Mental Health

I'm Aiden & I deal with Mental Health issues.

BELOW ARE MENTAL DISORDERS I SUFFER FROM AND WHAT THEY ARE.

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1. Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health problem where you experience psychosis as well as mood symptoms. The word schizoaffective has two parts: 'Schizo–' refers to symptoms of psychosis. '–Affective' refers to mood symptoms.

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2. MANIC DEPRESSIVE BIPOLAR DISORDER

A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, but a combination of genetics, environment, and altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role.
Manic episodes may include symptoms such as high energy, reduced need for sleep, and loss of touch with reality. Depressive episodes may include symptoms such as low energy, low motivation, and loss of interest in daily activities. Mood episodes last days to months at a time and may also be associated with suicidal thoughts.
Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy.

Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).

Symptoms

There are several types of bipolar and related disorders. They may include mania or hypomania and depression. Symptoms can cause unpredictable changes in mood and behavior, resulting in significant distress and difficulty in life.

• Bipolar I disorder. You've had at least one manic episode that may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes. In some cases, mania may trigger a break from reality (psychosis).
• Bipolar II disorder. You've had at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but you've never had a manic episode.
• Cyclothymic disorder. You've had at least two years — or one year in children and teenagers — of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms (though less severe than major depression).
• Other types. These include, for example, bipolar and related disorders induced by certain drugs or alcohol or due to a medical condition, such as Cushing's disease, multiple sclerosis or stroke.

Mania and hypomania

Mania and hypomania are two distinct types of episodes, but they have the same symptoms. Mania is more severe than hypomania and causes more noticeable problems at work, school and social activities, as well as relationship difficulties. Mania may also trigger a break from reality (psychosis) and require hospitalization.

Both a manic and a hypomanic episode include three or more of these symptoms:

• Abnormally upbeat, jumpy or wired
  
• Increased activity, energy or agitation
  
• Exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria)
  
• Decreased need for sleep
  
• Unusual talkativeness
  
• Racing thoughts
  
• Distractibility
  
• Poor decision-making — for example, going on buying sprees, taking sexual risks or making foolish investments

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3. BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

A mental disorder characterized by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships.
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The cause of borderline personality disorder isn't well understood. Diagnosis is made based on symptoms.

Symptoms include emotional instability, feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, impulsivity, and impaired social relationships.
Treatments include talk therapy or, in some cases, medications. Hospitalization helps if symptoms are severe.

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person's ability to regulate their emotions. This loss of emotional control can increase impulsivity, affect how a person feels about themselves, and negatively impact their relationships with others.

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4. OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts ("obsessions") and/or behaviors ("compulsions") that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from Mayo Clinic

​Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

​Obsessive compulsive disorder
Also called: OCD

Excessive thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead to compulsive behaviors.
OCD often centers on themes such as a fear of germs or the need to arrange objects in a specific manner. Symptoms usually begin gradually and vary throughout life.
Treatment includes talk therapy, medications, or both.

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5. Attention-​deficit-hyperactivity disorder

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

A mental health condition exhibited by difficulty maintaining attention.
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health condition that can lead to unstable relationships, poor work performance, and low self-esteem. ADHD symptoms include trouble focusing, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Drugs, talk therapy, and treatment for associated mental health conditions can help.

Causes of ADHD

• Brain injury.
  
• Exposure to environmental risks (e.g., lead) during pregnancy or at a young age.
  
• Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy.
  
• Premature delivery.
  
• Low birth weight.

What are the top signs of ADHD in adults?
Symptoms in adults

• carelessness and lack of attention to detail.
  
• continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones.
  
• poor organisational skills.
  
• inability to focus or prioritise.
  
• continually losing or misplacing things.
  
• forgetfulness.
  
• restlessness and edginess.
  
• difficulty keeping quiet and speaking out of turn.

Appearance
What does severe adult adhd look like?

​Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.

Adult ADHD risk factors:

• poor nutrition.
• lack of exercise.
• having obesity.
• cannabis dependence.
• alcohol dependence.
• substance use.
• generalized anxiety disorder.
• depression.

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6. ​Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Post traumatic stress disorder.
Also called: PTSD

A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.
The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.
Symptoms may include nightmares or unwanted memories of the trauma, avoidance of situations that bring back memories of the trauma, heightened reactions, anxiety, or depressed mood.
​Treatment includes different types of trauma-focused psychotherapy as well as medications to manage symptoms.

Causes - Post-traumatic stress disorder

• serious accidents.
  
• physical or sexual assault.
  
• abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse.
  
• exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure.
  
• serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care.
  
• childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby.

​When something traumatic happens in your life it rocks you to the core. The world is no longer a safe place. It becomes somewhere that bad things can and do happen.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a very stressful, frightening or distressing event, or after a prolonged traumatic experience.

Types of events that can lead to PTSD include:

• serious accidents
• physical or sexual assault
• abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse
• exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure
• serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care
• childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby
• the death of someone close to you
• war and conflict
• torture

What are the main causes of PTSD?

What can cause PTSD?

• being involved in a car crash
• being raped or sexually assaulted
• being abused, harassed or bullied - including racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, and other types of abuse targeting your identity
• being kidnapped, held hostage or any event in which you fear for your life
• experiencing violence, including military combat, a terrorist attack, or any violent assault
• seeing other people hurt or killed, including in the course of your job (sometimes called secondary trauma)
• doing a job where you repeatedly see or hear distressing things, such as working in the emergency services or armed forces
• surviving a natural disaster, such as flooding, earthquakes or pandemics, such as the coronavirus pandemic
• traumatic childbirth as a mother, or as a partner witnessing a traumatic birth
• losing someone close to you in particularly upsetting circumstances
• being sectioned or getting treatment in a mental health ward
• being diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.

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7. ​PTSD and Childhood Trauma

PTSD is common in patients with a history of childhood trauma. However, when trauma occurs in childhood, the flashbacks may well be experienced as a flood of emotion, disconnected from the narrative in which the trauma originally arose. This is partly due to fragmentation of memory.

Can PTSD be caused by childhood trauma?

Childhood abuse is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes, including increased risk for development of emotion dysregulation and psychopathology such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What does PTSD from childhood trauma look like?
Re-experiencing or re-living unwanted memories as flashbacks or nightmares. Hyper-arousal: problems with sleep, irritability, anger, anxiety, hyper-alertness, exaggerated startle response. Hypo-arousal: feeling numb or cut off, feeling detached from others, dissociating, feeling flat or empty. Emotional dysregulation.

What does unresolved childhood trauma look like in adults?
Other manifestations of childhood trauma in adulthood include difficulties with social interaction, multiple health problems, low self-esteem and a lack of direction. Adults with unresolved childhood trauma are more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide and self-harm.

How do you identify unhealed childhood trauma?
Signs of childhood trauma:

• Reliving the event (flashbacks or nightmares)
• Avoidance.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Anger.
• Problems with trust.
• Self-destructive or risky behaviors.
• Withdrawal.