Symptoms of Mental Disorders
The symptoms of mental disorders can vary widely, both in terms of severity and manifestation. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and this spectrum often determines the impact of the disorder on the mental capacity of an individual.
TYPES OF SYMPTOMS
Cognitive Symptoms: These involve disruptions in thinking processes, such as difficulties with concentration, memory, decision-making, or logical reasoning.
Emotional Symptoms: Changes in mood and emotion regulation are common, including feelings of sadness, happiness, anger, fear, or numbness.
Behavioral Symptoms: Observable actions or reactions, which may include changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, social withdrawal, self-harm, or substance abuse.
Physical Symptoms: Some mental disorders can manifest physical symptoms, like changes in appetite, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, or gastrointestinal issues.
Within a legal context, it is important to recognize the type and severity of the symptoms exhibited by an individual to assess whether the person was cognitively compromised to the extent that they were unable to comprehend the consequences of their actions at the time of the alleged offense.
Difference between Neurosis and Psychosis
✏️ Neurosis: Neurosis is used to describe a category of mental disorders characterized by distress and functional impairment but without the severe loss of contact with reality seen in psychosis.
Examples: Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, eating disorder, depression, etc.
✏️ Psychosis: Psychosis refers to a severe mental state in which an individual experiences a loss of contact with reality and may have difficulty recognizing what is real and what is not.
Examples: Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder with psychotic features, and severe episodes of major depressive disorder.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS
Some common symptoms that impact the thinking, perception, awareness, and behaviour of an individual, and have potential implications within the legal context are discussed below:
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief that is resistant to reasoning and contrary to the individual's actual experiences and the surrounding evidence.
Example: A person may believe that they are being followed, spied on, or that their family members are trying to poison them.
Hallucination
Hallucination is perceiving sensations or stimuli that are not present in the external environment. This involves perceptions that are entirely fabricated and not rooted in external reality.
Example: Witnessing people, animals, or objects that others do not see.
Illusion
Illusions are misinterpretations or distortions of sensory stimuli present in the external environment.
Example: Seeing a dog and imagining it to be a lion or hearing the notes of birds and imagining them to be human voices.
Impulse
An impulse is a sudden and strong urge or desire to act, usually without a strong motive, forethought, or consideration of consequences.
Example: A recurrent urge to steal items that may not needed for personal use or financial gain.
Obsession
An obsession refers to persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, ideas, or urges that cause significant anxiety or distress. The individual has an awareness of the irrational nature of these thoughts and behaviours; however, it is involuntary and cannot be eliminated from consciousness.
Example: Intrusive thoughts about causing harm to themselves or others, often leading to distressing fears or worries about accidentally or intentionally causing harm.