-Mental diseases are brain disorders -
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 What are Brain Disorders?

Brain disorders are chemically or physiologically based diseases.  It is crucial to understand that these diseases are no-one's fault for treatment to proceed.  There is no "blame" to be laid!

Given this, there are several brain disorders widely recognized in people:

1.   
   • Schizophrenia:  A term for a group of mental disorders marked by a variety of symptoms. Literally, the term means "split mind," but, contrary to a common misconception, schizophrenia does not imply a split personality, in the sense of someone acting like two different people. Not until the 20th century was schizophrenia distinguished from other forms of psychosis.  Symptoms of schizophrenia, only some of which are present in any one individual, occur in thoughts, perceptions, feelings, movements, and interpersonal relationships. Thought disorders may be observed as a failure to make logical connections or by the development of delusions. Hallucinations-particularly hearing one's thoughts spoken aloud or hearing imaginary voices giving commands or making comments-are the principal perceptual problems. Emotional reactions to a situation appear to observers to be either flat or inappropriate. Disturbances in movement may appear as catatonia (a rare condition in which the patient maintains a rigid posture) or, more commonly, as apparently purposeless, excited movements that have a repetitive sameness about them. Relationships with others are usually disturbed, often because the schizophrenic person tends to be withdrawn.
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     Schizophrenia almost always develops before middle age. Typically, the first episode takes place during adolescence or young adulthood and tends to be followed by others. Its appearance is evidenced by a deterioration in a person's work, social relationships, and ability to care for himself or herself, together with one or more of the symptoms noted above. No simple catalog of symptoms, however, can convey the devastation of schizophrenia. It is the most severe major mental illness. A schizophrenic person's odd speech and behavior may cause others to laugh nervously, but these symptoms are the product of torment rather than playfulness. Being unable to order and control one's own thoughts, being isolated by a vision of reality all one's own, being commanded to act by disembodied voices-these are the experiences that make schizophrenia such a frightening and lonely experience.

    

   • Major (Clinical) Depression:  Depression is a psychiatric disorder characterized by feelings of worthlessness, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness. In contrast to normal sadness or the grief accompanying the loss of a loved one, clinical depression is persistent and severe. It is accompanied by a variety of related symptoms, including disturbances in sleep and eating, loss of initiative, self-punishment, withdrawal and inactivity, and loss of pleasure.  In psychiatry, two major forms of depressive disorders are recognized. In both, the predominant symptom is a disturbance in mood. One form of the disorder, depressive disorder, is marked only by episodes of depression. The other is bipolar or manic depressive illness (see below).

    

   • Bipolar Disorder:  This disease is characterized by alternating depressed and manic episodes. In major depression or the depressed phase of bipolar illness, a depressed mood predominates, although the patient may not be aware of feeling sad. Typically, he or she loses all interest in and withdraws from usual activities. Symptoms include sleep disturbances (usually early-morning awakening); loss of appetite or greatly increased appetite; inability to concentrate or to make decisions; slowed thinking and decreased energy; feelings of worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, and helplessness; diminished sexual interest; and recurrent thoughts of suicide and death, sometimes leading to actual suicide.  In the manic phase of bipolar illness, the patient's mood can be elevated, expansive, or irritable. Behavior is bizarre and sometimes obnoxious. Other symptoms include excessive talkativeness, racing thoughts, and grandiose ideas; greatly increased social, sexual, and work activity; distractability; loss of judgment; and a decreased need for sleep.

    

   • Anxiety Disorders:  Anxiety is the predominant symptom in two conditions: panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. In phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders, also considered anxiety disorders, fear is experienced when an individual tries to master other symptoms. A phobia is an irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that is so intense that it interferes with everyday life. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts, images, ideas, or impulses that make no sense to the person. He or she can fear being unable to avoid committing a violent act, for example, or worry over whether some small duty has been performed. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors performed dutifully to try to ward off some future event. Examples of such behavior include repeated washing of the hands or counting and recounting belongings.

     "Mental Disorders," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
     

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     It is important if you feel that you or a loved one exhibits any of these disorders that you contact your health care provider or a psychiatrist to start receiving the care you need.