Chaos and Disorder (Thursday Thirteen #40)

Since it has stormed into my front door, I’ve been on a mission to raise mental health awareness. October 5-11, 2008 is National Mental Health Awareness Week and today, specifically is Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day.

Bipolar Disorder, along with the following disorders, can cause chaos and disorder not only in the lives of those that have them, but as well as in those that love them. Formerly called Manic Depression, Bipolar Disorder affects more than two million Americans, and both adults and children can be affected. People who have this illness experience extreme mood swings varying between mania and depression. It is a very serious illness and can cause risky behavior and even suicidal tendencies.

My friend Damien Riley, author of Postcards From The Funny Farm, has written a top notch series of articles about Bipolar Disorder. You can read them here.

I invite you to join me in walking across blogs all across America in order to raise awareness for mental illnesses. Please just take this button and link back it back to my Walk This Way post. The more people that know what these things are about, the less stigmas there will be and more people will seek help.

Today is Thursday Thirteen....and here's mine!

Thirteen CATEGORIES OF MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS 1. Psychotic Disorders. The major symptom is psychosis or delusions and hallucinations. Examples of these types of disorders are Brief Psychotic Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Schizoaffective Diorder, Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform and Shared Psychotic Disorder. 2. Mood Disorders. The primary symptom is a disturbance in mood and having inappropriate, exaggerated and an extreme level to your feelings. Examples of Mood Disorders are Bipolar Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. 3. Anxiety Disorders feature abnormal or inappropriate levels of anxiety. In this category are: Acute Stress Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 4. Somatoform Disorders include those where symptoms suggest a medical condition, but no medical condition can be found by doctors. Disorders in this category are: Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Hypochondriasis Disorder, Pain Disorder and Somatization Disorder. 5. Dissociative Disorders involve a disruption in consciousness, memory, identity or perception. Examples are Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Depersonalization Disorder 6. Sexual Disorders, Paraphilias have distressing and repetitive sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors. Such disorders include: Exhibitionism, Fetishism, Frotteurism, Pedophilia, Sexual Masochism, Sexual Sadism, Transvestic Fetishism and Voyeurism 7.Sexual Disorders, Sexual Dysfunctions cause an impairment in normal sexual functioning and include Dyspareunia, Female Orgasmic Disorder, Female Sexual Arousal Disorder, Gender Identity Disorder, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, Male Erectile Disorder, Male Orgasmic Disorder, Premature Ejaculation, Sexual Aversion Disorder, Vaginismus. 8. Eating Disorders are characterized by disturbances in eating behavior. The disorders in this category and Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. 9. Sleep Disorders, Dyssomnias relate to the amount quality and timing of sleep and include Primary Insomnia, Primary Hypersomnia and Narcolepsy. 10. Sleep Disorders, Parasomnias are classified by abnormal behavior or physiological evens that occur during the sleep process. Such disorders include Nightmare Disorder, Sleep Terror Disorder and Sleepwalking Disorder. 11. Adjustment Disorders are when someone has a difficult adjustment to a life situation than normally would be expected considering the circumstances. There are many types of Adjustment Disorders combined with Anxiety, Depressed Mood or a combination of the two. 12. Impulse Control Disorders are characterized by the failure or extreme difficulty in controlling impulses despite negative consequences. Examples are: Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Kleptomania, Pathological Gambling, Pyromania and Trichotillomania. 13. Personality Disorders involve thoughts, emotions, interpersonal functioning and impulse control. Some examples are Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Whatever the disorder, putting an end to its' chaos isn't all that likely without the proper treatment and/or medications. If you or someone you love is struggling with any of these disorders, there is help, and hope, out there. We're learning that firsthand in my house.

Be sure to check out my related posts this week: Rainy Days and Mondays, While Shivering In My Shoes and Walk This Way.