science and technology

Dib Guha - Increasing levels of anxiety, depression, and/or other psychological symptoms.

Psychological disorders, also referred to as mental disorders, are abnormalities of the mind that result in persistent behavior patterns that can seriously affect your day-to-day function and life.

The specific causes of psychological disorders are not known, but contributing factors may include chemical imbalances in the brain, childhood experiences, heredity, illnesses, prenatal exposures, and stress.

Some disorders are more common based on sex, for example depression is more frequent in females whereas substance abuse is more common in men.

Psychological disorders can cause a variety of symptoms; common symptoms include: • Agitation, hostility or aggression
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Alterations in energy levels
•Anxiety
• Confusion or disconnectedness
• Erratic behavior
• Irritability and mood changes
• Perception or thought process disturbances (psychoses), such as hallucinations and delusions
• Persistent or abrupt mood changes that can interfere with day-to-day life
• Problem denial
• Social withdrawal

Common treatments for psychological disorders Common treatments of psychological disorders include: • Antianxiety medications
• Antidepressant medications to improve moods
• Antipsychotic medications to treat disordered thought patterns and altered perceptions
• Cognitive behavioral therapy to work on thought patterns and behavior
• Family therapy to help develop support and understanding
• Group therapy
• Hospitalization for coexisting medical problems, serious complications, severe disorders, or substance abuse
• Identification and treatment of coexisting conditions
• Individual therapy
• Mood-stabilizing medications
• Psychodynamic therapy to work on discovering and understanding past issues and their relationship to current thoughts and behaviors
• Support groups

Anxiety
The proper term for anxiety is General Anxiety Disorder of GAD. Symptoms specific to GAD include chronic worrying, nervousness and tension.
Possible reasons for increasing anxiety.
THE BOWLING ALONE EFFECT - social anxiety disorder rates will continue to increase as long as our society continues to be highly mobile, with ever increasing community sizes. – In small communities the citizens are more tightly knit and people are more likely to develop relationships in town. With those relationships there is a greater sense of comfort and less of a worry in making a good impression.
However, in a larger community it is less likely for people to develop close bonds with each other and as a result they place themselves in a more stressful environment. People tend to feel more insecure around people they do not know.
As fear researcher Michael Davis of Emory University told me: "If you've lost the extended family and lost the sense of community, you're going to have fewer people you can depend on, and therefore you'll be more anxious.
A quarter century ago, nearly 70% of freshmen put themselves in the top 10% of mentally stable people in their class; today only 52% rate themselves that highly, down 3 points since last year. Students' self-esteem, however, is still robust: a full 71% of freshmen put themselves in the top 10% in terms of academic abilities.
Disconnect due to technology Another factor that adds to this problem—especially among young people—is our growing reliance on texting and social media for community, which many psychologists say is no substitute for real human interaction. When you're feeling most dreadful, you don't run to your Facebook profile for consolation; you run to a flesh-and-blood friend
For one thing, the amount of data we take in each day has jumped dramatically—the average Sunday newspaper contains more raw information than people in earlier eras would absorb over the course of a few years
"It's always reporting that this thing causes cancer or that thing can kill you. We live in a culture where fear is used to motivate us." a much more rigorous large study recently found that empathy among college students had declined 40% since 2000 — and since caring relationships are essential to mental (and physical) health, a decline in empathy could also produce a decline in mental health and coping.
With more than 18 percent of adults suffering from an anxiety disorder in any given year, the United States is now the most anxious nation in the world, according to the National Institute of Mental Health
Depression
An intense feeling of lifelessness, emptiness and apathy, men in particular may show signs of anger, aggression, and restlessness.
Depression in men - Depressed men are less likely than women to acknowledge feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness. Instead, they tend to complain about fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and loss of interest in work and hobbies. Even though depression rates for women are twice as high as those in men, men are a higher suicide risk, especially older men.
Depression in women - Rates of depression in women are twice as high as they are in men. This is due in part to hormonal factors, particularly when it comes to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), postpartum depression, and premenopausal depression
Different types of Depression -
Major Depression - Major depression is characterized by the inability to enjoy life and experience pleasure
Atypical Depression - a common subtype of major depression. Possible to feel good but it is a fleeting feeling.
Dysthymia - More days than not, you feel mildly or moderately depressed, although you may have brief periods of normal mood. The symptoms of dysthymia are not as strong as the symptoms of major depression, but they last a long time (at least two years).
Season Affective Depression -Some people get depressed in the fall or winter, when overcast days are frequent and sunlight is limited
Statistic - In fact one study showed a 12% of the American population is taking Prozac.

The American Psychiatric Association reported almost that half of Americans it surveyed in September said they were increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family’s basic needs, and eight out of 10 said the economy was a significant cause of stress, up from 66 percent in April. Flawless
A number of epidemiological studies have reported that up to 2.5 percent of children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from depression. Referances http://www.bettermedicine.com/article/psychological-disorders http://helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm

http://www.socialanxietysecrets.com/Why-Rates-Of-Social-Anxiety-Will-Increase-and-what-to-do-about-it.htm

http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/27/why-are-college-students-reporting-record-high-levels-of-stress/

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/01/its_not_the_job_market.html

http://helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Depression-is-on-the-Rise-in-the-United-States-Of-America&id=469433

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beattie.html