Psychological Diseases

Psychological Diseases

A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder, is a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms.

The latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, the DSM-5, defines a mental disorder as:

"a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognitive, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities."

Psychological disorders, also referred to as mental disorders, are abnormalities of the mind that result in persistent behavior patterns that can seriously affect your day-to-day function and life. Many different psychological disorders have been identified and classified, including eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa; mood disorders, such as depression; personality disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder; psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia; sexual disorders, such as sexual dysfunction; and others. Multiple psychological disorders may exist in one person.

The specific causes of psychological disorders are not known, but contributing factors may include chemical imbalances in the brain, childhood experiences, heredity, illnesses, prenatal exposures, and stress. Some disorders, such as borderline personality and depression, occur more frequently in women. Others, such as intermittent explosive disorder and substance abuse, are more common in men. Still other disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, affect men and women in roughly equal proportions.

Below are few common Psychological disorders:

  •     Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adults)
  •     Bipolar Disorder
  •     Borderline Personality Disorder
  •     Child and Adolescent Disorders
  •     Chronic or Persistent Pain
  •     Depression
  •     Eating Disorders and Obesity
  •     Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  •     Insomnia
  •     Mixed Anxiety
  •     Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  •     Panic Disorder
  •     Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  •     Schizophrenia and Other Severe Mental Illnesses
  •     Social Phobia and Public Speaking Anxiety
  •     Specific Phobias (e.g., animals, heights, blood, needles, dental)
  •     Substance and Alcohol Use Disorders

What you can expect:

Ayurveda research shows that many physiological imbalances contribute to depression, anxiety and related conditions.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are triggered by excessive mental and physical stress, or disruptions of natural biological rhythms. According to Ayurveda, psychological problems start when fundamental imbalances develop in the biological intelligence that controls all bodily processes.

  • Vata imbalance contributes to anxiety, fear, mental instability and insomnia
  • Pitta imbalance may give rise to anger and irritability
  • Kapha imbalance may lead to lethargy and depression

Ayurveda does not simply match drugs to symptoms, because people can have the same symptoms for different reasons. Just as a headache can have many possible causes, not everyone has depression or anxiety for the same reasons.

Since depression and anxiety can be influenced by many factors, such as diet, digestion, toxin accumulation, stress, exercise levels and daily routine, Ayurveda treatments balance many physiological functions simultaneously.

Most illness, including depression, begins when toxins accumulate in tissues and disrupt the body's delicate biochemistry.