Psychology & Psychiatry

New study reveals preventable-suicide risk profiles

Individuals with physical health concerns made up the largest and fastest growing of five subgroups of individuals who died by suicide in the United States over roughly twenty years, according to an analysis led by Weill ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

PTSD in pregnant women may affect the risk of ADHD in the child

A comprehensive registry study led by Anna-Clara Hollander, associate professor at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, shows that children of women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder ...

Genetics

Scientists identify genetic anxiety 'switch'

Research from the University of Aberdeen has identified an area of DNA in the human genome that plays a role in controlling anxiety. In the study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, the team, led by Professor Alasdair Mackenzie, ...

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Mental disorder

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and across cultures. Definitions, assessments, and classifications of mental disorders can vary, but guideline criteria listed in the ICD, DSM and other manuals are widely accepted by mental health professionals. Categories of diagnoses in these schemes may include dissociative disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders, ambulatory disorders and many other categories. In many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause of mental disorders, although they are often explained in terms of a diathesis-stress model and biopsychosocial model. Mental disorders have been found to be common, with over a third of people in most countries reporting sufficient criteria at some point in their life. Services for mental disorders may be based in hospitals or in the community. Mental health professionals diagnose individuals using different methodologies, often relying on case history and interview. Psychotherapy and psychiatric medication are two major treatment options, as well as supportive interventions and self-help. Treatment may be involuntary where legislation allows. Several movements campaign for changes to services and attitudes.

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