Research Paper On Caring For The Mind

Jamileth Soto
Mrs. Akers
Period 4
April 11th, 2016
Caring for the Mind When the topic mental illness comes up many know that it’s a life changing illness that can affect day to day activities. However, what exactly is a mental illness? It is a wide range of conditions that affects mood, thinking, and behavior and if left untreated it can be life threatening. However, not much recognition is given to how common or serious it actually is. People don’t realize that it can be themselves who are next to be diagnosed with a mental illness. A mental illness can affect all races and genders, some more than others but it still can affect everyone. Mental illnesses have affected millions of people worldwide, yet people still don’t understand the causes

When someone experiences anxiety that causes them to be in constant fear or overwhelmed and limits their everyday functions, then that is an anxiety disorder. Over 40 million people in the U.S have had an anxiety disorder, which is about 18 percent of the population (Anxiety Disorders 1). There are many types of anxiety disorder, the most common: panic disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and social anxiety disorder. Panic disorders are panic attacks, which is having a sudden feeling of terror. A phobia is when a place or object creates an irrational fear. GAD is exaggerated worrying which can last up to hours each day. Social anxiety disorders is excessive fear of public humiliation and constantly worrying about saying something dumb or not knowing what to

Of those cases 83 percent are severe and the average age is 25 (Bipolar Disorder 1). Causes for mental illnesses are genetics, stress or the brain structure. It’s not always certain that if a family has a past of bipolar disorders then the kids will be affected too, but they do have a greater chance of being diagnosed with this illness. Stress can trigger the first episode of a bipolar disorder but depending on the person’s lifestyle of handling stress it can play a role in developing the illness. This illness affects women and men equally. There are four types of bipolar disorders: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder “Unspecified (Bipolar Disorder 1). Bipolar I & II disorder are similar to each other; the patient will have experienced many episodes of mania in Bipolar I Disorder. Whereas in Bipolar II Disorder the patient only experience hypomania episodes, which is not a full episode of mania. Cyclothymic Disorder is when the patient experiences hypomania and mild depression for a long period of time. During that time it is possible that the patient will experience a period of normal moods. Bipolar Disorder “Unspecified” is when the patient has the symptoms of the three other types of bipolar disorder but they do not last long enough to diagnose as one of the bipolar