Also known as OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a neurotic mental illness in which intrusive, negative thoughts and/or impulses which regularly enter the person's mind (obsessions) are counteracted by repetitive acts or rituals performed to alleviate the anxiety and general distress created by these obsessions. It is possible to qualify for a diagnosis of OCD if only obsessions or compulsions are present, although the vast majority have both.
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder
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A general state of emotional and psychological well-being, as manifest by the ability to cope with and meet the demands of everyday life.
Many people suffering from
mental health problems are reluctant to get the help they need.
A false belief which cannot be explained by cultural norms and that the patient often holds strongly. There are many forms, two of which are grandiose (e.g., the belief that one is God) and persecutory (e.g., thinking that aliens are trying to kill him or her). Delusions are a form of psychosis which often occur in the course of a severe mental disorder, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
The belief that aliens reside in one's nose is a
delusion.
Also referred to as major depressive disorder, major depression, unipolar disorder or simply depression, this illness is a psychiatric condition marked by severe feelings of despondency and dejection, typically accompanied by changes in eating and sleeping habits, anhedonia (loss of interest), fatigue, somatic pain and, at the extreme, suicide ideation. Also occurs in bipolar disorder (depressed phase).
Clinical depression is a serious mental illness and quite different to the ordinary sadness we all experience from time to time.
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Clinical depression
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A severe and relatively rare form of mental illness in which a significant mood disorder (depression or bipolar disorder) is interspersed with periods of chronic psychosis even when the person's mood is normal. Less than 0.5% of the population are said to have this condition.
He has schizoaffective disorder, depressive type.
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Schizoaffective disorder
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A mental health condition characterised by recurring panic attacks and subsequent dread and avoidant behaviour in relation to the episodes.
Panic disorder can lead to agorophobia - a disorder which in its severest form renders the individual housebound.
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panic disorder
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A mild form of mental illness, in which subjective experiences of emotional distress are common but contact with reality has not been lost. Examples include anxiety disorders, depression and eating disorders. It is also called psychoneurosis.
Neurosis can in many ways be distinguished from the more severe psychotic mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and manic depression (bipolar).
