Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology Study Guide

©2018 of 131 Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include lapse in memory, difficulty in concentration and thinking, reduced ability to make judgments and decisions, inability to perform routine or daily tasks, and alterations in personality and behavior, such as depression, mood swings, social withdrawal, irritation, apathy, wandering, delusions, and change in sleeping habits. Psychotic Illness Psychotic illnesses are the severe mental disorders that lead to abnormal thinking and perception. These disorders affect the mind such that the ability of the person to think clearly, form judgments, respond emotionally, behave adequately, and communicate effectively gets impaired. In extreme cases, the affected people lose touch with reality and are not able to meet the normal requirements of healthy living. Psychotic disorders are of different types, and are discussed below. Schizophrenia People suffering from schizophrenia show altered behavior, delusions, and hallucinations that last for more than six months, worsen over time, and affect the person's normal functioning. Brief Psychotic Disorder The affected person suffers from sudden and short periods of psychotic behavior. This altered behavior is mostly shown during stressful situations and lasts for less than one month. Delusional Disorder The affected person lives in a false and fixed reality that generally involves real life situations that seem real but are not. For instance, they may feel they are being followed or have a disease. These disorders last for more than one month. Other psychotic disorders include shared psychotic disorder, substance induced psychotic disorder, and psychotic disorder due to another mental condition. The main cause of psychotic illness is congenital disorders caused by mutated genes. Environmental factors, like exposure to virus, malnutrition, and heavy drug use, are also involved in causing psychotic disorders. Signs and symptoms of psychotic disorders include changes in behavior, like social isolation, apathy, hyperactivity, restlessness, anxiety, nervousness, hyper-vigilance, anger, aggression, loss of appetite, hygiene issues, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, and impaired thinking like delusions, hallucinations, the sense of being controlled, and disorganized thoughts. Non-Psychotic Illness Non-psychotic disorders are conditions of the mind that influence and impair the feeling, thinking, and behavior of the person without losing contact with reality. These disorders are also called neuroses and include depressive and anxiety disorders. Achieve Page 98