Emotional disorders

Neurosis. A general term for mild emotional disorders often associated with anxiety. 

In 1976, Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a cognitive theory of emotions and emotional disorders - a theory that was to become the foundation for cognitive behavioural therapy for depression. According to Beck, fear is produced by the anticipation of harm, joy by the expectancy of positive events, and sadness by the sense that something important has for ever been lost. As a consequence, overcoming fear and depression requires changing the beliefs that have produced them. 

A variety of kinds of evidence have linked emotional behavior to hormones. Two conditions, the menstrual cycle and menopause, have been the focus of a great deal of research on human behavior. In addition, gender differences in the prevalence of mental illnesses have been used as indirect evidence for possible hormonal effects on emotional disorders. For example, depression is more common in women than in men. In contrast, a pubertal onset of schizophrenia is more common in males than females (Hafner, et al., 1993), although the lifetime occurrence of schizophrenia is approximately equal in men and women (Seeman, 1996). Effects of hormones on emotional lability in men are described above in the context of aggression. 

Clnster B includes the so-called dramatic and emotional disorders. This group is comprised of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and histrionic personality disorder (HPD). In each of these disorders, the person is attention seeking, is emotionally unstable, and finds it difhcnlt to conform to social norms. Unlike the odd and eccentric Cluster A patients and the anxious and withdrawn Cluster C patients, those with Cluster B personality disorders seldom escape clinical attention for very long. The disruptive nature of these personality disorders often leads them to psychiatric or legal intervention no later than their early adult life. 

By the late 1960s, a handful of individual researchers began to synthesize MDMA and to study its psychoactive properties, exploring possible applications for the treatment of mental and emotional disorders. One of the hrst, and probably most famous, of these investigators was Alexander Shulgin, professor of chemistry at San Francisco State University. Shulgin tested the effects of MDMA on himself and later wrote the hrst scholarly paper on the compound and its psychoactive effects, "The psychotomimetic properties of 3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine, published in the journal Nature in 1961 (with S. Bunnell and T. Sargent). 

In terms of antipsychotic activity, thioridazine is inferior to aminazine. It is most effective in mental and emotional disorders accompanied by fear, stress, and excitement. It is prescribed for varions forms of schizophrenia, psychosis, and neurosis. The most common synonyms are conapax and mellaril. 

Emotional disorders Consider removing the capsules in women who become significantly depressed since the symptom may be drug-related. Carefully observe women with a history of depression and consider removal if depression recurs to a serious degree. 

Disorders of adult personality and behaviour (ICD 10 codes F60-F69), mental retardation (ICD 10 codes F70-F79), disorders of psychological development (ICD 10 codes F80-F89), behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence (ICD 10 codes F90-F98) and unspecified mental disorder (ICD 10 code F99) are all often non-specific and/or cannot be treated with conventional psychopharmacological medicaments. For example, disorders of sexual behaviour have been treated with hormone therapies or antagonists and hyperkinetic disorders and other disruptive behaviour disorders in children have been treated with stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin ). 

Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED)... 

Birmaher, B., Brent, D.A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, Monga, S., and Baugher, M. (1999) Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) a replication study. 1 Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38 1230-1236. 

A. Is anxiety excessive for this child Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED)... 

Among the many self-report instruments that exist, some, such as the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC March et ah, 1997) and the Screen for Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED Birmaher et ah, 1997 1999), assess a broad range of anxiety symptoms, while others assess one specific disorder or domain of anxiety (e.g., obsessive and compulsive behaviors, social anxiety, worry, fears, etc.). 

Garralda, M.E. (1984) Hallucinations in children with conduct and emotional disorders I. The clinical phenomena. Psychol Med 14 589-596. 

For Anxiety disorders the ICD-10 delineates special categories of emotional disorders in children in which symptoms of anxiety are considered in relation to age appropriateness, duration, and severity. The DSM-IV focuses on the specific syndrome without considering the influence of development on symptom expression. 

The section for emotional disorders in children spans across the following diagnoses separation anxiety disorder social anxiety disorder of childhood phobic anxiety disorder of childhood generalized anxiety disorder of childhood other emotional disorders (with onset specific to childhood) and sibling rivalry disorder. 

These criteria result in a much lower prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder, with estimates in the range of 1-5%, as compared to 5-10% in school-aged children for ADHD. In the ICD-10 there is a lower possibility of diagnosing children with attention deficit without hyperactivity. In the ICD-10 another diagnosis of other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence must be used. However, the combined condition of hyperkinetic disorder and conduct disorder is delineated under the diagnosis hyperkinetic conduct disorder. ... 

Other indications for the use of antipsychotics include Tourette s syndrome, disturbed behavior in patients with Alzheimer s disease, and, with antidepressants, psychotic depression. Antipsychotics are not indicated for the treatment of various withdrawal syndromes, eg, opioid withdrawal. In small doses, antipsychotic drugs have been promoted (wrongly) for the relief of anxiety associated with minor emotional disorders. The antianxiety sedatives (see Chapter 22) are preferred in terms of both safety and acceptability to patients. 

Early onset of drug abuse is associated with early sexual activity, crime, and educational failure. Young amphetamine users risk exploitation by adults and are more likely to become involved in criminal or violent behavior and prostitution—having to resort to sex for survival. Consequently, they are also more likely to become infected with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases and by tuberculosis or other bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. Chronic amphetamine abusers are also more at risk for mental and emotional disorders including anxiety, phobias, and depression. They are at higher risk of suicide. 

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