Manic-depression
Manic-depression usually results from a personality disorder. Extreme stress can also trigger it. Mild cases can be treated with medication, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation.
Symptoms
- Extreme mood swings
- Mood cycles of elated overactivity (mania) to irregular, deep depression
- Sleep disturbances, awakening earlier each day; inability to stay in bed
- Decreased work output; distraction and restlessness
- Spending sprees
- Inability to finish a project
- Sexual promiscuousness
- Irritability; sudden attacks of misplaced rage
- Abnormal excitability
- Exaggerated feelings of well-being
- Flight of ideas
- Excessive activity
- Total elation with wild speech full of rhyming, punning, and illogical word associations
- Singing, dancing, uproarious laughter, or crying at inappropriate times
- Underlying sadness, futility, unworthiness, and despair
- Loss of appetite, sleep, and weight; exhaustion
- Delusions of grandeur or intense anger when unable to carry out a wild scheme
- Capable of violence, suicide, murder
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can be inherited or caused by a physical disorder, such as a brain tumor. It is usually caused from a malfunction of brain cells, though extreme mental stress or personal loss can trigger the disorder. Schizophrenia is lifelong; acute attacks come and go. A schizophrenic is capable of violence, suicide, murder, or both.
Symptoms
- Disorganization of thoughts and feelings
- Withdrawal from everyone and everything
- Vague speech; inability to follow normal conversation
- Disconnected remarks
- Blank looks; staring into space
- Sudden statements springing into the mind
- Bizarre speech, hallucinations, hearing voices (often hostile)
- Fear of others hearing thoughts and stealing them
- Feeling like a puppet controlled by an outside being or force
- Exaggerated emotions, ranging from joy to sadness
- Inappropriate emotional responses and outbursts
- Feelings of fear, paranoia, resentment, hostility
Susan J. Shelley