More than 43 million American citizens struggle with mental illness. One in five young has or will develop a mental illness in his lifetime, about 5o percent of all mental illness show early sign before a person turns 14 years old and 75 percent of the illness before the age of 24. A psychological or mental disorder is a medical condition that affects mood, feelings, and thought. A very common mental disorder in the world today is pervasive development disorder (PVV).
Pervasive development disorder refers to a group of disorders featured by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. These groups of the disorder include:
- Asperger’s disorder
- Rett’s disorder
- Childhood disintegrated disorder
- Autism disorder
- Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified
Some symptoms of people with this psychological problem experiences include:
- Anxiety disorder
- Eating disorder
- Personality disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia
These disorders stem from problems with the nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Some common symptoms observed in people with these disorders are inappropriate social behavior, defects in verbal and nonverbal communication, poorly developed speech, and language comprehension skills.
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Autism spectrum disorder is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. According to the latest data from the center for disease control (CDC) autism spectrum disorder affects about one in eighty-six (1/86) children in the united states with more children identified than ever before. Autism spectrum disorder is about five times more likely in boys than in girls and females with autism spectrum disorder remain the understudied group in research.
Childhood disintegrative disorder is the rarest and more severe form of autism, children diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder experience severe loss of cognitive, social, and speech function. Autism syndrome is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and AIDs combined. Some symptoms of autism are:
- Learning disability or speech delay in child
- Lack of awareness of the emotions of others
- Depression
- Repetition of words and actions
- High sensitivity to sound
- Impulsive behavior
- Inappropriate social interaction
CAUSES OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Several factors can cause autism spectrum disorder. These factors include:
- Genetic mutation; more than two million people across its kind found that autism spectrum disorder is caused by inherited genes. Duplication of the X chromosome leads to a genetic disorder characterized by several actions. According to a study published, having a parent who has been diagnosed with autism syndrome disorder increases your chances of having it.
- Exposure to heavy metals and some environmental toxins increases your chances of being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
- Metabolic imbalance can also cause autism spectrum syndrome: metabolic imbalance occurs when abnormal chemical reactions in the body disrupt the process of metabolism which causes us to have too much or too little of the substances our body needs to stay healthy
An imbalance in glutathione-dependent redox metabolism has been discovered to be linked to autism syndrome disorder. Glutathione is a substance found in cells made from three amino acids; cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. It acts as an antioxidant and helps to combat free radicals and prevent damage to some body cells.
- Viral infections to the central nervous system can trigger diseases and alter the immune system of a woman causing her offspring to suffer from autism spectrum disorder.
- Parents in their mid-40s and 50s are five to ten percent more likely to give birth to a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The hypothesis formed is that the sperm in older men has accumulated many spontaneous mutations that they pass down to the offspring.
Ways to manage autism spectrum syndrome:
There is no specific cure for autism disorder but a patient can receive treatment to manage and reduce autism spectrum disorder symptoms. Some common practices include:
- Family therapy, behavioral therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and tele practice.
- Use of antipsychotic medications such as clozapine to help relieve symptoms of psychological disorder
- Occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and pharmacological therapy.
Autism is not necessarily a disease that needs to be cured. Some people who are diagnosed with autism spectrum syndrome have been known to have high IQs and incredible physical and mental abilities like eidetic memory.
Asperger syndrome is another form of the pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). It is a developmental disorder that affects the ability to effectively socialize and communicate. A person diagnosed with Asperger syndrome usually exhibits symptoms like poor social skills, speech difference, intellectual or artistic interest, and not socially driven. It is usually caused by genetics such as Rett syndrome or fragile x syndrome.
