Medications for treating mental illness can, like other medications, have side effects. The psychiatrist or physician can usually adjust the dose or change the medication to alleviate side effects. Although scientists at this time do not know the causes of mental illnesses, they have identified factors that put individuals at risk. Some of these factors are environmental, some are genetic, and some are social.
Each of those preconceptions about people who have a mental illness is based on false information. Very few people who have a mental illness are dangerous to society. Most can hold jobs, attend school, and live independently. A person who has a mental illness cannot simply decide to get over it any more than someone who has a different chronic disease such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease can. A mental illness, like those other diseases, is caused by a physical problem in the body.
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Again, treatment for anxiety in older adults may include psychotherapy and/or medication. Practicing relaxation strategies to reduce stress can also be helpful. The types of anxiety that people face may also vary with age. For example, phobias are more common in children, panic disorder is more common in middle-aged adults, and older adults are more likely to experience generalized anxiety disorder.
The combination of medications and psychotherapy is effective in the majority of cases and represents the standard care; however, doctors can employ other methods. One therapy that is highly effective when antidepressants and psychotherapy are not effective is electroconvulsive therapy, or electroshock therapy.23 ECT is not commonly used in children and adolescents. When ECT is performed, allergy medicine the individual is anesthetized and receives an electrical shock in specific parts of the brain. ECT can provide dramatic and rapid relief, but the effects usually last a fairly short time. After ECT, individuals usually take antidepressant medications.
- However, often a team approach is appropriate to make sure all your psychiatric, medical and social needs are met.
- Sometimes mood stabilizers are used with antidepressants to treat depression.
- If you have a mild mental illness with well-controlled symptoms, treatment from your primary care provider may be sufficient.
- However, if it is left untreated, PTSD can cause a wide array of issues and can even lead to suicide.
- Mood stabilizers are most commonly used to treat bipolar disorders, which involves alternating episodes of mania and depression.
Those who scored one to three on the test were considered mildly distressed. These people had some symptoms of anxiety and depression, but they wouldn’t necessarily have come to a doctor’s attention for their troubles. Scores of four to six were in the range that people might be clinically depressed or anxious. Scores of seven to 12 were people who had been severely distressed. Each person who participated completed a 12-question mental health survey.
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In fact, all these factors most likely combine to influence whether someone becomes mentally ill. The nervous system uses a variety of neurotransmitter molecules, but each neuron specializes in the synthesis and secretion of a single type of neurotransmitter. Some of the predominant neurotransmitters in the brain include glutamate, GABA,serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Each of these neurotransmitters has a specific distribution and function in the brain; the specifics of each are beyond the scope of this module, but a few of the names will arise in reference to particular mental illnesses.
Occasionally, the media reports stories in which the side effects of a psychiatric medication are tied to a potentially serious consequence, such as suicide. In these cases, it is usually very difficult to determine how much suicidal behavior was due to the mental disorder and what the role of the medication might have been.
