14 Mental Diseases
14 00 Alcoholic-induced mental disorders
14 01 Anorexia Nervosa
14 02 Apathy
14 03 Bulimia Nervosa
14 04 Dementia
14 05 Drug-induced mental disorders
14 06 Mania
14 10 Paranoia
14 11 Persistent mental disorders
14 12 Personality disorders
14 13 Schizophrenia
A mental disorder is a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior. It typically involves distress or impairment in critical areas of functioning. There are many types of mental disorders. Mental disorders may also be referred to as mental health conditions. The latter is a broader term that encompasses mental disorders, psychosocial disabilities, and (other) mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm.
Understanding the color treatment system is crucial because it can guide you through your treatment journey. Each disease or condition is assigned a unique code that includes a treatment color. This system helps you quickly identify treatment options for your specific condition, empowering you to take control of your health.
Scroll down the site to find your disease or condition. Then, you look for the treatment color. The treatment colors are magenta (red-blue), blue, cyan (blue-green), green, yellow (red-green), and red. I give the treatment colors a number. Magenta = 0, blue = 1, cyan = 2, green = 3, yellow = 4, and red = 5. For instance, Alcohol-induced Mental Disorders would then be categorized as 14-00-0. Here, the last digit, the treatment color, is magenta. The first two digits are the disease/condition group (Mental Diseases is 14). The next two digits (Alcohol-induced Mental Disorders is 00) are the illness within the group, and the last digit (magenta is 0) is the treatment color. This system helps you quickly identify treatment options for your specific condition.
When you use the projector, click your treatment color to display a large image. Make the color cover the whole page, then project it onto yourself. When you use the spotlight or the LED light bulb, you choose your color manually.
Chronic alcohol abuse may lead to various complications after abrupt alcohol cessation, with the mildest and most common presentation being withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, tremors, palpitations, and diaphoresis. At the same time, the patient’s orientation remains intact. A more severe presentation of chronic alcohol abuse is delirium tremens (DT), so named for the delirium, or sudden and severe confusion, that begins two to four days after abstinence. Additional findings of DT include agitation, fever, tachycardia, hypertension, diaphoresis, and hallucinations.
Less well-characterized is a manifestation of chronic alcohol abuse termed alcoholic hallucinosis, or alcohol-induced psychotic disorder (AIPD), which is predominantly hallucinatory. AIPD may present with visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations, delusions of persecution, and mood disturbances, while the level of consciousness and the patient’s vital signs remain intact, distinguishing it from DT.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder often marked by a distorted body image, significant weight loss, and difficulty maintaining an appropriate body weight. The exact cause of anorexia is not well understood; however, it involves a combination of self-esteem and body image issues, genetic factors, and societal pressures.
Symptoms of anorexia nervosa can include restricting food intake, compulsive exercise, overuse of laxatives, extreme weight loss, and preoccupation with weight, food, calories, and diet. Poor nutrition and weight loss can also cause symptoms throughout the body.
Possible associated signs and symptoms include dizziness, constipation, cold intolerance, sleep disturbances, irregular menstruation, muscle weakness, poor wound healing, thinning hair, damaged tooth enamel, delayed puberty, and difficulty concentrating.
Apathy is a lack of motivation or concern about what’s happening. It can be a symptom of mental health problems, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. Apathy often lasts a long time. You may not want to engage in activities that involve thinking or emotions. The term comes from the Greek word “pathos,” which means passion or emotion.
Apathy reflects a lack of those feelings. But it isn’t the same as depression, though the two can be hard to distinguish. Feeling “blah” about life is common in both situations. It isn’t sadness or anger, either. Instead of feeling these emotions, you feel tired of everything.
Things that used to make you happy no longer excite you. You are no longer motivated to achieve your goals. Everyone loses interest in things occasionally, but when it happens frequently, it can affect relationships, jobs, and the ability to enjoy life.
Bulimia nervosa, commonly referred to as bulimia, is a severe and potentially life-threatening eating disorder. Individuals with bulimia may secretly binge, consuming large amounts of food while losing control over their eating, and then purge in unhealthy ways to eliminate excess calories.
To prevent weight gain, those with bulimia may use various methods. For instance, they might regularly induce vomiting or misuse laxatives, weight-loss supplements, diuretics, or enemas after a binge. They may also use other approaches to cut calories and avoid weight gain, such as fasting, strict dieting, or excessive exercise.
Dementia significantly affects memory, thinking, and social abilities, interfering with daily life. It is not a specific disease; several conditions can cause it.
While dementia generally involves memory loss, the loss can have different causes. Experiencing memory loss alone does not necessarily mean you have dementia, even though it is often an early sign of the condition.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of progressive dementia in older adults, but there are many other potential causes of dementia. Depending on the underlying cause, some dementia symptoms may be reversible.
Psychosis may also be linked to certain types of drug or alcohol abuse. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, PCP, peyote, and magic mushrooms often come to mind first.
However, while these substances regularly induce profoundly altered states of mind and specific psychotic features, several other types of drugs, when taken for extended periods and in sufficient quantities, can also cause drug-induced psychosis.
In some cases, it is not the primary intoxication that leads to psychosis but rather withdrawal from a substance.
Mania is an abnormally elevated mood state marked by inappropriate elation, increased energy, irritability, severe insomnia, rapid or loud speech, and disconnected or racing thoughts. It also includes impulsivity, markedly increased energy and activity, increased libido (sexual desire), poor judgment, and inappropriate social behavior. Grandiose thinking (believing one has unique abilities or powers) is often associated with mania. People with mania may also jump from one topic to another in conversation.
Mania is a hallmark of bipolar disorder. A person must have experienced at least one manic episode to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In this condition, major depressive episodes often alternate with manic episodes. The cause of bipolar disorder is not well understood, but genetic and environmental factors play essential roles.
Paranoia is the perception or suspicion that others have hostile or aggressive motives when interacting with them (for example, “they are out to get me”) despite there being no reason for these suspicions. People experiencing paranoia believe they are being persecuted and hold delusional ideas about themselves as central figures in scenarios that, in reality, have little relevance to them. As a result, they may mistrust others and remain suspicious.
Minor feelings of paranoia are common, but severe paranoia can cause significant fear and anxiety and have a pronounced effect on social functioning.
Feelings of paranoia can be observed in many psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as in several medical conditions that can affect brain function, ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to multiple sclerosis. Intoxication from alcohol or drug abuse may also lead to feelings of paranoia.
Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) encompasses a range of severe mental health disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which mental health professionals use to diagnose clients. The SPMI category includes Major Depression, Bipolar Disorders, Schizophrenia, and Borderline Personality Disorder.
A personality disorder is a mental disorder marked by a rigid, unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning, and behavior. People with personality disorders struggle to perceive and relate to situations and others.
As a result, they face significant challenges and limitations in relationships, social activities, work, and school. In some cases, the person may not realize they have a personality disorder because their thinking and behavior seem natural to them, and they may blame others for the difficulties they encounter.
Personality disorders usually begin in the teenage years or early adulthood. There are many types of personality disorders; however, some may become less noticeable during middle age. Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters based on similar characteristics and symptoms, so many individuals with one personality disorder also exhibit signs and symptoms of at least one other.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary in quality and intensity from individual to individual, but delusions or a failure to recognize what is real are characteristic. In addition, the illusions of schizophrenia can cause hallucinations in sight (visual hallucinations), sound (auditory hallucinations), or touch (tactile hallucinations).
Other symptoms include disorganized or confused thinking and nonsensical speech. Decreased social interaction, social withdrawal, and agitation are common. It can also lead to other negative social symptoms and unusual behavior.