PMH1011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Tachycardia, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Cyclothymia
29 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
WEEK 3 – COMMON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY
Lecture Learning Objectives:
➢ Recognize the characteristics of a symptoms present in depression and bipolar disorder.
➢ Appreciate the possible supports/community-based organizations that exist for the
treatment/management of affective (mood) disorders
➢ Appreciate the possible supports/community-based organizations that exist for the
treatment/management of anxiety disorders.
➢ Understand what comorbidity is and appreciate its existence among affective and
anxiety disorders.
High Prevalence MH Issues
➢ Most prevalent MH issues in Australia are:
o Anxiety disorders 1 in 7 (14.4%) **
o Affective (mood) disorders 1 in 16 (6.2%) **
o Substance use disorders 1 in 20 (5.1%) ##
➢ ** = More women tend to experience these
➢ ## = More men tend to experience these
Common Mental Health Issue
Most common mental health issues in Australia are anxiety disorders, including
generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, panic
disorder and obsessive-compulsory disorder (14.4%).
Somatisation: The experience of a person who feels, reports, or is preoccupied with
physical symptoms that have no biological cause and/or are disproportionate to any
actual physical disturbance.
Comorbid: Relating to a disease, disorder or condition that occurs at the same time as
another unrelated disease, disorder or condition.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
2
Consequences of unrecognized mental health issues
➢ Decrease in the quality of life of the person and possibly their relatives/carers
➢ Physical recovery impeded
➢ Ueessary physial iestigatios udertake i a searh of asers to
symptoms that have no physical cause.
➢ Increase in cost for health service providers
➢ A longer period off work and related financial problems
➢ Social Isolation
➢ Early treatment not implemented, leading to an increase in symptoms of mental
illness.
➢ Higher risk of suicide.
➢ The mental health system does not pick up, and lean more towards a physical
symptom, but not psychological symptoms.
Major Depression
MH disorders characterized by significant and prolonged changes in, or extremes of, an
idiiduals typial ood state affet
Includes:
• Major (clinical) depression
• Bipolar disorder
Dysthymia: Mild to moderate depression that occurs for most of the day, more days than not,
for at least two years.
Affective disorder: A mental health problem that is characterized by a consistent alteration in a
persos ood that ipats o their thoughts, eotios ad ehaiours.
Psychotic Symptoms: Symptoms related to significant alterations to thought and perceptions,
including delusions, hallucinations, loss of contact with reality and a deterioration in social
functioning.
❖ Melaholia has ee reogized sie Aiet Greek ties as a edial illness – now
known as clinical or major depression (MD)
o Used to e alled uipolar depressio as oly oe aspet of ood lo ood is
present.
❖ We all feel sad, down, or low from time to time; BUT
o MD is distinguished by severity (intensity), duration, persistence, and (very
often) recurrence.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
3
▪ Assessing work not on an absolute/definite cause and effect. Are the
symptoms continuous or are there periods of normality?
▪ Impacts in energy level, sleep level, eating disorder.
▪ Difficulty in concentration.
o Classified along a severity continuum: mild, moderate, or severe.
o 1 in 5 Australians will experience depression at some stage in their life.
▪ Women experience higher rates of affective disorder (7.1%) cf. to men
(5.3%)
o MD involves:
▪ Low mood and/or loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities
(anhedonia)
▪ PLUS other symptoms that are experiences most days and last for at least
2 weeks.
Symptoms of Depression
✓ Sad or irritable mood
✓ Loss of interest in usual activities, including those that were once pleasurable
✓ Unplanned weight loss
✓ Insomnia or hypersomnia
✓ Psychomotor disturbance
✓ Reduce energy
✓ Feelings of guilt
✓ Poor Concentration/Indecisiveness
✓ Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation
Causes of Depression
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Week 3 common mental health issues in the community. Recognize the characteristics of a symptoms present in depression and bipolar disorder. Appreciate the possible supports/community-based organizations that exist for the treatment/management of affective (mood) disorders. Appreciate the possible supports/community-based organizations that exist for the treatment/management of anxiety disorders. Understand what comorbidity is and appreciate its existence among affective and anxiety disorders. Most prevalent mh issues in australia are: anxiety disorders 1 in 7 (14. 4%) *, affective (mood) disorders 1 in 16 (6. 2%) *, substance use disorders 1 in 20 (5. 1%) ## ** = more women tend to experience these. ## = more men tend to experience these. Most common mental health issues in australia are anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsory disorder (14. 4%). Somatisation: the experience of a person who feels, reports, or is preoccupied with physical symptoms that have no biological cause and/or are disproportionate to any actual physical disturbance.
