Case Study 5: Mental Disorders

1. Mental disorders and mental illnesses are two different conditions, however they have similarities and differences, which distinguishes them. Mental illness is a neurotic brain condition which is characterized by signs and symptoms, and mainly occurs due to etiological conditions such as infections or environmental factors. A mental illness tends to be acquired through biological means, and not through natural occurrences. Thirdly, a mental illness affects the general functioning of the mind, through affecting certain areas of the brain (Corcoran, 2011). On the other hand, mental disorder is the changes which take place in a person’s daily activities, thus affecting the general functioning of the mind. This may be due to post traumatic stress disorder, or due to anxiety and fear. The victim may however recover with time, based on the effectiveness of the stressor. A good example is anxiety due to failing the exam a move which leads to stress, but the victim can later on recover (Flamez & Sheperis, 2016).

The two conditions, mental illness and mental disorder have similarities, which include the following: victims of both conditions tend to feel sad, to be worried, and to withdraw from their friends and other activities (Schatzberg & Nemeroff, 2009). These feelings tend to affect the victims, making them to feel detached from other people, a move which makes them to result into committing suicide or to end up killing other people. Mental disorders and mental illnesses may not also be easily distinguished, because of similar signs and symptoms (Corcoran, 2011).

2. Adam Lanza’s engagement with violent video games and novels affected his mind-set, thus leading to stress, which made him to execute the killings. A mental disorder is usually caused by factors which surround us, thus affecting our reasoning and the way we do different things. Adam was a teenager when his parents divorced, a move which really affected the way he behaved (Flamez & Sheperis, 2016). The divorce affected his brain functioning a move which made it hard for him to be able to live peacefully as before. Similarly, the books which Adams read, affected his actions, a move which prompted him to commit the murder (Spina & Trifirò, 2016). The books contained information which was highly related to the incident, thus explaining the reason as to why Adams killed his mother together with the children. Furthermore, Nancy’s house was loaded with ammunitions, a move which prompted Adams to execute the killings with the aid of the weapons which were at his disposal (Schatzberg & Nemeroff, 2009).     

Adam could have been a good candidate of treatment had he not committed suicide, because of the ways he was responding positively to the medication. Adam was responding positively to the treatment, however, his mother decided not to stop the medication, after claiming his son was unable to raise his hand (Corcoran, 2011). The medication was good for the teenager, and it could have allowed him to be able to change his behaviour (Spina & Trifirò, 2016). In addition, Adam could have changed with time, and he could have also shared his experiences with his mother, thus avoiding committing suicide. 

3. Psychologists should have administered psychotropic medications to young Adams, since this medication is good for dealing with the moods and behaviour of the child (Flamez & Sheperis, 2016). Adam could have therefore been able to easily communicate to his parents about the effects of the medication on his body, or how he felt after taking the medication. After a short period of time, he could have been able to fully recover from the condition, a move which could have allowed him to avoid killing people (Corcoran, 2011). Moreover, due to changing the behaviour of the child, Adam could have been able to avoid reading novels related to serial killings, a move which could have allowed him to be able to change hence not committing such actions.

In as much as psychotropic medications are good for dealing with mental disorders amongst children, the drug has its challenges, and this includes body growth and heart beat rate (Schatzberg & Nemeroff, 2009). In order to deal with this, the medication should be administered in low doses, and the doctors should also check on the way the he reacts to the medications to ensure the effects of the medication do not get out of hand (Flamez & Sheperis, 2016).    

4. According to my point of view, minor mental illnesses and functional mental illnesses are not as serious as compared to manic depressive behaviour (Corcoran, 2011). People suffering from manic depressive behaviours tend to suffer from a lot of challenges, which include eating disorders, impulse control disorders, fictitious disorders and dissociative disorders (Spina & Trifirò, 2016). On the other hand, minor mental illnesses and functional mental illnesses have similar characteristics such as mood changes, and anxiety which are not mild. This makes it hard for the victims of this conditions not to suffer a lot. Manic depressive behaviour is however a very serious condition, as it might lead to other serious illnesses, particularly because people with such conditions tend to experience high sexual desires. This consequently makes the victim sexually active, thus leading to the spread of other disease if the victim indulges in sexual intercourse with multiple partners without protection (Flamez & Sheperis, 2016).

Reference

Corcoran, J. (2011). Mental health treatment for children and adolescents. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

In Flamez, B., & In Sheperis, C. (2016). Diagnosing and treating children and adolescents: A guide for mental health professionals.

Schatzberg, A. F., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2009). The American Psychiatric Publishing textbook of psychopharmacology. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Pub.

In Bezchlibnyk-Butler, K. Z., In Elbe, D., In Procyshyn, R. M., & In Virani, A. S. (2014). Clinical handbook of psychotropic drugs for children and adolescents.

In Spina, E., & In Trifirò, G. (2016). Pharmacovigilance in psychiatry.