Schizophrenia
Many patients with schizophrenia experience symptoms that in hindsight are recognized as a prodrome before the onset of their florid psychosis. Unspecific prodromal symptoms (anxiety, depression, social withdrawal) eventually give…
Alcohol Use Disorders
The following risk factors may increase the potential negative health consequences of drinking even with “low-risk” patterns of consumption: (1) first-degree relative with alcohol or drug dependence (i.e., heritable risk…
Conversion Disorder
Diagnosis requires appropriate neurologic assessment and testing that finds the physical symptoms to be incompatible with neurologic pathophysiology and/or internally inconsistent to fulfill the first criteria. Criteria two and three…
Somatization
Patients currently classified as having somatization disorder present with multiple physical symptoms that range from mild and self-limited to severely disabling. In addition, they express excessive health concerns that are…
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Multiple subtypes of OCD are identified primarily based on factor analysis. Typical obsessions may include fears of contamination, sexual/religious or other moral transgression, harming others, or unrecognized illness. Compulsions may…
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is distinct from other common mental disorders in that trauma exposure is a prerequisite for diagnosis. Threatening events initiate the body’s “fight-or-flight” response via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the…
Social Anxiety disorder
DSM-IV criteria stipulate that this condition contributes to significant functional impairment (for example, in work or relationships) or distress. Of note, the individual recognizes that the fear is excessive or…
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is common, with a lifetime prevalence in the United States of up to 5%. The disorder occurs nearly twice as often in women and tends to manifest in…
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The prevalence of GAD in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) was 1.6% for current GAD (defined as a 6-month period of anxiety that continued in the 30 days before the…
Bipolar Disorder
Depressive episodes consist of either depressed mood or anhedonia with five or more of the following concomitant symptoms: (1) significant decrease or increase in sleep, and/or (2) appetite, (3) low…
