Dr. Iannucci

MENTAL ILLNESS

“Mental Illness” is a general term which can be applied to anything from mild symptoms of anxiety to severe chronic psychosis. What most forms of mental dysfunction share in common is that they are caused and sustained by a combination of predisposing biological and environmental factors. Most forms of mental illness can be treated and significantly improved by some combination of an appropriate form of psychotherapy, modification of environmental factors, and/or medication management. It is important to note that mental illness is very common, and that having a mental illness or symptoms does not at all mean that you are “crazy” or that something is “wrong” with you.

COMMON DISORDERS

            ANXIETY DISORDERS—Anxiety itself is a natural response to danger or perceived danger.   Inappropriate anxiety or anxiety that is disruptive to one’s life is a symptom of psychological disorder.   Classification of Anxiety Disorders includes such diagnoses as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, specific Phobias (including Social Phobia), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

            MOOD DISORDERS—Everyone experiences sadness from time to time. However, when sadness becomes incapacitating or grows out of proportion to the initiating circumstance, it becomes a symptom of mental disorder. Conversely, experiencing an unnaturally elevated mood can also become problematic. Traditional mood disorders include Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder (also called Manic Depression), Seasonal Affective Disorder, and Dysthymia.

            PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS—Psychosis is another type of psychiatric symptom, involving the loss of one’s ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Disorders classified according to the primary symptom of psychosis include Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Delusional Disorder.

            ADDICTIONS—The most well-known forms of addiction involve Substance Use Disorders such as Alcohol or Narcotic Abuse/Addiction. Addiction can also occur in a variety of other phenomena such as Gambling Addiction, Food Addiction, Sexual Addiction, Shopping Addiction, Exercise Addiction, and Work Addiction, to name a few.

TRAUMA—It has been consistently shown that the experience of trauma during one’s formative years increases their risk for developing a host of psychiatric and physical symptoms, including Depression, Anxiety, Addictions, Personality Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Dissociative Disorders, difficulty with anger and aggression, migraines and more. Traditionally, the concept of trauma has been associated with such phenomena as physical abuse, sexual abuse, or life-threatening situations. Recently, the definition of trauma has come to be understood in the broader sense of how experiences are perceived by the individual; any seemingly innocuous event may be experienced as traumatic by a particular person—in these circumstances one-on-one therapy is paramount to targeting and eradicating the source of the emotional disdain.

It is important to note that there are usually overlaps in symptoms between the various types of psychiatric conditions. The classification of these disorders according to commonalities in symptoms is the traditional approach employed by healthcare professionals, but this classification does not necessarily indicate a common etiology for differing disorders, or even for each individual diagnosis. All people are unique individuals, and NEVER fit discretely into particular categories.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The links below may be followed for additional information on psychiatry, mental health, or specific disorders.