Diagnosing mental illness

August 10, 4:06 PMLA Mental Health ExaminerKathy Quan RN BSN

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Research has documented significant physical changes in the brain of persons with mental illness making it clearer that mental illnesses are biologically based and not just mood or behavior disorders.

The symptoms exhibited by those afflicted by mental illness are often behavior-related such as mood disorders that cause sadness or depression, or manic states with rapidly cycling delusions of grandeur, or paranoia.

There is no specific test to determine mental illness. Unlike anemia that would show up on a blood count, or heart disease that could be detected from an EKG, or lung cancer from an Xray, diagnosing mental illness is a much more complex process.

Diagnosing and treating mental illness relies heavily on the signs and symptoms and how persistent they are and how much they affect everyday life. The signs and symptoms can be grouped into several categories:

• Physical signs and symptoms: such as hyperventilation (uncontrolled rapid breathing), a rapid heart beat, or sweating.
• Feelings: such as ongoing or extreme euphoria, anger, anxiety or sadness
• Behaviors such as: consuming too much alcohol, obsessive hand washing, or pacing.
• Unusual thoughts such as: suicidal thoughts, or paranoia such as someone or something like the TV is controlling their mind or introducing thoughts.

In addition, health care practitioners will take into consideration their own observations and comparisons to guidelines, the observations and perceptions of others as well as the thoughts and perceptions of the patient.

The signs and symptoms of mental disorders are spelled out in detail in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders known as the DSM. This manual classifies over 300 types of mental disorders and has been updated four times since it was originally published in 1952 by the American Psychiatric Association. A fifth edition is in progress now and due to be published in 2012.

Medications and other treatment as well as insurance coverage are based on the criteria in the DSM.

Resources:

American Psychiatric Association: The DSM

photo: The DSM-IV/Wikipedia