I have been connected with the field of psychology, initially as a student and later as a practitioner for over 9 years now. In this span of almost a decade, the most alarming fact that has struck me about this field is the lack of awareness about mental health & illnesses. Like most psychologists, I have been asked the age old, "Can you read my mind?" question umpteen times. Well, I've studied psychology, not telepathy. All this while, I have felt appalled at how ill informed people are about what this field entails.
On the flip side, people around me have also been quite interested in knowing about "psychology". Whether it is a gathering of family or friends, I invariably find myself answering questions about relationships, career, anxieties, you name it...! It feels definitely strange then, that people would flock to the psychologist at home doling out free advice but would rarely consider actually visiting one for a professional consultation. Ironically thus, mental health is one subject people are both inquisitive and ignorant about.
Moreover, due to the increased stress and burden of modern day living, the incidence of mental illnesses is on the rise. Clinical Psychologists today are seeing more and more cases of marital problems, relationship difficulties, internet/social networking addiction, depression, examination anxiety, etc. It is clear that the society will definitely benefit with an increased awareness of mental health & illness, leaving behind the stigma this field has carried for years.
Through this book, I intend to clarify the basic concepts about this field. I also wish to make the readers familiar and well acquainted with various psychiatric disorders. There are two major classification systems for psychiatric disorders, the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic & Statistical Manual 5" (DSM 5) and the World Health Organization's "International Classification of Mental & Behavioral Disorders- 10" (ICD-10). I have referred to the ICD-10 in this book as it's the most used classification system in European & Asian countries.
Since I find it unfortunate that people mostly recognize only "depression", "OCD" or "schizophrenia" as psychiatric disorders, I have tried to present almost all clusters of recognized psychiatric disorders. However, to avoid confusion and complication, I have only included the most common disorders in each spectrum. I have tried to keep the account as jargon free as possible for the ease of understanding. The masculine pronoun has been used throughout the book to avoid unnecessary repetition.
Each chapter on psychiatric disorders is supplemented with a case example. These case studies are of real patients who I have seen in OPD & IPD settings. However, the names have been changed due to confidentiality reasons. I believe the case studies will help the readers achieve a holistic understanding of the disorders and become aware of the various struggles patients having psychiatric disorders go through.
I have refrained from going into the details of causes and treatment to not take away from the focus of the book. The causes of psychiatric disorders are a combination of bio-psycho-social factors, a combination that is unique for each individual and can be possibly explored with the help of a mental health professional, if the need so arises. The treatment is often eclectic, meaning an amalgamation of psychopharmacology and various psychotherapeutic techniques and is tailor made to suit the individual's specific needs. However, the last section of the book attempts to aid the readers in dealing with certain common emotional and psychological difficulties.
Readers should note that the main purpose of this book is to take a strong, unflinching stand against the stigma that surrounds mental health and to make the layman more aware of the gamut of psychiatric disorders. I believe that this will enable the readers to identify mental illnesses in themselves and those around them and empower them to take corrective action at the earliest.
However, this book should be used solely for the purpose of identification and not self diagnosis. Psychiatric disorders can be confusing and symptom manifestations of different disorders may closely mimic each other. Additionally, many times an individual may have a dual diagnosis, meaning that he may be having two or more psychiatric disorders at the same time. The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of a psychiatric disorder is thus, best left to the clinical judgment and expertise of a trained mental health professional.
Unfortunately, in our country, there is a paucity of mental health professionals despite a growing need for their services. Moreover, many factors like stigma, ignorance and lack of adequate resources obstruct an individual from recognizing, and seeking treatment for, a mental illness. Gauging the need of the hour, it was Mr. Narender Kumar Verma (Chairman, Diamond Pocket Books) who offered me to write a book about mental illnesses for the general public. I'm deeply indebted to him for evincing faith in a budding writer like me.
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