Mental illness terminology.

[Craig]

Don't worry, I'm NOT isane. Well maybe we are...

In my drama class, my group performed 'A talk in the Park', if anyone is familiar with that I played the part of Ernest; and I played him with a mental illness.

I don't know the name of the illness or whether it exists, but I assume that at least one of the SYMers know more then I do about psychology.

So, does anyone know what disorder cause someone to have abrupt mood swings between Agressive and 'removed' from a situation?

[Vicsun]

You should probably wait for someone who knows what they're talking about, but if I were to take a wild guess I'd say that's called manic depressive.

While this disorder isn't characterized by agressiveness, as far as I know, those affected by it suffer from major mood swings namely between deep depression and extreme euphoria.

[Craig]

Thats almost exactly what I though. But your right thats quite close. Although it wasn't really depression (AFAIK) either, he'd start a sentence then trail off etc.

[Yshania]

Sociopathic? Schizophrenic? Don't know, I am not familiar with the story...or the full diagnostics...

CE is our residential expert

[Weasel]

Quote:

Originally posted by Yshania Sociopathic? Schizophrenic? Don't know, I am not familiar with the story...or the full diagnostics... CE is our residential expert

My thoughts as well, but this site just confused me.

Quote:

In popular usage, “schizophrenic” (and the more slangy and now dated “schizoid") indicates “split between two attitudes.” This drives people with training in psychiatry crazy. “Schizo-” does indeed mean “split,” but it is used here to mean “split off from reality.” Someone with a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality is suffering from “multiple personality disorder” (or, more recently “dissociative identity disorder” ), not “schizophrenia."

[C Elegans]

Hello Craig, long time, how are you doing?

I will do my best to answer your question, but since I'm not familiar with the play, it will be a guess.

A psychiatric disorder characterised by "abrupt mood swings between aggressive and 'removed' from a situation" sounds like Bipolar disorder, formely knows as manic-depressive psychosis, but the name has been modernised.

All psychiatric disorders are classified in degrees of severity, and contrary to what many people imagine, Bipolar disorder in it's severe form is not characterised by periods of depression and periods of euphoria, but instead periods of depression and periods of irritability, aggression and paranoid delusions.

In the mild to moderate form, depressive episodes will be mixed with periods of intense euphoria called "mania". In the manic phase, the patient is euphoric, full of energy, needs little sleep and unfortunately also has decreased sense of proportions and decreased impulse control. Typical for this phase is that patients will overwork, start new projects and hobbies, start new sexual relationships, buy a lot of expensive things they don't really can affort, start using drugs etc. Gradually, this high energy period will decline and most often a very deep depression with great fatigue will follow.

In the severe form, the euphoria is not as pronouced often, it is not present at all. The "high energy" turn into aggression instead of euphoria, but patients will still have the decreased ability to control and inhibit impulses. This means aggression can burst out totally without provocation from the surrounding, and often patients will start getting paranoid ideas about the surrounding, ie believe that other people are intentionally irritating.

So it sounds like Ernest may be suffering from severe Bipolar disorder.

Regarding schizophrenia, Weasel is absolutely right in his observation. The word "schizophrenia" means "split mind" in Greek, but is has nothing to do with Dissociative syndrome (the modern term for what was formely called Multiple personality disorder). Many movies and books has illustrated schizophrenic persons as Weasel quote describes, but this is a popular media error made from the start.

Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by psychosis, ie removal from reality. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions (ie belief that familiar persons have been exchanged and are disguised aliens, that you are possessed by an evil power, that you are under surveillance of the MI5 or similar), hallucinations (most often hearing voices, sometimes voices that give commands to you) and chaotic, disorganised thinking and speaking. Other common schizophrenia symptoms include loss of functioning, ie impairment in memory functions, apathy, lack of emotional response and lack of motivation.

The only movie I have ever seen that depicts Schizophrenia and not Dissociative syndrome, is a short movie called "Clean Shaven" which is a portrait of the director's schizophrenic brother.

[Craig]

He could quite easily have very severe Bipolar...What about when he is 'removed'? He isn't gloomy(depression), more like semi-catatonic if that makes any sense

[Chanak]

Bipolar disorder manic cycle is often characterized by short term memory loss, irritability and/or excitability, insomnia, "thinking 1000 miles an hour", and so forth. It can manifest in different forms, with differing severity, though all people who suffer from bipolar disorder seem to exhibit certain behaviors and experience certain symptoms which, over the years, has permitted clinical criteria to be established which greatly assists in the diagnosis and successful treatment of the disorder.

There seems to be fine lines which can easily be crossed in regards to what is known in many medical circles as schizo-affective disorder, and bipolar disorder. A person suffering from schizo-affective disorder will experience many things which mirror the clinical criteria for bipolar disorder, which in turn has led to some being diagnosed as bipolar. However, the person suffering from schizo-affective disorder will experience the delusions and hallucinations (both visual and aural) which are the earmark of schizophrenia. As is often the case, people with one disorder may suffer from others, and it can be confusing since, as CE notes, the media perpetuates many myths concerning these things.

A bipolar person may or may not suffer from psychoses. More often than not, bipolars seem to more neurotic than anything else, and thus often are victims of anxiety/panic attacks.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor related to me one time: Your conscious mind is a computer, an 80 pound weakling. Your subconscious, on the other hand, is an 800 pound gorilla named Fred.

[Craig]

Quote:

Originally posted by Chanak As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor related to me one time: Your conscious mind is a computer, an 80 pound weakling. Your subconscious, on the other hand, is an 800 pound gorilla named Fred.

I think my computer has a sharp stick though.

[Chanak]

Quote:

Originally posted by craig He could quite easily have very severe Bipolar...What about when he is 'removed'? He isn't gloomy(depression), more like semi-catatonic if that makes any sense

There are two established "types" of bipolar disorder: Type 1 and Type 2. Bipolar people experience "cycles" during their lives, the duration of which can be influenced by a myriad of factors, both internal and external. The biggest difference between type 1 and type 2 - that I am aware of - concerns the classification of the manic state, it's severity and duration. Type 2 (hopefully I am not confusing the two, CE correct me if I am wrong) mania is characterized by euphoria, while type 1 seems to lack this as a whole. There are always exceptions here and there, but over the years medicine has been able to establish critieria which makes it possible to distinguish some of the more subtle differences between the two.

More than likely, near catatonia, lack of energy, and even despondency follow a type 2 manic episode.

[Craig]

Thank you, that the final nail in the coffin, hit right between the eyes.

Bipolar type 2. Got it.

Edit: Wait type one and two?

[Chanak]

Quote:

Originally posted by craig I think my computer has a sharp stick though.

Hehe, Fred just wants to be happy. We just have to learn how to communicate in his lingo.

[Chanak]

Quote:

Originally posted by craig Thank you, that the final nail in the coffin, hit right between the eyes. Bipolar type 2. Got it. Edit: Wait type one and two?

Yeah, Bipolar Type 1 and Bipolar Type 2. Both will cycle between mania and depression during their lives - a typical cycle can last weeks, a month, or even years. It is generally found that the severity of the mood swings and frequency of the cycles worsen with age.

That was something I wanted to touch on earlier. All human beings experience mood swings. It's just in the bipolar, it's, uh, much more drastic.

EDIT: It should also be noted that differences in terminology exist between the medical community in the US, and Europe, concerning mental disorders.

[C Elegans]

Quote:

Originally posted by craig He could quite easily have very severe Bipolar...What about when he is 'removed'? He isn't gloomy(depression), more like semi-catatonic if that makes any sense

If he is removed as in unresponsive and uncommunicable, it may be part of negative psychotic syndromes. However, some many deeply depressed people may become almost catatonic rather than appear sad and gloomy. My first severely depressed patient when I worked as a clinician, was man who came to the hospital with an emergency car, because he would not stand up, sit or walk. He would just lie in his bed, pale and silence, without moving and without responding to anything outside like people talking to him.

In Schizoaffective disorder, psychotic symptoms are usually more dominating than in Bipolar disorder. Yet another variant is Cyclotymic disorder. You can read more about psychiatric disorder here:

http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/bipolar_disorder.htm

The DSM-IV is the international diagnostic manual used all over the world where criteria for all different diagnosis are listed and described.

I don't entirely agree with Chanak's classification of type 1 and type 2, I go by DSM-IV, and the difference between the two is a bit complicated as you can see when you read the link above, but Ernest sounds like a severe Bipolar 1.

[Craig]

It is confusing. I'll take your word for it.

Oh and BW, yes it has been a long time since I saw you last, I'm fine, you?