Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a complex and rare psychological condition marked by the presence of two or more distinct identities or "alters" within a single individual. Each identity may have unique characteristics, such as its own name, age, personality traits, and even differing preferences and life experiences. Alters may also exhibit distinct mannerisms, voice changes, and varying levels of skill or knowledge, making each identity feel and act like a separate person. Research indicates that DID often develops as a response to severe and chronic trauma in early childhood, typically stemming from repeated physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, or extreme stress. This trauma triggers dissociation as a coping mechanism, leading to the formation of distinct identities.

The primary symptom of DID is the alternation between these identities, which can assume control of the individual's behavior at different times. Individuals with DID frequently experience dissociative amnesia, a memory gap where they cannot recall events or personal information when another identity was in control. This may cause significant confusion and disorientation, as individuals often do not remember switching identities or the actions of their alters.

In addition to memory lapses, DID is commonly associated with other mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depersonalization (feeling detached from oneself), and derealization (a sense of disconnection from reality). These symptoms can severely disrupt an individual’s social, occupational, and personal life, leading to challenges in maintaining relationships and steady employment. Many individuals with DID also experience issues with sleep, mood instability, and difficulty managing stress, further affecting their daily functioning.

Treatment for DID primarily involves long-term psychotherapy, particularly trauma-focused therapies that aim to process the original trauma and integrate the separate identities into one unified self. Therapists may use techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to address traumatic memories. Medications may be prescribed to manage co-occurring symptoms, like antidepressants for depression or anxiolytics for anxiety, but they are not used to treat DID itself. Given its complexity, treatment often requires a multi-disciplinary approach involving psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and support networks to help individuals with DID lead fulfilling lives.
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Understanding Agoraphobia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Agoraphobia is a complex anxiety disorder marked by an overwhelming fear of situations where escape could be difficult or help might be unavailable, particularly if a panic attack occurs. This fear often leads individuals to avoid certain places, such as crowded areas, enclosed spaces, public transportation, or even leaving their homes, ultimately limiting their ability to lead a functional life. Derived from the Greek words “agora” (marketplace) and “phobia” (fear), agoraphobia reflects a fear of open or public spaces, though the disorder can also apply to places that feel confining or challenging to exit.

Individuals with agoraphobia may experience a range of physical and psychological symptoms when faced with these feared situations. Common symptoms include a racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, and an intense urge to escape. In severe cases, these symptoms can become so debilitating that even thinking about leaving home may trigger anxiety, affecting relationships, employment, and overall quality of life.

The exact causes of agoraphobia remain unclear, but research suggests a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. A family history of anxiety disorders, a disposition toward sensitivity to stress, and specific traumatic events (such as a significant loss or an assault) have been linked to increased risk. Additionally, many people with agoraphobia have a history of panic attacks, which can reinforce the cycle of fear and avoidance over time.

Treatment for agoraphobia generally involves psychotherapy, medication, or both. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective forms of therapy for agoraphobia. In CBT, individuals work with a therapist to challenge and alter irrational fears and gradually expose themselves to situations they fear, reducing avoidance behavior. Medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines, are often prescribed to help manage acute symptoms and lower overall anxiety levels.

With consistent and appropriate treatment, many people with agoraphobia can regain control over their lives, improving their social interactions, work-life, and mental well-being. Early intervention and a supportive environment can significantly improve the outlook for individuals struggling with this disorder.
Understanding Agoraphobia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Psychosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Psychosis is a complex mental health condition characterized by a disconnection from reality, which profoundly affects an individual's thoughts, perceptions, and emotions. People experiencing psychosis often struggle to distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary. This condition manifests through symptoms like hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations involve sensing things that aren't present, such as hearing voices, seeing objects or people that do not exist, or feeling sensations on the skin without a physical cause. These experiences can be extremely vivid and convincing, making it difficult for the affected individual to realize they are not real. Delusions, on the other hand, are firmly held beliefs in things that are demonstrably false. For instance, a person may believe they have special powers, are a famous figure, or are being targeted by a conspiracy.

Psychosis is not a standalone disorder but a symptom that can arise from various mental health conditions. Schizophrenia is perhaps the most commonly associated disorder, but psychosis can also occur in bipolar disorder, especially during manic or depressive episodes, as well as in severe depression. Other causes of psychosis include substance abuse (e.g., drugs like LSD or methamphetamine), traumatic brain injuries, extreme stress, or sleep deprivation. The onset of psychosis typically occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood, a period often marked by significant life changes, which may contribute to the vulnerability. However, psychosis can affect individuals of any age or background.

Early intervention is key to managing psychosis effectively. Treatment usually involves antipsychotic medications that help reduce the severity of hallucinations and delusions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is also widely used, helping individuals develop strategies to cope with their experiences. Additionally, family therapy and social support play crucial roles in the recovery process. Support from loved ones can reduce isolation, promote adherence to treatment, and encourage a return to daily activities, improving the individual's quality of life.

Understanding psychosis helps reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, enabling affected individuals to seek help without fear of judgment. With timely intervention and appropriate support, many people with psychosis can lead stable and fulfilling lives.
Psychosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Understanding Patterns of Defiance and Uncooperativeness

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) refer to a set of behavioral issues that can severely affect a child’s daily functioning. These disorders are labeled "disruptive" because children who experience them often cause significant disturbances in their environments—whether at home, in school, or among peers. The two most common forms of DBD are:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD):

• Symptoms:
  • Frequent temper tantrums.
  • Arguments with authority figures about rules or requests.
  • Non-cooperative or defiant behavior.
  • Refusal to comply with rules.
  • Deliberately annoying others.
  • Blaming others for their own mistakes.
  • Displaying anger, resentment, and vindictiveness.
• Impact: Children with ODD often struggle in relationships with peers, frequently face disciplinary actions at school, and consistently display defiant behavior.

Conduct Disorder (CD):

• Symptoms:
  • Disregard for the rights of others.
  • Aggression toward people and animals.
  • Bullying and intimidation.
  • Destruction of property.
  • Theft and deceit without remorse.
  • Repeated truancy.
  • Running away from home.
• Severity: CD is characterized by a deliberate violation of others' rights and a tendency toward physical aggression.

Causes of Disruptive Behavior Disorders:

• Genetics: Children with DBD often have parents with a history of mental health disorders.
• Substance Abuse: Family substance abuse can be a contributing factor.
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Some children with DBD also have ADHD.

Understanding these disruptive behavior patterns is crucial for developing effective interventions and providing support to affected children and their families.
Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Understanding Patterns of Defiance and Uncooperativeness

The Complex Landscape of Paranoid Personality Disorder

Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) is a nuanced mental health condition characterized by persistent distrust and suspicion towards others, often manifesting in disruptive ways that impede daily life. Unlike psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, individuals with PPD do not experience full-blown delusions, but their mistrust can significantly impact their interactions and behaviors.

One hallmark of PPD is the relentless questioning of the intentions and integrity of others, even in the absence of evidence supporting their suspicions. This can lead to recurrent conflicts, as individuals with PPD may respond to perceived threats with hostility, control tactics, or by shifting blame onto others. Despite this, some individuals with PPD manage to maintain relationships and employment, while others find themselves incapacitated by the disorder's grip.

Symptoms of PPD encompass a spectrum of behaviors and attitudes, including hypersensitivity to perceived slights, an underlying belief in hidden agendas, and an expectation of exploitation or harm from others. This pervasive distrust extends to all facets of life, making collaboration and cooperation challenging. Social withdrawal and detachment are common, as individuals with PPD struggle to establish genuine connections due to their profound mistrust.

The complications associated with PPD are multifaceted and can exacerbate the disorder's impact on an individual's well-being. Extreme social isolation is a frequent consequence, as distrustful attitudes drive people away, leading to a vicious cycle of loneliness and suspicion. In educational and occupational settings, individuals with PPD may encounter difficulties due to their interpersonal challenges, hindering their ability to thrive academically or professionally.

In conclusion, Paranoid Personality Disorder presents a complex array of symptoms and challenges, impacting individuals across various domains of life. Understanding the intricacies of this chronic condition is crucial for fostering empathy and providing effective support for those affected by its pervasive mistrust and suspicion.
The Complex Landscape of Paranoid Personality Disorder

PDD: Understanding Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) represent a spectrum of neurobiological conditions characterized by core deficits in social interaction, communication skills, and the presence of repetitive behaviors. These disorders, affecting approximately five to 15 children per 10,000 births, manifest differently across individuals, yet share fundamental features that hinder their understanding of the world.

Children with PDDs often experience confusion in their cognitive processing, making it challenging to navigate social interactions and interpret sensory stimuli. While these conditions affect both genders, they are more prevalent in boys, except for Rett syndrome, which primarily affects girls.

A hallmark of PDDs is the manifestation of stereotyped behaviors, such as hand flapping or rocking, alongside narrow and intense interests. Moreover, individuals may struggle with transitions and exhibit unusual sensory sensitivities, contributing to difficulties in adapting to change.

Cognitive deficits and uneven skill development further characterize PDDs, creating a diverse range of symptoms across the spectrum. At one end, individuals may exhibit limited desire or ability to engage with others, while at the other extreme, symptoms akin to those of autistic disorder may be present.

The spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders encompasses five distinct types, each with its unique features and challenges. These include autism, characterized by significant impairments in social interaction and communication; Asperger's syndrome, marked by milder social difficulties and a strong focus on specific interests; childhood disintegrative disorder, involving a regression in previously acquired skills; Rett's syndrome, a rare genetic disorder primarily affecting girls; and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), encompassing individuals who do not fit neatly into the other categories but still exhibit pervasive developmental challenges.

In conclusion, PDDs represent a complex array of neurodevelopmental conditions that profoundly impact individuals' social, cognitive, and behavioral functioning. Understanding the nuances of these disorders is crucial for early identification, intervention, and support to enhance the quality of life for affected individuals and their families.
PDD: Understanding Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ALS Overview and Symptoms

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is an uncommon and progressive ailment affecting the nerve cells that control voluntary movements. Typically identified between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average diagnosis age of 55, there are instances of ALS emerging in individuals in their twenties and thirties.

The initial symptoms may appear in muscles governing speech, swallowing, hands, arms, legs, or feet. Unfortunately, these early cues are frequently disregarded as they are often attributed to clumsiness or fatigue.

During the initial stages of ALS, pain is generally absent and remains infrequent in later stages. Bladder control is typically unaffected, and the senses, encompassing taste, smell, touch, and hearing, are generally preserved.

Early indications can vary and include problems such as tripping, dropping items, unusual fatigue in the arms or legs, slurred speech, muscle cramps, twitches, and episodes of uncontrollable laughter or crying.

ALS specifically targets the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movements in activities like walking and talking. The disease results in the gradual deterioration and eventual demise of both groups of motor neurons. When these motor neurons are compromised, they cease transmitting messages to the muscles, leading to their inability to function.
ALS Overview and Symptoms

Paraphrenia: Characteristics and Differences

Paraphrenia constitutes a mental condition denoting a persistent psychotic disorder marked by a robust delusional aspect, all while maintaining cognitive faculties and personality traits. This disorder commonly arises after the age of 40.

Paraphrenia shares resemblances with schizophrenia, albeit usually being less severe in terms of deterioration of one's personality. It typically manifests during the later phases of life, rendering it more prevalent among the elderly. Although the precise prevalence rate remains uncertain, indications propose that paraphrenia occurs only approximately one-tenth as frequently as schizophrenia within inpatient populations.

In 1913, Emil Kraepelin introduced the term "paraphrenia" to characterize a chronic psychotic disorder reminiscent of dementia praecox. This condition encompasses a strong delusional element, yet with better-preserved emotional displays and devoid of disruptions in volition.

Several years after Kraepelin's definition, Mayer-Gross issued a report concluding that individuals diagnosed with paraphrenia gradually transitioned to an alternative diagnosis. This implied that the differentiation between paraphrenia and schizophrenia lacked a solid foundation.

Late-stage paraphrenia patients generally make their debut in old age with persecutory delusions, auditory and/or visual hallucinations, as well as Schneiderian first-rank symptoms. Additional manifestations such as delusions of reference, hypochondriasis, grandiosity, misidentification syndromes, and hallucinations involving other senses may also emerge. Affective symptoms are concurrently present in up to 60% of instances.

Individuals affected by paraphrenia similarly encounter what are termed as the "positive" symptoms associated with schizophrenia. However, it does not encompass the "negative" or "cognitive" symptoms linked to schizophrenia that influence an individual's demeanor, emotions, and cognitive processes.
Paraphrenia: Characteristics and Differences

What are the symptoms of hoarding disorder?

Hoarding disorder is a severe psychological disorder in which a person feels a strong need to save a large number of items, whether they have monetary value or not, and experiences significant distress when attempting to get rid of the items.

A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Hoarding can have a huge impact on a person’s ability to function independently and can carry a high level of risk for themselves and others.

People with hoarding disorder feel a strong need to save their possessions. Other symptoms include:
*Inability to discard items.
*Become extremely attached to possessions.
*Collecting items that may have little or no monetary value.
*Experiencing extreme stress when attempting to throw out items.
*Anxiety about needing items in the future.
*Uncertainty about where to put things.
*Difficulty managing daily tasks.
*Find it hard to categorize or organize items
*Distrust of other people touching possessions.
*Living in unusable spaces due to clutter.
*Having poor relationships with family or friends.
*Having a tendency toward indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, and problems with planning and organizing.
What are the symptoms of hoarding disorder?

Definition and symptoms of Deep alexia

Alexia is a term describing a partial or complete inability to read. There are a number of different subtypes of alexia, but all have in common the feature that the affected patient cannot read normally, so that reading is slow or impossible, and comprehension is impaired. Stroke is the most common cause of acquired alexia, though other forms of neurological disease can also cause alexia

Individuals with acquired alexia can be classified into four groups: deep alexia, surface alexia, phonological alexia and purealexia.

In deep alexia there is impairment to the lexical–semantic system, so that semantic errors are common in reading. Deep dyslexics often make 'semantic' reading errors, reading one word for another entirely different word.

Patients with deep alexia reliably display a number of alexic symptoms when reading words aloud, in addition to the production of semantic paralexias. These include the production of morphologic paralexias, a part of speech effect (nouns better than verbs and functors), and a concreteness effect (concrete words better than abstract words), in addition to marked difficulty reading pseudowords.

The main features of deep alexia are as follows:
▪Normal reading of familiar and highly imageable words, regardless of whether they have regular (“desk”) or irregular (“yacht”) grapheme-phoneme correspondence.
▪Inability to read pseudowords correctly according to the usual grapheme-phoneme conversion rules of the language.
▪Visual reading errors (e.g., “patience” for “patients”) and semantic reading errors (e.g., “ship” for “boat,” “cash” for “money”) are common.

Definition and symptoms of Deep alexia

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Risk factors and symptoms

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by a pattern of overactive behavior (hyperactivity), impulsive behavior, difficulty in paying attention.

It is a common neurobehavioral disorder, with about 11 percent of children ages 4 through 17 having been diagnosed.

The disorder is often chronic, with one third to one half of those affected retaining the condition into adulthood. It interferes with many areas of normal development and functioning in a child’s life.

ADHD is a function of developmental failure in the brain circuitry that monitors inhibition and self-control. This loss of self-regulation impairs other important brain functions crucial for maintaining attention, including the ability to defer immediate rewards for later gain. Behavior of children with ADHD can also include excessive motor activity.

Many risk factors have been associated with ADHD, including:
*prenatal factors (e.g., tobacco use, alcohol use, substance abuse),
*perinatal factors (e.g., low birth weight, prematurity),
*early postnatal factors (e.g., lead exposure, social environment).
*Also, family history of ADHD
*specific genetic conditions (e.g., Fragile X syndrome) can be associated with ADHD.

Symptoms of ADHD fall into three groups:
*Not being able to focus (inattentiveness).
*Being extremely active (hyperactivity).
*Not being able to control behavior (impulsivity). Some people with ADHD have mainly inattentive symptoms. Some have mainly hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. Others have a combination of different symptom types.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Risk factors and symptoms

Even mild concussions

Concussion indicates the acute neurophysiological event related to blunt impact or other mechanical energy applied to the head, neck or body (with transmitting forces to the brain), such as from sudden acceleration, deceleration or rotational forces.

Research by University of Virginia shows that even mild concussions cause severe and long-lasting impairments in the brain's ability to clean itself of toxins, and this may seed it for Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other neurodegenerative problems.

A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and it may happen by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Concussions can also occur by a blow or fall which causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. The injuries were described as ‘mild’ due to concussions are usually not life-threatening.

Common physical symptoms of concussions including: headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred or double vision, balance problems, dizziness, sensitivity to light or noise, vertigo. Study by University of Montana and the University of Vermont finds athletes and veterans who suffer even minor concussions can have problems focusing in class and taking in new information.
Even mild concussions

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading.

Individuals with dyslexia have difficulty with processing and manipulating the sounds in a spoken language. This is related to the ability to read words accurately and fluently. Individuals with dyslexia will also have difficulty with spelling. Some of the consequences of not reading accurately or fluently and thus having fewer reading experiences may include problems with reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Dyslexia is not related to race, social background or intellectual ability but there is a tendency for dyslexia to run in families and this suggests that the brain differences which cause dyslexia may be hereditary.

The British Dyslexia Association has also published a definition of dyslexia that reflects the neurological bases of the condition: “Dyslexia is a complex neurological condition which is constitutional in origin. The symptoms may affect many areas of learning and function, and may be described as a specific difficulty in reading, spelling and written language.”

General problems experienced by people with dyslexia include the following:
 Learning to speak
 Learning letters and their sounds
 Organizing written and spoken language
 Memorizing number facts
 Reading quickly enough to comprehend
 Keeping up with and comprehending longer reading assignments
 Spelling
 Learning a foreign language
 Correctly doing math operations

The prejudice that children with dyslexia (also called reading and spelling disorder) are unintelligent and not suitable for grammar school education is very widespread. The syndrome of dyslexia is now widely recognized as being a specific learning disability of neurological origin that does not imply low intelligence or poor educational potential, and which is independent of race and social background.
What is dyslexia?

Neurological disorder

Neurological disorders refer to a large number of disorders that involve the structures and functions of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and/or the peripheral nervous system (the motor and sensory nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).

Neurological disorders—such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease—inflict great pain and suffering on patients and their families, and every year costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars. Symptoms of a neurological disorder can be mild, such as muscle weakness, poor coordination, or changes in thinking patterns.

Symptoms can also be more noticeable, such as seizures, pain, and intellectual disability. Neurologic dysfunction can be a result of a multitude of differential diagnoses and, when severe enough, will require intensive critical care with specific, timely, and well-organized nursing care.

There are many causes for neurological disorders, including infections, injuries, and environmental factors such as poor nutrition or exposure to heavy metals like lead. Gene changes can also cause neurological disorders.

Scientists at the University of Chicago have uncovered a previously unknown process of protein production where a single gene can create two separate proteins from the same messenger RNA simultaneously. They believe this discovery will open the door for new research into therapies for neurological disorders.

Physical exercise is effective in improving and preventing age-related cognitive decline in humans, particularly in individuals with neurological disorders.
Neurological disorder

Panic attack

Panic attacks occur unexpectedly, sometimes even during sleep. People who experience such attacks and are preoccupied with the fear of another or alter their behavior to avoid places or situations may have panic disorder, a serious but highly treatable condition.

A panic attack is not a mental disorder. In fact, more than one in five people experience one or more panic attacks in their lifetime, but few go on to develop panic disorder or agoraphobia.

Most panic attacks last for between 5 and 20 minutes. They can come on very quickly, and the symptoms will usually peak within 10 minutes. Sometimes the patient might experience symptoms of a panic attack which last for up to an hour. If this happens he probably experiencing one attack after another, or a high level of anxiety after the initial panic attack.

A panic attack is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort and includes at least four of the following symptoms:
▶Palpitations, pounding heartbeat, or accelerated heart rate
▶Sweating
▶Trembling or shaking
▶Feeling unable to breath or smothering
▶Feelings of choking
▶Chest pain or discomfort
▶Nausea (feeling sick) or abdominal distress
▶Dizziness, light-headedness, feeling faint or unsteady
▶Chills or hot flushes
▶Paresthesia (numbness or tingling sensations)
▶Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
▶Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
▶Fear of dying

The heart is pounding out of the chest, and the patient feels sweaty and lightheaded. He sure he will pass out, lose his mind, or even die. Then just as quickly, the symptoms disappear, but he then become preoccupied with the fear of another attack.
Panic attack

Wallenberg’s syndrome

Wallenberg’s syndrome also known as lateral medullary syndrome is one of the most commonly recognized conditions resulting from the brainstem infarction. In some cases the posterior inferior cerebellar artery may also be occluded at the orifice.

It does not produce weakness: consequently, stoke may not be considered on initial evaluation.

Despite the higher prevalence of Wallenberg’s syndrome due to cerebrovascular accident, cases of symptom emergence resulting from brain tumor have also been reported.

Wallenberg’s syndrome manifests in a collection of symptoms including vertigo and dizziness, cerebellar gait ataxia, dysphagia, dysphonia and Horner’s syndrome.

Occasionally, patients with Wallenberg’s syndrome develop diplopia due to skew deviation. Hiccups and 90-180 degree tilt of the perceived world can occur.
Wallenberg’s syndrome

Alzheimer’s disease: Criteria and symptoms

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disorder , clinical defined by a gradual decline in both memory and impairment of at least one other area of higher intellectual function.That decline is termed by physician as dementia.

As the disease progress, people with Alzheimer’s become unable to care for themselves, and their loses of brain function eventually leads to the failure of other system in the body, causing death three to twenty years from the onset of symptoms.

Typically for Alzheimer’s disease, memory of recent events is the first function affected, this usually shows up as problems with remembering appointment, new names and new routes in unfamiliar neighborhoods and in absorbing decreased amounts of information from reading a newspaper or book or from watching TV.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are actually much more problematic than just the simple lapses in memory and these symptoms begin to interfere with the ability to perform normal activities.

*Difficulties with ordinary task and daily activities
*Making unusual decisions or acting inappropriately
*Difficulty leaning new things
*Dependency-fear of leaving familiar soundings
*Social withdrawal, apathy and passivity

A brain from a person with Alzheimer’s does not look the same as that of a person who died of ‘old age’. It is much more shrunken. It can be up to one third smaller and lighter because of the shrinkage.
Alzheimer’s disease: Criteria and symptoms

What is paranoid?

The term paranoid can be applied to symptoms, syndromes or personality types, which range on a continuum from mild to severe. The most common delusion experienced by individuals with paranoid disorders is delusion of persecution and reference.

Paranoid symptoms are overvalued ideas or delusions which are most commonly persecutory, but not always so. The most important symptom of paranoid disorders is the presence of suspiciousness, persecutory delusion, emotional detachment, aloofness and has touch with reality.

Enduring patterns of personality characterized by mistrust and suspiciousness of people in general. It may include anger, hostility or irritability.

Paranoid persons may be violent of they believe they are threatened.
What is paranoid?

Catatonic schizophrenia

Schizophrenia appears to be a group of related disturbances. It has four major subtypes:
*Disorganised type
*Catatonic type
*Paranoid type
*Undifferentiated type

Catatonia is neuropsychiatric syndrome with a unique combination of mental, motor, vegetative and behavioural signs. Psychomotor disturbances, such as stupor, rigidity, excitement or posturing are the prominent feature of catatonic schizophrenia.

It was first described in relation to mental illness at a time when psychiatrists had just begun to associate psychiatric disorders with brain dysfunction.

The catatonic person seems to be in a state of total panic. Catatonic schizophrenia brings about a stuporous condition in which odd positions may be held for hours or even days.

A catatonic symptom or symptoms may be provoked by brain disease, metabolic disturbances, or alcohol and drugs and may also occur in mood disorders.
Catatonic schizophrenia

Symptoms of depression in women

Women appear to be more at risk for depressive symptoms during perimenopause than menopause. Depression is the leading cause of disease-related disability among women worldwide, more common in women than men with risk ratios about 2:1 and risk increases with age through midlife.

The symptoms and diagnosis of depression are more prevalent in women than in men. Symptoms of depression in women include:

*Persistent sad, anxious, depressed mood, sensitivity to rejection
*Decrease interest in usual activities including sex
*Restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying
*Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism
*Sleeping too much or too little, early-morning waking
*Appetite changes, overeating, food cravings,
*Fatigue, lethargy, lack of energy
*Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
*Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
*Physical symptoms: breast tenderness, swelling, muscle pain, bloating and weight gain
*Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Psychiatrists and researchers have theorized numerous reasons for women depression, focusing on biochemical and monthly hormone changes that result in reduced levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter often associated with depression and insomnia.

Women also can experience wider swings in thyroid functions, and then thyroid levels are low, mood is typically low, too.
Symptoms of depression in women