Content Related to Mental Health Issues in Mental
Brought to you by the Entertainment and Media Communication Institute’s Center on Mental Health, the research and strategy division of the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc.
Episode 1 (Pilot)
Dr. Jack Gallagher, the dynamic and unorthodox psychiatrist on Fox’s new medical mystery drama, Mental, delves into the brilliant but schizophrenic mind of an artistic patient, Vincent. This public service webpage developed by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. serves to provide in-depth information and resources about schizophrenia.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, TMS utilizes a specialized electromagnet placed on the patient’s scalp that generates short magnetic pulses, roughly the strength of an MRI scanner’s magnetic field but much more focused. The magnetic pulses pass easily through the skull and can stimulate the underlying brain. TMS was first developed in 1985, and has been studied significantly since 1995.
Because it's experimental, TMS isn't recommended as a first treatment option for depression. It's used only as a research tool and is generally available in the United States only through clinical trials.
Schizophrenia
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1.1 percent of the U .S. population age 18 and older in a given year. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don’t hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them. These experiences can make them fearful and withdrawn and cause difficulties when they try to have relationships with others. Just as "cancer" refers to numerous related illnesses, many researchers now consider schizophrenia to be a group of mental disorders rather than a single illness.
Signs & Symptoms
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms usually develop in men in their late teens or early twenties and women in the twenties and thirties, but in rare cases, can appear in childhood. They can include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, movement disorders, flat affect, social withdrawal, and cognitive deficits.
The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three broad categories:
The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three broad categories:
- Positive symptoms are unusual thoughts or perceptions, including hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and disorders of movement.
- Negative symptoms represent a loss or a decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. These symptoms are harder to recognize as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for laziness or depression.
- Cognitive symptoms (or cognitive deficits) are problems with attention, certain types of memory, and the executive functions that allow us to plan and organize. Cognitive deficits can also be difficult to recognize as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a normal life.
Resources & Support:
- American Psychiatric Association
- Helpguide.org
- Mental Health Research Association
- Mental Health Services Locator
- NAMI – Living with Schizophrenia
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Participating in Schizophrenia Research
- SAMHSA - Schizophrenia Support
- Schizophrenia.com
- Schizophrenia Online Support Group
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- WebMD Schizophrenia Support & Resources
For additional information about schizophrenia, including treatment and support, please visit:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – Schizophrenia Publication
- National Institute of Mental Health – Schizophrenia Publication
Anxiety Disorders
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year, causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Most people experience anxiety at some point in their lives and some nervousness in anticipation of a real situation; However if a person cannot shake unwarranted worries, or if the feelings are jarring to the point of avoiding everyday activities, he or she most likely has an anxiety disorder. Symptoms include chronic, exaggerated worry, tension, and irritability that appear to have no cause or are more intense than the situation warrants.
- Panic Disorder – People with panic disorder experience white-knuckled, heart-pounding terror that strikes suddenly and without warning. Since they cannot predict when a panic attack will seize them, many people live in persistent worry that another one could overcome them at any moment. Symptoms include a pounding heart, chest pains, lightheadedness or dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, shaking or trembling, choking, fear of dying, sweating, feelings of unreality, numbness or tingling, hot flashes or chills, and a feeling of going out of control or going crazy.
- Phobias - Most of us steer clear of certain, hazardous things. Phobias however, are irrational fears that lead people to altogether avoid specific things or situations that trigger intense anxiety. Phobias occur in several forms, for example, agoraphobia is the fear of being in any situation that might trigger a panic attack and from which escape might be difficult. Social phobia is a fear of being extremely embarrassed in front of other people. The most common social phobia is fear of public speaking. Symptoms: Many of the physical symptoms that accompany panic attacks - such as sweating, racing heart, and trembling - also occur with phobias.
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder - Researchers now know that anyone, even children, can develop PTSD if they have experienced, witnessed, or participated in a traumatic occurrence-especially if the event was life threatening. PTSD can result from terrifying experiences such as rape, kidnapping, natural disasters, or war or serious accidents such as airplane crashes. The psychological damage such incidents cause can interfere with a person's ability to hold a job or to develop intimate relationships with others. The symptoms of PTSD can range from constantly reliving the event to a general emotional numbing. Persistent anxiety, exaggerated startle reactions, difficulty concentrating, nightmares, and insomnia are common.
For additional information about anxiety disorders, please visit:
- Anxiety Disorders Association of America
- Mental Help Net
- National Mental Health Association
- The National Institute of Mental Health's toll-free information line is 1-866-615-6464.
Episode 2
Dr. Jack Gallagher and the staff at Wharton Memorial Hospital on Fox’s new medical mystery drama, Mental, treat a woman suffering from "hysterical pregnancy" and learn that her OBGYN husband is also suffering from the delusional belief that his wife is pregnant. This public service webpage developed by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. serves to provide in-depth information and resources about hysterical pregnancy.
Hysterical pregnancy, or "Pseudocyesis," is the medical term(s) for a false pregnancy. Pseudocyesis can cause many of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy, and often resembles the condition in every way except for the presence of a fetus.
Hysterical Pregnancy
What is Hysterical Pregnancy?
Description
Pseudocyesis has been observed and written about since antiquity. Hippocrates set down the first written account around 300 B.C., and recorded 12 different cases of women with the disorder. One of the most famous historical examples is Mary Tudor (1516-1558), Queen of England, who believed on more than one occasion that she was pregnant when she was not. Some even attribute the violence that gave her the nickname "Bloody Mary" as a reaction to the disappointment of finding out that she was not carrying a child. Other historians believe that the queen's physicians mistook fibroid tumors in her uterus for a pregnancy, as fibroids can enlarge a non-pregnant uterus.
Pseudocyesis has become increasingly rare in many parts of the world in which accurate pregnancy tests have become widely available. Cultures that place high value on pregnancy, or that make close associations between fertility and a person's worth, still have high rates of the disorder.
Pseudocyesis has become increasingly rare in many parts of the world in which accurate pregnancy tests have become widely available. Cultures that place high value on pregnancy, or that make close associations between fertility and a person's worth, still have high rates of the disorder.
Signs & Symptoms
The symptoms of pseudocyesis are similar to the symptoms of true pregnancy and are often hard to distinguish from such natural signs of pregnancy as morning sickness, tender breasts, and weight gain. Many health care professionals can be deceived by the symptoms associated with pseudocyesis. Eighteen percent of women with pseudocyesis were at one time diagnosed as pregnant by a medical professional. In some cases, the only difference between pregnancy and pseudocyesis is the presence of a fetus.
The sign of pseudocyesis that is common to all cases is that the affected patient is convinced that she is pregnant. Abdominal distension is the most common physical symptom of pseudocyesis (63– 97% of women are found to experience this). In other words, the abdomen expands in the same manner as it does during pregnancy, so that the affected woman looks pregnant. This phenomenon is thought to be caused by buildup of gas, fat, feces, or urine. These symptoms often resolve under general anesthesia and the woman's abdomen returns to its normal size.
The second most common physical sign of pseudocyesis is menstrual irregularity (56–98% of women experience this). Between 48% and 75% of women are also reported to experience the sensation of fetal movements known as quickening, even though there is no fetus present. Some of the other common signs and symptoms include: gastrointestinal symptoms, breast changes or secretions, labor pains, uterine enlargement, and softening of the cervix. One percent of women eventually experience false labor.
The sign of pseudocyesis that is common to all cases is that the affected patient is convinced that she is pregnant. Abdominal distension is the most common physical symptom of pseudocyesis (63– 97% of women are found to experience this). In other words, the abdomen expands in the same manner as it does during pregnancy, so that the affected woman looks pregnant. This phenomenon is thought to be caused by buildup of gas, fat, feces, or urine. These symptoms often resolve under general anesthesia and the woman's abdomen returns to its normal size.
The second most common physical sign of pseudocyesis is menstrual irregularity (56–98% of women experience this). Between 48% and 75% of women are also reported to experience the sensation of fetal movements known as quickening, even though there is no fetus present. Some of the other common signs and symptoms include: gastrointestinal symptoms, breast changes or secretions, labor pains, uterine enlargement, and softening of the cervix. One percent of women eventually experience false labor.
Folie à Deux
Shared psychotic disorder, or folie à deux, is a rare delusional disorder shared by 2 or, occasionally, more people with close emotional ties. This delusion may develop in an individual in the context of a close relationship with another person or persons who have an already established delusion. In most cases, the delusion is similar in content to that of the person who already has an established delusion. The disturbance is not better accounted for by another psychotic disorder or mood disorder or a general medical condition. The mental status exam of both affected individuals often includes delusional thinking, lack of judgment and insight, poor attention and concentration.
Resources & Support
Episode 3
Dr. Jack Gallagher fights a battle of wits and wills with a famous professor, author and philosopher, Gideon Graham, who lapsed into a non-responsive catatonic state after suffering a lightning strike that crippled him and killed his wife. This public service webpage developed by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. serves to provide in-depth information and resources about catatonia.
Catatonia is characterized by the state of immobility and unresponsiveness while awake. The statuesque posturing or abnormal purposeless movement is caused by a disturbance of the motor behavior - either psychological or neurological. Catatonia is a syndrome of psychic and motor disturbances that, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is not recognized as a separate disorder, but is associated with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental disorders, as well as substance abuse and/or overdose. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it was more common when treatment for schizophrenia was not available; fortunately, it is now rare.
Catatonia
What is Catatonia?
Signs & Symptoms
Patients with catatonia may experience an extreme loss of motor skills or even constant hyperactive motor activity. Catatonic patients will sometimes hold rigid poses for hours and will ignore any external stimuli.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an experimental procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain in the hope of improving chronic depression symptoms. TMS is one of the newer types of brain stimulation methods designed to treat depression when standard treatment hasn't worked.
Additional symptoms include:
- motor immobility (including waxy flexibility)
- excessive motor activity (purposeless, not influenced by external stimuli)
- extreme negativism (motiveless resistance to all instructions or maintenance of a rigid posture against attempts to be moved)
- peculiarities of voluntary movement as evidenced by posturing, stereotyped movements, prominent mannerisms, or prominent grimacing
Resources & Support:
- American Psychiatric Association
- E-Medicine from WebMD
- HealthLine
- Helpguide.org – Catatonic Schizophrenia
- Mayo Clinic
- Mental Health Research Association
- Mental Health Services Locator
- NAMI – Living with Schizophrenia
- National Institute of Mental Health (Catatonic Schizophrenia)
- SAMHSA - Schizophrenia Support
- Stanford Wellsphere
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- WebMD Schizophrenia Support & Resources
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, TMS utilizes a specialized electromagnet placed on the patient’s scalp that generates short magnetic pulses, roughly the strength of an MRI scanner’s magnetic field but much more focused. The magnetic pulses pass easily through the skull and can stimulate the underlying brain. TMS was first developed in 1985, and has been studied significantly since 1995.
Because it's experimental, TMS isn't recommended as a first treatment option for depression. It's used only as a research tool and is generally available in the United States only through clinical trials.
For more information, please visit:
Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the television series "Mental" are those of the producers of that series and not of the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) or its employees, directors, officers or agents, and EIC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of the finished program.
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