Section 4.

1 Mental Disorders
Mental Disorders

Objectives

Explain how mental disorders are recognized.

Identify four causes of mental disorders.

Describe five types of anxiety disorders and

four other types of mental disorders.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Quick Quiz Which of the following statements are always true?

Which are sometimes true? Which are always false?

It is easy to identify a person with a mental disorder.

Mental disorders are caused by emotional problems.

Mental disorders affect a person’s ability to function.

People who have a mental disorder are dangerous.

For each of your responses, explain why you gave the

answer you did.
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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

What are Mental Disorders?

A mental disorder is an illness that affects the mind
and reduces a person’s ability to function, to adjust to
change, or to get along with others.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Recognizing Mental Disorders

• Mental health experts see abnormal thoughts,
feelings, or behaviors as signs, or symptoms,of a
mental disorder.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one
example of a mental disorder.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Causes of Mental Disorders

Some factors that can cause mental disorders are
• physical factors
• heredity
• early experiences
• recent experiences

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Causes of Mental Disorders

• Physical Factors Damage to the brain may cause a
mental disorder.
• Heredity A person may inherit a tendency toward a
mental disorder.
• Early Experiences Extremely negative experiences that
occur early in life can lead to mental illness.
• Recent Experiences Some mental health experts
think that recent experiences are more likely than
early experiences to trigger a mental disorder.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Anxiety Disorders
• Anxiety is fear caused by a source you cannot
identify or a source that doesn’t pose as much threat
as you think.
• When the anxiety persists for a long time and
interferes with daily living, this is a sign of an
anxiety disorder.
• In any six-month period nearly ten percent of
Americans have an anxiety disorder.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• A person with this disorder displays intense worry,
fears, or anxiety most days for at least six months.

Phobias
• Anxiety that is related to a specific situation or object
is called a phobia.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Panic Attacks
During a panic attack, a person will experience some
of the following symptoms.
• fast heart rate • choking sensation
• rapid breathing • chest discomfort or pain
• fear of suffocation • nausea or stomach distress
• believes he or she is dying • dizziness or lightheadedness
• sweating • fear of losing control
• trembling or shaking • an “out of body” sensation

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• An unwanted thought or image that takes control of the
mind is an obsession.
• An obsession may lead to a compulsion, an unreasonable
need to behave in a certain way to prevent a feared
outcome.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• People who survive a life threatening event may develop
post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are
• flashbacks
• nightmares
• inability to sleep

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

For: More on bipolar disorder

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Other Mental Disorders

• Some teens and young adults have mood disorders
or schizophrenia.
• Others have impulse-control disorders or personality
disorders.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Mood Disorders
• People who have a mood disorder experience
extreme emotions that make it difficult to function
well in their daily lives.
• Depression is an emotional state in which a person
feels extremely sad and hopeless.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder identified by
serious disturbances in thinking, mood, awareness, and
behavior.
Impulse-Control Disorders
• People with an impulse-control disorder cannot resist the
impulse, or drive, to act in a way that is harmful to
themselves or to others.
• Some examples of impulse-control disorders are
• kleptomania (taking items not needed or wanted)
• gambling
• uncontrolled shopping (buying many unnecessary things)

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Personality Disorders
People who have a personality disorder display rigid
patterns of behavior that make it difficult for them to
get along with others.
• Group A: People with personality disorders in this
group tend to be cold and distant.
• Group B: People with personality disorders in this
group are often overly emotional or unstable.
• Group C: People with personality disorders in this
group often cannot make decisions.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Vocabulary
mental disorder An illness that affects the mind and reduces a
person’s ability to function, to adjust to change,
or to get along with others.
anxiety Fear caused by a source you cannot identify or
a source that doesn’t pose as much threat as
you think.
anxiety disorder A disorder characterized by anxiety that persists for
a long time and interferes with daily living.
phobia Anxiety that is related to a specific situation or
object.
obsession An unwanted thought or image that takes
control of the mind.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

Vocabulary
compulsion An unreasonable need to behave in a certain
way to prevent a feared outcome.

mood disorder A disorder characterized by extreme emotions.

depression An emotional state in which a person feels

extremely sad and hopeless.

schizophrenia A disorder characterized by severe disturbances

in thinking,mood, awareness, and behavior.

personality A mental disorder characterized by rigid patterns

disorder of behavior, which make it difficult for a person
to get along with others.

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

QuickTake Quiz

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Section 4.1 Mental Disorders

End of Section 4.1

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