Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized anxiety disorder (or GAD) is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about
everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder
tend to always expect disaster and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school. In people
with GAD, the worry is often unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant
state of worry, fear, and dread. Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person's thinking that it interferes
with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities, and relationships.
Causes
Genetics: Some research suggests that family history plays a part in increasing the likelihood that a person will
develop GAD. This means that the tendency to develop GAD may be passed on in families.
Brain chemistry: GAD has been associated with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain.
Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that help move information from nerve cell to nerve cell.
If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot get through the brain properly. This can alter the
way the brain reacts in certain situations, leading to anxiety.
Environmental factors: Trauma and stressful events, such as abuse, the death of a loved one, divorce,
changing jobs or schools, may lead to GAD. GAD also may become worse during periods of stress. The
use of and withdrawal from addictive substances, including alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, can also
worsen anxiety.
Signs and Symptoms:
Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
An unrealistic view of problems
Restlessness or a feeling of being "edgy"
Irritability
Muscle tension
Headaches
Sweating
Difficulty concentrating
Nausea
The need to go to the bathroom frequently
Tiredness
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Trembling
Being easily startled
Treatment:
Professional counseling
Home treatment including: relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, guided
limit alcohol and caffeine, eat a balanced diet.
Medicines, such as an antidepressant.
imagery, regular exercise,
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts. To
get rid of the thoughts, a person does the same tasks over and over. For example, you may fear that
everything you touch has germs on it. So to ease that fear, you wash your hands over and over again.
OCD is a chronic, or long-term, illness that can take over your life, hurt your relationships, and limit your ability
to work or go to school.
Cause: Experts don't know the exact cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Research suggests that there
may be a problem with the way one part of the brain sends information to another part. Not having enough of
a brain chemical called serotonin may help cause the problem.
Signs and Symptoms:
Obsessions. These are unwanted thoughts, ideas, and impulses that you have again and again. They won't go
away. They get in the way of your normal thoughts and cause anxiety or fear. The thoughts may be sexual or
violent, or they may make you worry about illness or infection.
Examples include:
 A fear of harm to yourself or a loved one.
 A driving need to do things perfectly or correctly.
 A fear of getting dirty or infected.
Compulsions. These are behaviors that you repeat to try to control the obsessions. Some people have
behaviors that are rigid and structured, while others have very complex behaviors that change.
Examples include:
 Washing, or checking that something has been done.
 Counting, often while doing another compulsive action, such as hand-washing.
 Repeating things or always moving items to keep them in perfect order.
 Hoarding.
The obsessions or compulsions usually take up a lot of time-more than 1 hour a day. They greatly interfere
with your normal routine at work or school, and they affect social activities and relationships.
Treatment:
Treatment includes medicines and counseling. Using both often works best.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Many Americans experience individual traumatic events ranging from car and airplane accidents to sexual
assault and domestic violence. Other experiences, including those associated with natural disasters, such as
hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes, affect multiple people simultaneously. Dramatic and tragic events,
like the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and wars occur, and with media exposure
such as we have today, even people not directly involved might be affected. Simply put, PTSD is a state in
which you "can't stop remembering."
Cause: Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is among only a few mental illnesses that are
triggered by a disturbing outside event.
Signs and Symptoms: The main symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks, emotional detachment, and jumpiness.
1. Flashbacks: Imagine experiencing the most terrifying horror movie you’ve ever seen playing over and over
in your mind. You can’t make the images go away. These are the flashbacks so commonly associated
with PTSD and usually are thought of in connection with combat veterans in war.
Survivors of 9/11, for example, may keep seeing the plane hitting the building, hearing the sound of
the crash, or reliving their desperate escape, and these images may occur either while the
person is asleep (nightmares) or awake.
2. Emotional detachment: Emotional detachment is a second symptom of PTSD, which is often not as obvious
outwardly to anyone other than the person experiencing it. For these people, their emotional systems
are in overdrive. They have a hard time being a loving family member. They avoid activities, places, and
people associated with the traumatic event. They are simply drained emotionally and have trouble
functioning every day.
A parent who is emotionally detached, or numb, might be unable to cope with raising children.
The children, in turn, may develop poor social relationships, as was seen with some children of
Holocaust survivors. They can’t form loving bonds. This is the second generation of fallout from
PTSD on a mass scale.
3. Jumpiness: Any sudden noise might startle you, but for someone with PTSD, that noise would make them
practically "jump out of their skin" (known as hyperactive startle reflex). These people might overreact
to small things and have difficulty concentrating, which would affect their job performance. They may
always be looking around as if searching their environment for danger (this is hypervigilance). Trouble
falling asleep or staying asleep in this high state of arousal is also a common consequence.
Treatment: Treatment of children with PTSD should include the involvement of parents and other important
people such as teachers and school counselors in the child’s life. Treatment of traumatic stress in adults is
generally focused on individual treatment or group therapy with other individual adults who have experienced
a similar type of trauma.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions,
perceives reality, and relates to others. People with schizophrenia -- the most chronic and disabling of the
major mental illnesses -- often have problems functioning in society, at work and at school, and in
relationships. Schizophrenia can leave its sufferer frightened and withdrawn. It is a lifelong disease that cannot
be cured but usually can be controlled with proper treatment.
Cause: Genetics and environment
Many environmental factors may be involved, such as exposure to viruses or malnutrition before birth,
problems during birth, heavy adolescent marijuana use, and other not yet known psychosocial factors.
Signs and Symptoms:
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Social withdrawal
Depersonalization (a sense of being unreal, hazy and in a dreamlike state), sometimes accompanied by
intense anxiety
Loss of appetite
Loss of hygiene
Delusions
Hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren't there)
The sense of being controlled by outside forces
Disorganized speech
Treatment: Schizophrenia treatment involves medications and therapy to reduce the risk of future psychotic
episodes and improve relationships.
Bi-Polar
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that is characterized by extreme changes in mood, from mania to
depression. It can lead to risky behavior, damaged relationships and careers, and even suicidal tendencies if
it's not treated.
In general, women tend to experience more periods of depression than men, research shows. Women are also
at higher risk for rapid cycling, which means having four or more mood episodes in one year.
Cause: Experts don't fully understand what causes bipolar disorder.
It seems to run in families. Your child has a greater risk of having it if a close family member such as a parent,
grandparent, brother, or sister has it. Parents may wonder what they did to cause their child to have bipolar
disorder. But there is nothing a parent can do to cause or prevent it
Signs and Symptoms: Bipolar is a complex illness. There are many different symptoms -- and several different
types -- of bipolar disorder. The primary symptoms of the disorder are dramatic and unpredictable mood
swings. The various types of bipolar disorder range from mild to severe.
In children and teens, moods quickly change from one extreme to another without a clear reason. Some
children may briefly return to a normal mood between extremes. Many children change continuously between
mania and depression, sometimes several times in the same day. Sometimes children with bipolar disorder
have symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time.
Times of mania (ups) or depression (downs) may be less obvious in children and teens than in adults.
Treatment: Bipolar disorder is treated with three main classes of medication: mood stabilizers, antipsychotics,
and antidepressants.
Depression: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Most people have felt sad or depressed at times. Feeling depressed can be a normal reaction to loss, life's
struggles, or an injured self-esteem.
But when feelings of intense sadness -- including feeling helpless, hopeless, and worthless -- last for many days
to weeks and keep you from functioning normally, your depression may be something more than sadness. It
may very well be clinical depression -- a treatable medical condition.
Cause:
 Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
 Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers
or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
 Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
 Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase
the risk of depression.
 Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed
genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
 Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to
depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
 Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast
out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
 Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
 Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical
depression.
Signs and Symptoms: Depression occurs when you have at least five of the following symptoms at the same
time:
 A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning
 Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
 Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
 Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
 Insomnia (an inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day
 Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day
 Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death)
 A sense of restlessness or being slowed down
 Significant weight loss or weight gain
A key sign of depression is either depressed mood or loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. For a
diagnosis of depression, these signs should be present most of the day either daily or nearly daily for at least
two weeks.
Treatment: The kind of depression treatment that's best for you depends on the type of depression you
have. For example, some patients with clinical depression are treated with psychotherapy, and some are
prescribed antidepressants. Others are prescribed antidepressants and psychotherapy.
Autism
Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. With autism, the
different areas of the brain fail to work together.
Most people with autism will always have some trouble relating to others. But early diagnosis and treatment
have helped more and more people who have autism to reach their full potential.
Cause: Autism tends to run in families, so experts think it may be something that you inherit. Scientists are
trying to find out exactly which genes may be responsible for passing down autism in families.
Signs and Symptoms: Symptoms almost always start before a child is 3 years old. Usually, parents first notice
that their toddler has not started talking yet and is not acting like other children the same age. But it is not
unusual for a child to start to talk at the same time as other children the same age, then lose his or her
language skills.
Symptoms of autism include:
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A delay in learning to talk, or not talking at all. A child may seem to be deaf, even though hearing
tests are normal.
Repeated and overused types of behavior, interests, and play. Examples include repeated body
rocking, unusual attachments to objects, and getting very upset when routines change.
Treatment: Treatment for autism involves special behavioral training. Behavioral training rewards
good behavior (positive reinforcement) to teach children social skills and to teach them how to
communicate and how to help themselves as they grow older.
With early treatment, most children with autism learn to relate better to others. They learn to communicate
and to help themselves as they grow older.
ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) symptoms may begin in
childhood and continue into adulthood. ADHD and ADD symptoms, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and
inattentiveness, can cause problems at home, school, work, or in relationships.
Cause: The exact causes of ADHD are not known with certainty.
Experts do know that ADHD has a strong genetic component. In addition, they think that genes that control
the levels of certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters seem to be different in those with ADHD.
Signs and Symptoms:
 Difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other
activities; producing work that is often messy and careless
 Easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial
noises or events that are usually ignored by others
 Inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
 Difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration
 Frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
 Procrastination
 Disorganized work habits
 Forgetfulness in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)
 Failure to complete tasks such as homework or chores
 Frequent shifts in conversation, not listening to others, not keeping one's mind on conversations, and
not following details or rules of activities in social situations
Hyperactivity symptoms may be apparent in very young preschoolers and are nearly always present before
the age of seven. Symptoms include:
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Fidgeting, squirming when seated
Getting up frequently to walk or run around
Running or climbing excessively when it's inappropriate (in teens this may appear as restlessness)
Having difficulty playing quietly or engaging in quiet leisure activities
Always being 'on the go'
Often talking excessively
Treatment: Medication therapy is an important component of treating ADHD. There are many types of drugs
that can be used to control symptoms of ADHD.
ADHD medications are available in short-acting (immediate-release), intermediate-acting, and long-acting
forms. It may take some time for a doctor to find the most effective drug, dosage, and schedule for someone
with ADHD.
Parkinsons
Parkinson's disease, which mostly affects older people but can occur at any age, results from the gradual
degeneration of nerve cells in the portion of the midbrain that controls body movements. The first signs are
likely to be barely noticeable -- a feeling of weakness or stiffness in one limb, perhaps, or a fine trembling of
one hand when it is at rest. Eventually, the shaking worsens and spreads, muscles tend to stiffen, and balance
and coordination deteriorate. Depression, cognitive issues, and other mental or emotional problems are
common as well.
Cause: Why Parkinson's disease occurs and how the neurons become impaired is not known. However, there
is increasing evidence that Parkinson's disease may be inherited (passed on genetically from family members).
Signs and Symptoms: Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder that progresses slowly. Some people will
first notice a sense of weakness, difficulty walking, and stiff muscles. Others may notice a tremor of the head
or hands. Parkinson's is a progressive disorder and the symptoms gradually worsen. The general symptoms of
Parkinson's disease include:
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Slowness of voluntary movements, especially in the initiation of such movements as walking or rolling
over in bed.
Decreased facial expression, monotonous speech, and decreased eye blinking.
A shuffling gait with poor arm swing and stooped posture.
Unsteady balance; difficulty rising from a sitting position.
Continuous "pill-rolling" motion of the thumb and forefinger.
Abnormal tone or stiffness in the trunk and extremities.
Swallowing problems in later stages.
Treatment: To date, there is no known prevention or cure for Parkinson's disease. But, there are several
treatment options, including drug therapy and/or surgery that can reduce the symptoms, and make living with
the disease easier.