Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia?
People with this condition often lose touch with reality. They may have trouble knowing what is real and what is not real.
Typical symptoms include- AVH, delusions, paranoia, trouble completing tasks and disorganized thinking.
What is depression?
Depression is a mental health condition that causes deep sadness and a loss of joy in daily life. It lasts for a long time and changes how you think, feel, and act.
Caused by- It happens because of a mix of brain chemistry, genes, life events, and physical health.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition where individuals experience alternating emotional highs, known as mania or hypomania, and lows, known as depression.
What is anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition involving intense, ongoing fear, worry, or nervousness that is hard to control and interferes with daily life. While occasional nervousness is normal, an anxiety disorder causes extreme distress that does not go away and is out of proportion to actual situations. [1, 2, 3]
What is an obsession?
Unwanted, repeated thoughts or worries can be a symptom of OCD.
This symptom can cause a person to hear or see things that others do not.
-Hallucinations
*Visual hallucinations
*Auditory hallucinations
*Tactile hallucinations
*Olfactory hallucinations
This common symptom of depression can make it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or cause someone to sleep too much.
-Sleep disturbance
This mood episode can cause a person to feel very happy, energetic, or unusually irritable.
- Mania
This anxiety symptom can make a person feel like they cannot sit still or relax.
- Restlessness
What is a compulsion?
Repeated actions, such as checking or washing, may be done to reduce anxiety from unwanted thoughts.
This symptom involves strongly believing something that is not based in reality, such as believing someone is trying to harm you.
- Delusion
- Persecutory: Constant fear that others are trying to harm, spy on, cheat, or follow you.
- Grandiose- Belief of having an inflated sense of power, wealth, knowledge, or identity.
-Somatic: Fixed beliefs about bodily functions or physical health. The person is sure something is deeply wrong with their body.
This symptom of depression can make a person feel tired and have very little energy.
- Fatigue
During this type of empisodee, a person may experience this feeling of sadness or hopelessness.
-Depression
What are two common symptoms of anxiety
- Racing heartbeat
-Excessive worry
-Nervousness
-Restless
-Sweating
-Trembling
-Trouble focusing
This type of medication is commonly used to help treat OCD symptoms.
- Antidepressants
These medications are commonly used to help reduce symptoms of schizophrenia.
- Antipsychotic medications
- Zyprexa
-Seroquel
-Risperidone
-Haldol
-Invega
-Abilify
-Thorazine
These medications are commonly prescribed to help treat depression. Please provide an example.
- Antidepressants
- Zoloft
-Lexapro
-Wellbutrin
-Cymbalta
-Prozac
-Paxil
-Remeron
During mania, a person may need much less of this and still feel full of energy.
-Sleep
These medications are sometimes prescribed to help manage anxiety symptoms. Please provide an example.
- Anxiolytics
- Benzodiazepines- Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax, Valium
- Antidepressants- Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, Effexor, Cymbalta
Blood pressure medications- Propranolol, atenolol, metoprolol (Block adrenaline)
This type of therapy is commonly used to help people with OCD face fears and gradually reduce compulsive behaviors.
-Exposure and response prevention therapy:
-This therapy involves safely facing anxiety triggers (exposure) while actively choosing not to perform the usual compulsive rituals or avoidance behaviors (response prevention) to retrain the brain. [1, 2, 3]
People taking antipsychotic medication should talk to their healthcare provider before doing this, rather than stopping suddenly on their own.
- Stopping Medication
Risks for stopping medications "cold turkey"
- Irritability
- Insomnia
-Anxiety
-Nausea
- Mood changes with emotional instability
-Seizure
-Confusion
-Sweating
- Rebound Psychosis
What is the risk of stopping antidepressants "cold turkey"?
Stopping medication abruptly can cause antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, leading to intense physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms, a high risk of relapse or worsening depression, and severe neurological or mood disturbances. In some cases, it can cause suicidal ideation.
Symptoms-
- Flu like symptoms
- Stomach upset
- Sleep issues
- Mood instability
- Anxiety/ irritability
- Suicidal thoughts
These medications are commonly used to help stabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder. Please give an example.
- Mood Stabilizers:
-Lithium
-Depakote
-Lamictal
-Tegretol
- Antipsychotics
What is a way to manage anxiety without medications?
- Breathing exercises
- Sleep
-Physical activity
-Participating in hobbies
-Journaling
-CBT- Group therapy
- Limit stimulants or other dietary adjustments: Caffeine, alcohol,
These are typical compulsions a person with OCD suffers from.
-Excessive handwashing or cleaning
-Repeatedly checking locks, appliances, or doors
-Counting objects or repeating actions a certain number of times
-Arranging or organizing things until they feel “just right”
-Repeating words, phrases, or prayers
-Seeking reassurance repeatedly from others
-Avoiding certain objects, places, or situations because they trigger obsessive thoughts
-Mentally reviewing events or repeatedly trying to “undo” a thought