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Electro-Convulsive Therapy:
Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment for persons with very severe mental disorders that have proven unresponsive to other forms of treatment (typically multiple attempts to treat with medications of various types). ECT involves a Psychiatrist (a highly trained medical doctor specializing in the treatment of mental disorders) sending an electric current through the (sedated) patient's brain under very controlled conditions. .
Etiology: Etiology is a fancy expert's word that means, "how did something get this way". To describe the etiology of something means to describe how it got the way it is currently.
Euthymia: Euthymia is a fancy word that indicates a normal non-depressed,
reasonably positive mood. It is distinguished from Euphoria (which refers to an extreme of happiness) and Dysthymia (which refers to a depressed mood).
Fragile X Syndrome: Fragile X syndrome is a hereditary condition, which can cause learning problems in both males and females. It is the most common cause of genetically inherited mental impairment. The spectrum of intellectual involvement ranges from subtle learning disabilities and a normal IQ, to severe mentally challenged and autism. In addition to mental impairment, Fragile X syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms, which include physical and behavioural characteristics and speech and language delay. Individuals with no sign of the condition can pass on Fragile X syndrome in a family. In some families it is a problem, which has been occurring for decades, affecting numerous family members through the generations, while in others, it seems to have caused problems in only one person. Regardless, the genetic implications of this diagnosis are far reaching and can place a tremendous emotional burden on even distant relatives.
In a nutshell, Fragile X Syndrome is an inherited form of genetic disorder that can cause learning problems and physical abnormalities in affected individuals. Severe cases can produce Mentally Challenged outcomes.
Hallucinations: Hallucinations occur when you sense things that are not actually occurring. Hallucinations may be auditory (hearing people speak when there is no one speaking), visual (seeing things that aren't there), olfactory (smelling scents that aren't there) or even tactile (feeling things crawling on you that aren't there). People having hallucinations may or may not be aware that they are hallucinating. From their internal perspective they may believe that the hallucinations are real!
Korsakoff's Syndrome: A neurological disorder that typically develops in the wake of severe and chronic alcohol abuse, Korsakoff's Syndrome gradually (insidiously) erodes the patient's ability to remember things (as well as creating brain damage and other cognitive/neurological damage). Korsakoff patients will frequently make up believable and detailed stories to fill in the gaps for things they can't remember (a process called "fabrication").
Labile: When a person's feelings or mood fluctuates often. In mental health, this term would be used to describe someone whose feelings fluctuate from happy to sad to happy again.
Mental illness: A group of disorders that can cause severe disturbances in thinking, mood and behaviour, resulting in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Symptoms can vary in severity, frequency and duration. There are five major categories- schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dementias and eating disorders. Current research indicates many severe mental illnesses are biological diseases that interfere with normal brain function. Genetic factors, family history, substance abuse and severe traumatic life crises may create a predisposition to mental illness.
Mood disorders: : Depression is the most frequently diagnosed mental illness. It can cause a general lack of energy and enthusiasm, well-marked sadness, a loss of interest and pleasure in daily activities and it can interfere with even simple daily
tasks.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, can involve mood swings, such as extreme sadness or euphoria, sleep and eating disturbances, changes in activity and energy levels (ranging from extreme fatigue and inactivity to a decreased need for sleep and hyperactivity) and an inability to concentrate and make decisions.
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