of an underlying medical condition or injury. Some medications like steroids can also cause obesity as a side effect.

Prevention & Treatment

For people with secondary obesity, the underlying condition must be treated.

For people with primary obesity, a healthy eating plan combined with exercise is generally the first course of treatment. A healthy diet plan helps the person to burn more calories than they consume, so that the weight comes off slowly over a period time, giving them the best chance of not regaining the weight later. Sometimes, doctors will also prescribe appetite suppressant medication.

Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric surgery is a term used to describe all weight loss surgical procedures. Two bariatric surgical procedures have gained popularity for treating obesity. They are gastric bypass surgery and the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (Lap-Band):
The Lap-Band is inflatable and made out of silicone. Through laparoscopic surgery, the doctor places the band around the top portion of the stomach. The band helps to create a space at the top of the stomach that limits how much food patients can eat at any given time. The band helps people feel full and eat less at each meal. Over time, the lap band patient will lose weight. Doctors recommend the Lap-Band for patients who have a BMI above 40. Unlike other weight loss surgeries, the Lap-Band does not permanently alter the digestive tract. Doctors can deflate and remove the band in order to reverse the surgery.
Gastric bypass is a permanent surgical option. The surgeon will divide the stomach into two parts and then reconnect the intestine. There are several techniques used to reconnect the intestine, and many gastric bypass surgeries have different names. Gastric bypass surgery causes permanent changes to the stomach and digestive tract, and effects usually cannot be reversed. More and more doctors are performing gastric bypass procedures through a technique called laparoscopy, where the doctor creates small incisions and inserts a video camera. The doctor can perform the surgery using a video camera.

Tests & Diagnosis

Diagnosis of obesity is made based on the visual appearance, weight, and BMI rating. Calipers are tools that measure the amount of body fat in a given area. However, most cases of obesity are quite obvious with a visual examination.

A doctor can also examine the type of weight gain in order to determine whether you have an underlying condition and whether you are at risk for complications down the road. Normally, if the fat is concentrated around the stomach and middle area, then the person is more at risk for certain conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. When fat is concentrated in the hips and thighs, then the person is at less risk of developing those above conditions.

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Many people have problems sleeping from time to time, but a lot of people are uncertain of if they have a serious problem or when they should see a sleep specialist. Here we’ll provide all the essential information that people need to understand insomnia.

Definition

Insomnia is a disorder that makes it hard for people to fall asleep or stay asleep or both. People with insomnia can have problems functioning in everyday life, because insomnia can cause slowness in cognitive functions.

The amount of sleep that a person needs can vary from person to person. Most experts agree that adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night. While many people can suffer from insomnia from time to time, some have chronic insomnia which requires medical intervention.

Those who are most at risk for developing long term insomnia are women, over the age of 60, travel frequently, have a mental health disorder, under a lot of stress and work rotating or night shifts.

Causes And Risk Factors

There are a number of causes of insomnia and most of them are very common. They include;
Stress- Everyday stress can cause insomnia. Work issues, family concerns, and even a traumatic event like a death in the family can cause insomnia.
Anxiety- Just like stress, anxiety over a variety of issues can lead to insomnia. Those with anxiety disorders frequently have insomnia as well.
Depression- One of the symptoms of depression is insomnia. The chemical imbalance in the brain that causes depression can also cause problems with sleep. Insomnia can also be a symptom of other mental health problems as well.
Caffeine, Nicotine and Alcohol- Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can all cause insomnia. Caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants which are known to cause insomnia. Alcohol may initially help someone sleep, but it prevents someone from reaching the deeper stages of sleep and could cause them to wake prematurely.
Medication side affects- Many medications used to treat depression, high blood pressure, asthma, ADHD, and allergies can cause insomnia because they have a stimulant affect. Many over-the-counter medications can cause insomnia as well. Antihistamines and over-the-counter sleeping pills can initially cause drowsiness, but can cause increased urination thereby waking people up in the middle of the night and then people can have difficulties getting back to sleep.
Other medical conditions- Many medical conditions can cause sleeping problems. Those with breathing problems, digestive problems, heart problems, urinary problems, cancer, and those with arthritis or other painful musculoskeletal conditions can have problems sleeping. These people can often find relief from their insomnia by treating the medical problem.
Poor sleep habits- Those with poor sleep habits can have problems sleeping. For example those that watch television late or fall asleep with the television on, children who play video games late in the evening, or those who work on the computer late in the evening can have problems falling asleep because these activities stimulate the brain and can keep the brain from shutting down for sleep.
Change in schedule or environment- those who travel for work or do shift work can suffer from insomnia as well. Trying to sleep in an unfamiliar environment, or when the environment is telling the body that it’s time to be awake can make sleeping difficult.
Eating late- a small snack before bed is fine, but those who eat large meals before bed may experience problems sleeping because when eating a large meal, the body has to digest that big meal and that can cause someone to be uncomfortable when they lie down and cause heartburn.
Aging- people seem to experience more insomnia as they age. There could be a number of reasons for this including increased use of medications, health problems and changes in daily activity.

Those with insomnia are at risk for developing a number of problems including;
Decreased performance at work and school
Higher risk of accidents due to slower reaction time
Psychiatric problems
Obesity
Poor overall health

Symptoms

The basic symptoms of insomnia include difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and waking in the morning not feeling rested. However there are other symptoms including;
Fatigue
Difficulty focusing
Headaches
Gastrointestinal problems
Ongoing sleep concerns

If someone experiences any of these symptoms they should talk to their doctor. Their doctor may order a sleep study to determine the nature of the problem and prescribe treatment.

Treatment

Treatment for insomnia includes behavior modification and prescription medications. Behavior modifications can include a number of things including changing daily habits to be more conducive to sleep at night, light therapy and even a type of therapy that uses controlled sleep deprivation designed to get the body’s sleep pattern back on track.

There are a number of prescription and over-the-counter sleep medications designed to treat insomnia. Most prescription sleep medications are not designed to be used for more than two weeks. There are some that are designed to be used indefinitely, but they do have the potential to be habit forming.

As discussed earlier, over-the-counter sleep aids may be helpful initially or when used occasionally, but they can actually make insomnia worse over time.

Insomnia can be very draining, but it doesn’t have to be. By understanding the root cause, people can take control of their sleep and get back to normal in no time.

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Clinical Definition

Depression is characterized by a dejected mood and a cluster of other symptoms that persist throughout the majority of each day, in a time span of 2 weeks or more. These symptoms include five or more of the following tendencies: sleep changes, eating and appetite changes, low energy, poor concentration, agitation, slowness, thoughts of worthlessness or guilt and recurrent thoughts of suicide or death.

In Our Own Words

Depression has different meanings; the most relevant definition depends upon context. Some people use depression to refer to “having the blues,” a feeling that is fairly common and may not be part of a larger picture of major depression, a clinical diagnosis.

Major depression is a serious mental health condition, and it may be diagnosed if the depressed, sad mood persists for 2 weeks or longer. The potential symptoms of eating and appetite changes, sleep changes, low energy, poor concentration, agitation/slowness and thoughts of worthlessness or guilt tend to intensify gradually and interfere with normal daily activities.

Depression may be mild, chronic or diagnosed as a major depressive disorder. Serious depression is sometimes also called clinical depression. Treatment options include psychotherapy or talk therapy, antidepressant medication or a combination
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What Is It?

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological condition that causes feelings of fear and worry. For the most part, anxiety is a normal response to stressful or tense situations. Anxiety motivates us to plan ahead and push through tough times.

Anxiety and fear are different emotional responses. Fear produces an overwhelming need to escape while anxiety creates feelings of stress and nervousness in response to uncontrollable and unavoidable perceived threats.

Excessive and constant anxiety can transform moments of worry into full-fledged disorders. Some amount of anxiety is normal, but excessive amounts are irrational and unjustified. Many people with anxiety disorders perceive threats that are not grounded in reality.

Types

Philosophers and psychiatrists have classified anxiety into several categories:
Existential anxiety is a philosophical term used to describe the anxiety associated with the freedom and responsibility of choice. People with this type of anxiety might experience excessive difficulty and apprehension when making decisions.
Test and performance anxiety cause people to feel apprehension when expected to perform in a competitive situation. Many people with test or performance anxiety feel physical symptoms of dizziness and nausea in competitive situations in school or at work. Generally, this type of anxiety causes people to underperform.
Social anxiety creates a feeling of nervousness as a response to social interactions. Many people experience social anxiety as young children. Most people outgrow this condition by the time they reach adulthood. Social anxiety is abnormal when it affects adults.
Trait anxiety refers to a situation when anxiety becomes a part of a person’s character. For people with trait anxiety, moments of irrational or excessive worry are the norm as opposed to the exception.

Other types of anxiety include panic disorder, agoraphobia, general phobias, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder is a condition that results from unnecessary worry about everyday life. People with generalized anxiety disorder never seem to stop worrying about health, money, family, employment, school, or something else.

In the majority of situations, the worrying is unwarranted and excessive. Eventually, the condition escalates out of control, and unrealistic feelings of worry dominate every aspect of daily life.

Symptoms & Warning Signs

In many situations, anxiety is normal and justifiable. In fact, some experts say that a certain level of anxiety is necessary to facilitate performance in competitive situations. If you anticipate a stressful situation, anxiety can keep you motivated to persevere through.

Anxiety is a problem when your worrying is abnormal, out of place, and excessive. If you are always stressed and unnecessarily afraid of everyday situations, you may suffer from an anxiety disorder. In no situation should anxiety become a dominant feeling. When your anxiety becomes out of control, treatment and counseling are available to help relieve symptoms.

Physical symptoms of anxiety include heart palpitations, fatigue, nausea, chest pain, stomach aches, and headaches. Other symptoms include trembling, sweating, and papillary dilation. You may not notice your physical symptoms, especially if your emotional symptoms are overwhelming.

Causes & Risk Factors

Feelings of anxiety are normal responses to stressful situations and unfamiliar circumstances. Situations test us on a daily basis, and people will respond with a variety of reactions ranging from excitement to fear. If you start to feel nonstop fear or stress, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder that is triggered by a specific event or no event at all.

Certain medications and drugs can cause sensations of worry, uncertainty, and nervousness. Both legal and illegal drugs can make you feel anxious, high-strung, and jittery.

Excessive anxiety is common among people who have recently stopped drinking or smoking.

Prevention & Treatment

Preventative measures and treatment will vary based on your age, lifestyle, environmental situations, and whether you suffer from an anxiety disorder. People with anxiety may need a combination of medication or counseling. Sometimes, counseling in an informal setting with family and friends can be helpful. If you feel that your anxiety is out of control, you should reach out to someone close to you.

Professional treatments may span weeks, months, or years depending on the patient’s condition and needs.

Tests & Diagnosis

No laboratory tests are available to diagnose anxiety. Instead, a doctor can diagnose anxiety disorders through questionnaires and psychological assessments. Lab tests are available to diagnose symptoms including high blood pressure, problems breathing, and heart palpitations.

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Clinical Definition

Mental breakdown is a term used to describe an acute psychiatric condition precipitated by intense stressors. Mental breakdown is not defined by the American Psychiatric Association, but is a common euphemism used to describe a reactive psychiatric condition causing impaired concentration and normal functioning.

In Our Own Words

A mental breakdown is a psychiatric state in which a person cannot function normally. It is often due to a severe stressor, which causes extreme anxiety, despair or depression. Although mental breakdown is not a medical term, it is used by the layperson or public to define a sudden abnormal mental state. The cause of a mental breakdown could be any type of severe stress, which causes a person to feel emotionally overwhelmed and unable to function

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Clinical Definition

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by pathological mood swings from mania to depression. There is no clear cause for the disorder, although there appears to be a genetic link, and scientists are trying to understand differences in brain development, connections and activity in affected individuals. The disorder is often treated with the mood stabilizing drug lithium, antipsychotics, antidepressants and talk therapy.

In Our Own Words

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes people to have mood symptoms that can range from depression and despair to an overly excited state of mania with inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts and increased risk taking. Not all people with bipolar disorder experience this manic state, however.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder are much more severe than the normal ups and downs of daily life and can impact a person’s decisions, job or school performance and personal relationships. People with bipolar disorder often benefit from a variety of treatments, including mood stabilizing drugs, antipsychotics, antidepressants as well as talk therapy. Individuals with the disorder are at an increased risk of death by suicide.
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Memory loss can happen in many different ways, but in any case, it is always a difficult condition. There are several symptoms associated with memory loss, some of which can make it difficult to lead a normal lifestyle. Although memory loss is generally not curable, there are a few treatment options available that can help slow the process of memory loss for some individuals with the condition.

Definition

Memory loss, also known as amnesia, is unusual or extreme forgetfulness. It can be associated with the failure to remember either recent events or events of the past or, in some cases, both. Memory loss is often experienced as a symptom associated with a particular disease or condition.

It’s important to note that this condition is separate from the normal memory challenges associated with aging. As people get older, it is considered natural for them to take longer to remember certain facts or information. It’s also common for older individuals to have more trouble learning new material. However, dramatic reductions in memory and recall abilities at any age is considered to be memory loss, a term reserved for more serious cases of memory problems. (To learn how to combat memory loss associated with aging, read Brain Exercises For Memory Improvement To Stay Sharp.)

Types

There are several types of memory loss that an individual can experience. The most common distinction between types of memory loss is whether the condition is temporary or permanent:
Short-term memory loss is called transient memory loss.
A chronic condition of this sort is called permanent memory loss.

The cause of the memory loss also creates two potential types of amnesia:
When memory loss is caused by brain injury or damage, it is called neurological amnesia.
Memory loss resulting from emotional shock or trauma is called psychogenic or dissociative amnesia.

There are also different ways in which memory loss can affect an individual. Some experience memory loss associated with words and thoughts, while others have memory loss that affects their motor skills, making it difficult for them to perform certain tasks. There is also partial memory loss, which refers to a failure to remember only certain types of information.

Finally, there is also a difference in the way that memory loss can occur. While some people experience memory loss suddenly (as the result of trauma or surgery, for example), others have memory loss which gradually gets worse over time.

Symptoms

There are several common symptoms of memory loss, including:
Impaired ability to learn new information
Impaired ability to recall past events and information
False recollections, which may be composed of entirely false information or confusions of real memories (such as misplacing an event in time)
Confusion
Disorientation
Neurological problems, such as tremors, seizures or uncoordinated movements

Despite the fact that these are generally common symptoms of memory loss, not all of the symptoms described above will necessarily affect every person with the condition. For example, short-term memory loss is the most common form of amnesia, but there are also cases where people have trouble with remembering events and information from years long past.

In addition, there are some symptoms associated with memory loss in popular culture that provide a false picture of the condition. For example, the vast majority of people with memory loss do not have problems with a loss of self-identify (meaning that they know exactly who they are). In addition, sudden head trauma (such as that which may occur in a car accident) may cause some confusion or disorientation, but it rarely leads to amnesia.

Causes And Risk Factors

Brain injuries and damage to the brain are the most common causes of memory loss. A few of the ways in which this injury or damage can occur in the brain are:
Stroke
Seizures
Lack of oxygen in the brain (from respiratory distress, for example)
Brain tumors
Brain inflammation from an infection or virus
Long-term alcohol abuse
Electroconvulsive therapy
Some medications (such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates)
Dementia
Head trauma
Neurodegenerative illness (such as Parkinson’s disease)
Nutritional problems (such as vitamin deficiencies)
Cancer treatment (such as brain radiation)
Depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (when symptoms are not well controlled)

Experience with any of these conditions is considered to be a risk factor for memory loss. Other than that, there are no other known risk factors for developing amnesia.

In addition, there are rare cases where an emotional shock or trauma can cause memory loss. For instance, people who have been victims of violent crimes sometimes experience this type of amnesia.

Prevention

The best way to prevent memory loss is to avoid the potential causes of this condition. That means avoiding excessive alcohol use and getting treatment for any conditions that may lead to brain damage (such as infections, respiratory problems, etc.). In addition, it’s helpful to wear a helmet when doing sports like cycling or snowboarding and to wear a seatbelt in the car.

Treatment

There are several treatment options which may not cure memory loss but can help slow down the progression of amnesia. These options include:
Occupational therapy: Occupational therapists can work with those with memory loss to help them learn and organize new information. In some cases, they may even be able to replace some of the memory which was previously lost.
Visual reminders: People with amnesia can benefit from using planners, calendars or notebooks to help them remember events and even to help schedule their daily tasks. Photo albums can also be helpful for remembering people, places and past events.
Extended care facilities: For those with significant memory loss, residing in an extended care facility can help them ensure their safety and have their basic needs met.

One of the difficult parts of getting treatment for memory loss is that those who are experiencing amnesia are not always aware that it is happening. If you notice that someone you know is displaying any of the symptoms described above, make sure they get medical attention for their condition to determine is memory loss is the cause.

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The term “mental confusion” is often used synonymously with “off the hook,” “bonkers,” or “crazy” in modern day slang. However, it can be much more than not knowing something, or just being “out of it.” Read on to learn more about mental confusion as an actual medical condition.

Definition

Clinically, mental confusion is used interchangeably with delirium, and are both defined as an inability to focus, loss of memory, and general disorganization of behavior that leads to poor judgment and actions. It is important to note that delirium and dementia are two different conditions, even if they have similar signs and symptoms; the former can be more acute and short-tem, while the latter takes place over a period of time and is more permanent.

Types

Generally, there are three types of mental confusion:
Hypoactive: the affected individual is sleepy, withdrawn, unresponsive, and seemingly lost in his or her state of mind. This type is harder to detect based on its passive nature, and can be misdiagnosed as depression.
Hyperactive: the affected individual is agitated, full of energy, and has delusions or hallucinations. This is usually the more difficult type of delirium, as the hyperactive patient can interfere with treatment procedures. This can also be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Mixed: the affected individual possesses both traits of hypoactive and hyperactive delirium.

More than two-thirds of the cases are hyperactive or mixed delirium. All three types possess similar signs and symptoms of mental confusion.

Signs And Symptoms

All types of mental confusion share similar signs and symptoms, including:
Depression
Delusions
Hallucinations
Restlessness, anxiety, irritability
Disturbed sleeps
Clouded consciousness or awareness
Decreased or no attention span
Loss or decreased short-term memory
Disorganized speech and thought process
Disorientation
Reversing day and night
Difficulty writing, drawing or finding words
Emotional and behavioral changes
Unsteady gait and/or tremors
Tendency to wander in a confused manner

Other types of mental conditions, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, have similar symptoms as that of mental confusion. Delirium can also be an indication of other life-threatening conditions that may not be immediately present (such as sepsis of the body), so be sure to seek a medical professional for the proper diagnosis.

Causes

There are many factors that can cause mental confusion, and almost all of them have to do with the brain or the neurological system. Potential causes for delirium can include but are not limited to:
Cancers or tumors of the brain
Withdrawal from medications or abused substances
Side effects of medications or treatments, such as chemotherapy
Fluid or mineral imbalance within the body, specifically calcium or potassium
Organ failure
Infection of the spinal cord or brain-related parts
Lack of oxygen in the blood
Other brain disorders
Post-surgery effects
Psychological trauma or abuse
Malnutrition
Old age (greater than 65 years old)
Migraines
Vitamin D, thiamin, or vitamin B12 deficiency
Other hormonal disorders
Trauma to the head or brain
Sepsis of the body
High fevers
Malaria
Poison from neurological toxins

Tips For Management

If you are taking care of a loved one who is suffering from delirium without a treatable cause, here are few ways that can help with management:

1. Supportive management. This can be employed with individuals who goes in and out of mental confusion with clear episodes in between:
Adopt a clear communication model
Remind the person of the date, time, location, and identification of surrounding others
Have a clock available
Keep the patient around familiar objects from home
Keep the doctor and nurse staff consistent
Keep the patient relaxed
Keep the family and care givers involved

2. Environmental management. This can provide a relaxed atmosphere to minimize recurring episodes:
Avoid extreme sensory stimulation
Regulate sleep schedule
Keep the room spacious, controlled, and calming
Provide good nutrition
If the patient wanders, have familiar family members distract them and bring them back to the present

3. Medical management. This involves a series of treatment, therapy, or medication as prescribed by the physician. Depending on the individual’s needs, the doctor may prescribe antipsychotics or antidepressants. If the person’s delirium is due to substance abuse, such as drugs or alcohol, rehabilitation programs may be employed for proper recovery.

4. Do not be afraid to ask for help. There are doctors, nurses, and in-home care takers who can make this a better experience for both yourself and your affected loved one.

Taking care and managing a loved one suffering from mental confusion can be extremely trying and exhausting. Be sure to take care of your own health as well, and do not be afraid to speak out or ask for help.