Learning Targets

After studying this lesson, I will be able to
 define organic and functional mental disorders.
 describe the four main categories of functional mental disorders.
 contrast the various types of care providers for mental health.
Mental Disorder: an illness of the mind that can affect the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of a person, preventing him
or her from leading a happy, healthful, and productive life. Each year about 57.7 million people in the United States are
affected by some form of mental disorder (1 in every 4 Americans). Mental disorders are medical conditions and require
diagnosis and treatment. Many people do not seek treatment because they feel embarrassed or ashamed, or worry
about the stigma associated with mental disorders.
Types of Mental Disorders:
1. Organic Disorder – caused by a physical illness or an injury that affects the brain (brain tumors, alcoholism,
infections such as syphilis and meningitis, lupus, and stroke), or an inherited chemical imbalance.
2. Functional Disorder – the result of psychological causes in which no clear brain damage is involved. May be
caused by stress, emotional conflict, fear, poor coping skills, inborn causes, traumatic events in childhood,
current causes, or a chemical imbalance in the brain. Functional disorders fall under the following categories:
 Anxiety Disorders
 Impulse Control Disorders
 Eating Disorders
 Somatoform Disorders
 Affective Disorders
 Personality Disorders

Anxiety Disorders
An illness in which real, imagined, or persistent fears prevent a person from enjoying life. It is characterized by feeling
uneasy or worried about what may happen. People rearrange their lives so as to avoid the object or situation that makes
them anxious or fearful.
1. Phobia
 A specific fear that is so strong, a person goes to extreme measures to avoid the fear-producing object or
activity.
 They may be unable to carry out daily activities.
 It may be related to some past experience that was upsetting to the individual. Although there is no longer a
threat of real danger, the fear remains.
2. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder is trapped in a pattern of repeated behaviors or thoughts that may
interfere with other daily functions and commitments.
 Obsessions are persistent, recurrent, unwanted thoughts or ideas that keep people from thinking about
other things.
 Compulsions are urgent, repeated, irresistible behaviors.
3. Panic Disorder
A condition in which fear or anxiety prevails and gets in the way of functioning and enjoying life.
 They suffer “panic attacks” accompanied by trembling, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, or
a fear of losing control or even dying.
 These attacks are usually connected to a certain “trigger” such as an object, condition, or situation.
4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A condition in which a person who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event feels severe and long-lasting
aftereffects
 Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, dreams about the event, sleeplessness,
feelings of guilt, or an extreme reaction to an image or sound that reminds the person of the event.
 Symptoms may appear six months or even years after the initial event.

5. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 Exaggerated worry and tension for no reason.
 They startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating, relaxing, and sleeping
Impulse Control Disorders
An illness in which a person cannot resist the urge to cause physical harm to themselves or others; or financial harm by
overspending or gambling
1. Kleptomania – the unplanned theft of objects
2. Cutting – repetitive cutting on parts of the body that can be hidden
3. Pyromania – setting fires to feel pleasure or release tension
4. Excessive gambling – continuing to gamble despite heavy losses
5. Compulsive shopping – spending money on items the person cannot afford and doesn’t need
Eating Disorders
Disordered eating patterns cause physical harm to the body, but are of psychological origin.
1. Anorexia Nervosa – an irrational fear of weight gain leads people to starve themselves.
2. Bulimia Nervosa – involves cycles of overeating and purging, or attempts to rid the body of food.
3. Binge Eating Disorder – a condition of compulsively overeating
Somatoform Disorders
An illness in which a person complains of disease symptoms, but no physical cause can be found.
1. Hypochondria: a preoccupation with the body and fear of presumed diseases which are not present. They feel
aches and pains and worry about developing cancer, heart disease, or some other serious problem.
2. Münchausen syndrome : the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to
gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extreme
cases, people suffering from Münchausen's syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine
and are able to produce symptoms that result in lengthy and costly medical care and unnecessary operations . It
is distinct from hypochondria in that patients with Münchausen syndrome are aware that they are exaggerating,
whereas sufferers of hypochondria believe they actually have a disease.
3. Münchausen syndrome by proxy: is a label for a pattern of behavior in which care-givers deliberately
exaggerate, fabricate and/or induce physical and/or mental/emotional health problems in others.
Affective Disorders
An illness that relates to emotions and may involve mood swings or mood extremes which interfere with everyday living.
1. Clinical Depression
Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or despair lasting for more than a few weeks and interferes with daily
activities and interests
 Affects one’s ability to concentrate, sleep, perform at school or work, or handle everyday decisions and
challenges.
 Can be a symptom of substance abuse.
 Can be biologically based or be caused by life events, accumulated traumas, or stressors.
2. Bipolar Disorder
A psychological illness characterized by extreme mood swings between depression and extreme happiness, or
mania
 Manic phase: may feel extremely happy or energetic, be overly talkative, make lots of plans and take
part in all sorts of activities, act impulsively or take unnecessary risks
 Depressive phase: a period of deep depression and lack of energy.

Personality Disorders
1. Antisocial Personality Disorder
 Characterized by a person’s constant conflict with society
 They may display behavior that is cruel, uncaring, irresponsible, and impulsive.
 They can distinguish between right and wrong, but often doesn’t care about others’ needs or society’s rules
and therefore are often in trouble with the law.
Conduct Disorder (seen in children and teens)
 Characterized by patterns of behavior in which the rights of others or basic social rules are violated.
 May include: stealing, cruelty, lying, aggression, violence, truancy, arson, and vandalism
 Treatment includes learning to adapt to the demands of everyday life.
2. Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
 Characterized by a person who is often uncooperative with others
 They resent being told what to do, yet they rely on others for direction.
 They get angry over issues of control, and show their anger, but only indirectly (passively). (i.e., they will
shut down, refuse to do something, give you the “evil eye”, etc.)
3. Schizophrenia
 Means “split mind” and causes a person to lose contact with reality, and have unpredictable behavior.
 Affects 1%-2% of the population and appears most frequently among people between 15 and 25.
 Causes may stem from a physical disorder or may be genetic.
 Characterized by inappropriate behavior, abnormal or no emotional responses, hallucinations, hearing
voices, talking to themselves, acting in odd manners, neglect self-care, and a mistrust of other people

Kinds of Professional Help Available
1. Neurologist – a physician who specializes in organic disorders of the brain and nervous system.
2. Psychiatrist- a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental, emotional and behavioral disorders
and can prescribe medications.
 Psychotherapy – an ongoing dialogue between the patient and psychiatrist designed to get to the root of the
problem and find a solution.
 Psychoanalysis – an analysis of a patient’s past, particularly his or her early life, to determine the early roots
of a mental problem.
 Medical Psychotherapy – the use of certain medications to treat or reduce a mental disorder or to use in
conjunction with or as preparation for the above two treatments.
3. Clinical Psychologist – a professional who diagnoses and treats emotional and behavioral disorders but usually
cannot prescribe medications
4. Psychiatric Social Worker – one who has concentrated on psychiatric casework, doing fieldwork in a mental
hospital, mental health clinic, or family service agency that provides guidance and treatment for clients with
emotional problems
5. Counselors – There are many kinds of counselors including school counselors, pastoral counselors and addiction
counselors, grief counselors, family counselors, etc.
Other Types of Therapy
1. Behavior therapy – a treatment process that focuses on changing unwanted behaviors through rewards and
reinforcements.
2. Cognitive Therapy – a treatment method designed to identify and correct distorted thinking patterns that can
lead to feelings and behaviors that may be troublesome, self-defeating, or self-destructive.
3. Family Therapy – focuses on helping the family function in more positive and constructive ways by exploring
patterns in communication and providing support and education. This is most successful when every member of
the family attends the sessions.
4. Group therapy – involves treating a group of people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a
trained counselor. Participants agree that whatever is said in the group is private and agree not to discuss
information heard during the session with others.

Write 5 sentences in your own words about what you learned from the info sheet.

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1 answer

I learned that mental disorders can be categorized into two main types: organic disorders, which are caused by physical factors affecting the brain, and functional disorders, which arise from psychological causes without clear brain damage.
Functional mental disorders are further divided into six categories, including anxiety disorders, impulse control disorders, eating disorders, somatoform disorders, affective disorders, and personality disorders, each characterized by distinct symptoms and issues.
Anxiety disorders can significantly impact a person's ability to enjoy life and often stem from overwhelming fears or stress, leading to behaviors that circumvent these fears.
Professional help for mental health issues includes various types of care providers, such as neurologists, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and counselors, each playing unique roles in diagnosis and treatment.
Different therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive therapy and family therapy, focus on altering negative thinking patterns and improving family dynamics, respectively, to promote emotional well-being.