Mental Health: Vocabulary: Videos & Practice Problems

Pathology in mental health encompasses medical terms that describe clinical disorders and the neurotransmitters involved in mental well-being. One such condition is a fugue state, characterized by reversible amnesia accompanied by unexpected and confused wandering. The term "fugue" can be remembered by associating it with "fugitive wandering," highlighting the sudden and disoriented movement of the individual.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) refers to recurrent depressive episodes that typically occur during winter months when sunlight is scarce. This condition is prevalent in regions with prolonged periods of low sunlight, such as the Northeast or Seattle. The acronym SAD can be recalled as "Sunlight Absence Depression," emphasizing the link between reduced sunlight exposure and mood disturbances.

Dissociation acts as a defense mechanism where a person experiences a disconnection from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of self. This detachment can be conceptualized as a social disengagement, helping to understand the term as a psychological withdrawal from reality.

Apperception involves interpreting sensory information through the lens of past experiences. For example, encountering a familiar-looking person might trigger emotional responses based on previous relationships, such as associating a stranger with a negative past partner. This process can be thought of as "past perception," where emotions influence current interpretation.

Neurotransmitters play a crucial role in mental health. Serotonin is known as the "feel-good neurotransmitter" because it regulates mood, appetite, digestion, and sleep, contributing to overall well-being. The mnemonic "sunny tonin" helps recall serotonin’s association with a positive mood and disposition.

Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter involved in the body's "fight or flight" response. It prepares the body for action by increasing alertness and readiness to either confront or escape threats. Remembering norepinephrine as "no rest" reflects its role in maintaining a heightened state of agitation and stress, which significantly impacts mental health and the nervous system.

Lastly, tic disorder involves uncontrollable, repetitive muscular movements and vocalizations, often referred to as nervous tics. These involuntary actions are a hallmark of this disorder and can affect daily functioning.

Understanding these terms and their underlying mechanisms provides a foundational insight into the pathology of mental health, highlighting how clinical disorders and neurotransmitter functions interplay to influence psychological well-being.

When faced with a sudden threat, such as hearing a growl indicating a nearby wild animal, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system to prepare for a rapid response. This activation triggers the release of the neurotransmitter epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, which plays a crucial role in the fight-or-flight response. Epinephrine increases heart rate, dilates airways, and redirects blood flow to muscles, enabling quick physical reactions necessary for either confronting or escaping danger. This heightened state of alertness involves no rest or relaxation, as the body prioritizes immediate survival. Understanding the role of epinephrine in the sympathetic nervous system highlights how neurotransmitters regulate physiological changes during emergency situations, ensuring an effective response to potential threats.

Mental health pharmacology focuses on the study of psychiatric drugs and their effects on the central nervous system and neurotransmitter levels. Benzodiazepines, commonly known as benzos, are a class of drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, helping to sedate and slow brain activity. Their calming effect can be remembered by associating "benzos" with "Ben slow," highlighting their role in reducing neural activity.

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are another important class of psychiatric medications used primarily to treat depression and chronic pain. They function by increasing the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. Norepinephrine, often linked to the "fight or flight" response, can be remembered as "no rest," while serotonin, associated with mood regulation and overall well-being, is sometimes called "sunny tonin." The mnemonic "tricyclic tricycline with nora and sera" helps recall that TCAs boost norepinephrine (nora) and serotonin (sera).

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) work by inhibiting the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which breaks down key neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. By preventing this breakdown, MAOIs increase the availability of these neurotransmitters, which are crucial for maintaining homeostasis and emotional balance. Dopamine plays a significant role in regulating mood and motivation, while serotonin and norepinephrine contribute to overall well-being and stress response. Thus, MAOIs effectively manage multiple neurotransmitters to improve mental health.

Atypical antipsychotics are serotonin-dopamine antagonists used to treat conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Unlike typical antipsychotics that target a single neurotransmitter, atypical antipsychotics work on multiple neurotransmitters simultaneously, providing a broader spectrum of action. This dual targeting can be visualized as a "bodyguard" protecting neurons, but atypical antipsychotics are unique because they "wear a tutu," symbolizing their atypical, multifaceted approach to balancing brain chemistry.

Understanding these classes of psychiatric drugs and their mechanisms—such as benzodiazepines slowing brain activity, TCAs increasing norepinephrine and serotonin, MAOIs preventing neurotransmitter breakdown, and atypical antipsychotics targeting multiple neurotransmitters—provides a foundational insight into mental health pharmacology and its role in managing psychiatric disorders.

Excessive ingestion of tricyclic antidepressants can lead to elevated levels of norepinephrine, a key neurotransmitter involved in the body's fight-or-flight response. Norepinephrine prepares the body for action by increasing alertness and physiological readiness, which results in symptoms such as hypertension (increased blood pressure) and tachycardia (increased heart rate). This heightened state also causes excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) and severe anxiety due to the body's agitation and readiness to respond to perceived threats.

In this context, hypotension and bradycardia are unlikely because norepinephrine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. Therefore, the physiological consequences of elevated norepinephrine include increased blood pressure, tachycardia, sweating, and anxiety, reflecting the body's primed state for fight or flight.