Common Disorders

Overview of the Most Common Mental Disorders

An understanding of common mental disorders starts with grasping the basic concepts defining each condition.

It's important to get acquainted with the symptoms, causes, and treatment options of each.

• Anxiety disorders: Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety. May include panic disorder or specific phobias.
• Depressive disorders: Characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities. Major depression and dysthymia fall under this category.
• Schizophrenia: A disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly. Marked by hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders.
• Eating Disorders: Characterized by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are common examples.
• Addictive disorders: Involves dependence on substances such as alcohol, drugs, or behaviours like gambling.

Epidemiology: Prevalence of Common Disorders

When studying nursing, it's equally important to understand the prevalence of common mental disorders. This helps you comprehend the scope and impact of these disorders on society.

Below is a representation of the global prevalence of some common mental disorders according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

By understanding these statistics, you can better appreciate the need for competent, caring, and dedicated nurses in the mental health field. It is also a reminder of the ongoing and increasing need for education, research, and treatment in this area.

Identifying and Diagnosing Common Disorders in Mental Health Nursing

Mental health disorders encompass a wide diversity of conditions, each with specific symptoms, effects, and treatment necessities. For this reason, learning how to accurately recognise and diagnose these disorders is an essential skill for aspiring nurses.

Common Disorders Symptoms and Recognising Them

In order to recognise potential mental health disorders, you have to gain a nuanced understanding of the typical symptoms associated with each common disorder. It's also imperative to appreciate how these symptoms might manifest in various scenarios, as it's the presentation that often compels a patient to seek professional help.

• Depression: Symptoms may include persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest or pleasure in activities, feelings of worthlessness, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, and suicidal ideation.
• Anxiety disorders: These disorders are marked by excessive and enduring fear about everyday situations. Fast heart rate, rapid breathing, feeling nervous, and having an intoxicating sense of impending danger are common symptoms.
• Schizophrenia: Common symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders. Screening for these symptoms needs care and sensitivity.
• Eating disorders: Major symptoms to recognise include preoccupation with weight, body shape, eating, and food, severe restrictions on food intake, binge eating, and inappropriate compensatory behaviours such as forced vomiting.
• Addictive disorders: Symptoms of substance addiction can include uncontrollable cravings and compulsive use of the substance despite knowing its harmful consequences.

Recognising these symptoms is the first step in the identification of mental health disorders. It is important to clarify that only a qualified healthcare professional can conduct an accurate diagnosis. As a nurse, your role can be critical in identifying potential issues and referring them appropriately.

Nursing Approaches for Diagnosis of Common Disorders

The nursing diagnosis of mental health disorders can often be a complex process that involves comprehensive assessments and application of diagnostic standards.

Here are some of the standard methods that you might use:

• Brief screening tools: These can be highly useful in identifying possible symptoms of mental disorders. Tools like the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) are commonplace in many healthcare settings.
• Diagnostic interviews: When more definite diagnosis is needed, structured or semi-structured interviews can be invaluable, such as the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
• Observational methods: Some aspects of mental health disorders can best be identified through careful observation of a patient's behaviour, mood, and interactions.
• Collateral information: Gathering information from family members or other significant people in the patient's life can provide a broader view of the patient's situation.

Remember, the most important role a nurse plays in mental health care is to observe and report, not diagnose. Your observations, considerations and recommendations can become crucial in forming an overall diagnosis by a qualified healthcare provider.

Treatment and Management in Nursing of Common Disorders

For healthcare professionals such as nurses, the treatment and management of common disorders require a holistic approach that places the patient at the centre of care. Comprehensive patient care not only encompasses medicinal treatments but also amounts to mental and emotional support.

Nursing Management of Common Disorders

Nursing management of mental health disorders often involves comprehensive care plans and intervention strategies, guided by appropriate models of mental health.

In managing common disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviours, nursing strategies will differ based on the specific needs of the patient. However, some general strategies can include the following:

• Educating the patient: Patients should be well-informed about their condition, treatment options, coping strategies, and prevention measures.
• Psychotherapy: Supporting patient participation in therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and interpersonal therapy (IPT).
• Medication management: Ensuring the appropriate use of prescribed medications, managing side effects, and monitoring the patient’s response to the medication.
• Group and family therapy: Encouraging participation in group therapies to foster social skills and reduce feelings of isolation. Family therapy can also strengthen familial relationships and support systems.
• Community resources: Guiding the patient to connect with community resources such as support groups, vocational services, and more.

Ultimately, the goal of nursing management is to help patients reach their highest level of functioning while reducing the impact of symptoms on their quality of life.

Care Plans for Common Disorders: Models and Strategies

While managing disorders entails similar strategies across the board, crafting individualised care plans necessitates viewing each patient as unique, with diverse needs and recovery pathways.

To formulate effective care plans, nursing professionals often employ proven models and frameworks to guide their care delivery. Tidal Model, the Stress-Vulnerability Model, or the Self-Efficacy Theory are typical examples used in mental health nursing.

Let's have a closer look at the components of a sample care plan for managing depression:

These models and care plans support nurses in systematic and holistic patient care. By implementing a structured yet flexible approach based on these models, the therapeutic journey can be made smoother and more constructive for both the patient and caregiver.

Delving into the Pathophysiology of Common Disorders

In the world of nursing, having a grasp on the pathophysiology of common mental disorders is vital. This understanding helps you better appreciate the underlying biological mechanisms that contribute to disorder symptoms and progression. It also aids in illuminating the rationale behind various treatment approaches.

The Science Behind: Pathophysiology of Common Disorders

Pathophysiology can be defined as the study of functional changes in the body that occur due to disease, and it provides the basis for many clinical assessments and interventions.

Let's break down the pathophysiology of some common mental disorders:

• Depression: The pathophysiology of depression involves alterations in neurotransmitter systems, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disturbances, neuroprogression, and changes in brain structure. The neurotransmitters implicated most often are serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
• Anxiety disorders: The biological aspects of anxiety disorders involve several areas of the brain that regulate fear and anxiety, including the amygdala and hippocampus. Imbalances of certain chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine can also play a role.
• Schizophrenia: The exact pathophysiology is unknown but is believed to involve a combination of genetics, brain chemistry, and environment. Neuroimaging studies show differences in brain structure and the central nervous system in people with schizophrenia.
• Eating disorders: The pathophysiology involves a complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioural, psychological, and societal influences. Neurobiological factors include hereditary predisposition, brain abnormalities, and neurotransmitter imbalances.
• Addictive disorders: These are frequently associated with changes in key neurological pathways, especially those involving reward and motivation. Addictive substances are thought to hijack this reward system, causing the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the brain's pleasure centres.

Common Disorders: Impact on Physical and Mental Health

Beyond their distinct symptoms, common mental health disorders can markedly affect both physical and mental health. They may also increase the risk of co-occurring disorders and have a significant impact on lifespan.

The impact of these disorders can manifest in multiple aspects of life:

• Physical health: Mental disorders frequently co-occur with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. For instance, individuals with severe mental illness have a risk of premature mortality up to 20 years shorter than the general population, primarily due to physical diseases.
• Mental health: Those with a mental illness have a higher likelihood of experiencing another mental disorder. For example, those with depression often also suffer from an anxiety disorder. Mental health disorders might also increase the risk of suicide.
• Quality of life: Mental disorders can drastically reduce an individual's quality of life, affecting relationships, work performance, and everyday activities.
• Social implications: Mental health disorders can lead to social isolation, discrimination, and stigma.

As a nursing professional, your role will involve addressing these vital areas, alongside disorder-specific symptoms, to ensure a holistic approach to patient care.