mental disorder

Examples of mental disorder in the following topics:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Mental Illnesses

  • Schizophrenia and depression are just two examples of mental illnesses caused by a disorder of the nervous system.
  • Mental illnesses are nervous system disorders that result in problems with thinking, mood, or relating with other people.
  • Debilitating mental disorders plague approximately 12.5 million Americans (about 1 in 17 people) at an annual cost of more than $300 billion.
  • There are several types of mental disorders including schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many others.
  • The American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM), which describes the symptoms required for a patient to be diagnosed with a particular mental disorder.

• Human Sex-Linked Disorders

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Autism and ADHD

  • There are several different classes of neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Some disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, have complex symptoms.
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD, sometimes just "autism") is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which severity differs from person to person.
  • Current estimates suggest that one in 88 children will develop the disorder.
  • Examples include depression or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

• Other Neurological Disorders

  • Epilepsy and stroke are examples of neurological disorders that arise from malfunctions in the nervous system.
  • There are several other neurological disorders that cannot be easily placed into clean-cut categories.
  • These include chronic pain conditions, cancers of the nervous system, epilepsy disorders, and stroke.
  • For example, people who have intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder can experience seizures, presumably because the developmental wiring malfunctions that caused their disorders also put them at risk for epilepsy.

• Hormonal Regulation of Metabolism

  • Disorders can arise from both the underproduction and overproduction of thyroid hormones.
  • Hypothyroidism, underproduction of the thyroid hormones, can cause a low metabolic rate leading to weight gain, sensitivity to cold, and reduced mental activity, among other symptoms.
  • In children, hypothyroidism can cause cretinism, which can lead to mental retardation and growth defects.

• Neurodegenerative Disorders

  • Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are both neurodegenerative disorders characterized by loss of nervous system functioning.
  • Neurodegenerative disorders are illnesses characterized by a loss of nervous system functioning that are usually caused by neuronal death.
  • Neurodegenerative disorders include Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease, other dementia disorders, and Parkinson's disease.
  • Distinguish between the neurodegenerative disorders of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

• Disorders in Chromosome Number

  • Of all of the chromosomal disorders, abnormalities in chromosome number are the most obviously identifiable from a karyotype and are referred to as aneuploidy.
  • Klinefelter syndrome is a trisomy genetic disorder in males caused by the presence of one or more X chromosomes.

• Bone and Joint Disorders

  • The most common bone and joint disorder are types of arthritis.
  • Arthritis is a common disorder of synovial joints that involves inflammation of the joint.

• The Second Law of Thermodynamics

  • An important concept in physical systems is disorder (also known as randomness).
  • Scientists define the measure of randomness or disorder within a system as entropy.
  • High entropy means high disorder and low energy. 
  • Liquids are more disordered and it takes less energy to hold them together.
  • Entropy is a measure of randomness or disorder in a system.

• Uses of Genome Sequences

  • Genome sequences and expression can be analyzed using DNA microarrays, which can contribute to detection of disease and genetic disorders.
  • Knowledge of the entire genome will allow future onset diseases and other genetic disorders to be discovered early, which will allow for more informed decisions to be made about lifestyle, medication, and having children.