seasonal affective disorder

Examples of seasonal affective disorder in the following topics:

• Body-Oriented Psychotherapies

  • EMDR was originally developed to treat adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, it is also used to treat other conditions.
  • EMDR is commonly used in the treatment of psychological trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (C-PTSD).
  • Light therapy is used to treat certain sleep disorders and can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder.
  • There is also some support for its use with non-seasonal psychiatric disorders and skin disorders such as psoriasis.
  • It is a form of psychotherapy used to create unconscious change in a person and can be effective in treating many disorders.

• Cluster A: Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders

  • Cluster A disorders include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder.
  • Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) is a mental disorder characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspicion and general mistrust of others.
  • These symptoms must not be attributable to an autism spectrum disorder or to schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.
  • Schizoid personality disorder has negative symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia (e.g., anhedonia, blunted affect, and low energy), and medications such as atypical antipsychotics may alleviate these symptoms.
  • These symptoms must not be attributable to an autism spectrum disorder or to schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.

• Factitious Disorders

  • In factitious disorder imposed on the self, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to gain examination, treatment, attention, sympathy, and/or comfort from medical personnel.
  • Münchausen syndrome, a severe form of factitious disorder, was the first to be identified and was for a period used as the umbrella term for all such disorders.
  • There is now considered to be a wide range of factitious disorders, and the label of Münchausen syndrome is reserved for the most severe form, where the simulation of disease is the central activity of the affected person's life.
  • In addition, the symptoms must not be attributed to another mental disorder (such as a psychotic disorder).
  • If an underlying mood or personality disorder is detected, that disorder should be treated with the appropriate psychotherapy and/or medication.

• Explaining Mood Disorders

  • Mood disorders (also called affective disorders) characterize a group of psychological disorders where disturbance in the person's mood is thought to be the main underlying feature.
  • While everyone experiences negative mood at some point in their lives, mood disorders affect an individual's capacity to function in daily life.
  • Major depression significantly affects a person's family and personal relationships, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health.
  • While insomnia affects at least 80% of depressed people, hypersomnia, or oversleeping, can also happen.
  • There is also a common belief that low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin play a central role in the development and course of affective disorders.

• Cluster C: Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders

  • Cluster C disorders include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (which is not the same thing as obsessive-compulsive disorder).
  • There is controversy as to whether avoidant personality disorder is a distinct disorder from generalized social phobia, and it is contended by some that they are merely different conceptualizations of the same disorder, where avoidant personality disorder may represent the more severe form.
  • Children and adolescents with a history of anxiety disorders and physical illnesses are more susceptible to acquiring this disorder.
  • Persons affected with this disorder may find it hard to relax, always feeling that time is running out for their activities and that more effort is needed to achieve their goals.
  • However, attitudes toward these behaviors differ between people affected with either of the disorders: for people with OCD, these behaviors are unwanted and seen as unhealthy, being the product of anxiety-inducing and involuntary thoughts.

• Introduction to Personality Disorders

  • differs significantly from the norms and expectations of their culture in two or more of the following areas: cognition, affect, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control;
  • Personality disorders are often researched within these clusters, since the disorders in a cluster exhibit many common disturbances.
  • Borderline personality disorder: A pervasive pattern of instability in relationships, self-image, identity, behavior, and affect, often leading to self-harm and impulsivity.
  • The disruptive nature of personality disorders, as well as the fact that their symptoms are long-lasting and affect multiple areas of functioning, means that these are possibly the most challenging group of disorders to manage.
  • Differentiate among mood disorders and the three clusters of personality disorders identified in the DSM-5

• Bipolar Disorders

  • Bipolar disorders are debilitating mood disorders characterized by periods of mania/hypomania and periods of depression.
  • Bipolar disorder (commonly referred to as manic-depression) is a mood disorder characterized by periods of elevated mood and periods of depression.
  • Other mental health issues such as anxiety disorders and substance use disorders are commonly associated.
  • These disorders can still significantly impair and adversely affect the quality of life of the patient.
  • The symptoms of DMDD resemble those of other childhood disorders, notably attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and bipolar disorder in children.

• Somatic Symptom Disorders

  • A somatic symptom disorder, formerly known as a somatoform disorder, is a category of mental disorder included in a number of diagnostic schemes of mental illness, including the recent DSM-5 section Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.
  • Somatic symptom disorder is difficult to diagnose and treat and requires psychiatrists to work with neurologists with this disorder.
  • With the 2013 release of the DSM-5, the diagnoses of somatization disorder, hypochondriasis, pain disorder, and undifferentiated somatoform disorder were removed.
  • Somatic symptom disorder is a controversial diagnosis.
  • A recent review of cognitive–affective neuroscience research suggests that catastrophization in patients with these disorders tends to correlate with a greater vulnerability to pain.

• The Schizophrenia Spectrum

  • The spectrum of psychotic disorders includes schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, and catatonia.
  • Instead, schizophrenia is now understood as existing along a spectrum of psychotic disorders that include schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, and catatonia.
  • A person with this disorder has features of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder (either bipolar disorder or depression) but does not strictly meet the diagnostic criteria for either.
  • Delusional disorder is a psychiatric condition in which the person presents with delusions but no accompanying hallucinations, thought disorder, mood disorder, or significant flattening of affect.
  • In the DSM-5, catatonia is not recognized as its own disorder but rather is listed as a symptom of other psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.

• Sleep-Wake Disorders

  • Sleep disorders cause sleep disturbances that affect the amount, quality, or timing of sleep or that induce abnormal events during sleep.
  • Sleep-wake disorders cause a number of sleep disturbances that affect the amount, quality, or timing of sleep or that induce abnormal events during sleep.
  • Also known as "dream anxiety disorder," nightmare disorder is characterized by frequent nightmares.
  • It most commonly affects the legs, but it can also affect the arms, torso, head, and even phantom limbs.
  • Moving the affected body part modulates the sensations, providing temporary relief.