MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION (CAUSE, SYMPTOMS, DURATION, ETC)

Stress is the body’s reaction to pressure in its environment. These pressures can range from dangerous situations to comforting a friend to the math homework sitting on the counter. Short-term stress triggers the body’s fight, flight, or freeze response; this occurs even when we know such a response is unnecessary, like nervousness before giving a speech. One may feel dizzy or experience tunnel vision because the blood rushes from the head to the areas needed to run or fight, and they may feel shaky since their muscles tense to meet the perceived threat. According to Harbor Psychiatry & Mental Health, hormones from the adrenal gland will speed up heart and breathing rates, raise blood pressure, and increase metabolism. When stress is longer-term, some symptoms include anxiety, irritability, change in appetite, change in sleep schedule, forgetfulness, loss of concentration, fatigue, indigestion, and headaches.

JOSHUA OGAWA

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DESCRIPTION (CAUSE, SYMPTOMS, DURATION, ETC)

According to Mayo Clinic, “not everyone who has panic attacks has panic disorder.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, lists the symptoms of Panic Disorder. According to them, this disorder consists of frequent, unexpected panic attacks; at least one attack followed by a month or more of ongoing worry about having another attack; continued fear of the consequences of an attack such as losing control, having a heart attack or "going crazy"; and/or significant changes in behavior, such as avoiding situations that may trigger a panic attack. The aforementioned panic attacks are not caused by drugs or other substance use, a medical condition, or another mental health condition, such as social phobia or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mayo Clinic also states “if you have panic attacks but not a diagnosed panic disorder, you can still benefit from treatment. If panic attacks aren't treated, they can get worse and develop into Panic Disorder or phobias.” Some symptoms of panic attacks include a sense of impending doom or danger, fear of loss of control or death, rapid or pounding heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, shortness of breath or tightness in one’s throat, chills, hot flashes, nausea, abdominal cramping, chest pain, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness or faintness, numbness or a tingling sensation, and a feeling of unreality or detachment.

DESCRIPTION (CAUSE, SYMPTOMS, DURATION, ETC)

Binge-eating disorder is an eating disorder where one frequently consumes and binges unusually large amounts of food, with a feeling of being out of control and unable to stop. While almost everyone overeats on certain occasions, binge-eating disorder is a serious condition where it happens repeatedly without control. Behavioral and emotional symptoms of this include eating even when one feels full, feeling out of control of one’s eating habits, eating rapidly while bingeing, eating alone or in secret, feeling disgusted and ashamed about one’s eating, and frequently dieting. Unlike bulimia, one with a binge-eating disorder will not try to get rid of the calories they consumed after binging, but rather may try to diet to restrict calorie consumption after. After feeling like they lost control after their binge, they may want to regain back that control and attempt to restrict their calories. However, restricting may lead to a bigger binge later on. Binge eating disorder can cause those who suffer from it to cause significant distress and feel out of control with their habits.