Mental disorders

If you ask someone "what is a mental disorder" they will probably have a very clear picture of what it means to them. It is only when you compare these pictures that you begin to comprehend just how varied mental disorders can be. It may mean that someone needs to be hospitalised, and yes, it may also mean that someone needs medication they do not want or they consider that they do not need. This example can and does happen but only to a small percentage of individuals.

This is just one view, and for many people, the only view they have of mental health problems.

A mental disorder knows no bounds. It cuts across age, class, religion, gender and profession. It can be mild and last only a couple of weeks or be more long lasting and be something that someone will have to live with for the rest of their life.

Mental disorders can be put into three groups and it is possible for an individual to suffer from more than one at any one time. These groups, together with some of the illnesses are shown below. This list is not exhaustive, but serves only to demonstrate the diversity of the illnesses.

Mental illness:

Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Persistent Delusional Disorder, Drug-Induced Psychosis, Schizo-Affective Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder (Manic Depression), Depression, Recurrent Depressive Disorder, Manic Episode, Hypomania, Mania, Cyclothymic Disorder, Mixed Affective Disorder, Dissociative Disorders, Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue, Dissociative Stupor.

Eating Disorders including Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
 
Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Dementia, Pick's Disease, Creuzfeld-Jacob's Disease, Variant Creuzfeld-Jacob's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Dementia in Parkinson's Disease, Dementia in HIV disease, Postencephalitic Syndrome, Postconcusssional Syndrome. Persistent Disorders due to Psychoactive Substance Misuse e.g. from Alcohol Misuse. Alcoholic Hallucinosis, Jealousy and Paranoia, Amnesic Syndrome, Korsakoff's Psychosis and Residual and Late-Onset Psychotic Disorder.

Personality disorder:

Paranoid, schizoid, psychopathic sociopathic, organic (due to brain disease, damage and dysfunction)

Learning disability: 

Mild, moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities. Autism, Asperger's Syndrome.
The treatments for these disorders are just as varied as the illnesses themselves.

For example - In its mildest form, an individual might have a bout of depression and be "fed up" but can manage to lift their spirits and go on with their day to day lives. For others, they may need help in the short or long term. This could be in the form of medication, counselling, training or voluntary hospitalisation.
 
On rare occasions it may be necessary for an Emergency Treatment Order, Short Term Detention Order or a Compulsory Treatment Order to be put in place whereby someone will either need to stay in hospital and /or receive medication against their wishes. These orders are for specific lengths of time and are set out in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Scotland) Act 2003.