Dr. Krithishree S.S. - Consultant Psychiatrist

Anxiety disorder is mainly charecterised by excessive fear or worry which is constantly present all day. Anxiety disorder can also make it difficult to breath, increased heart rate, abdominal discomfort, sleeplesness, and difficult to concentrate. The specific symptoms depend on the type of anxiety disorder like generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD, phobias, social anxiety and so on.

A panic attack is an acute manifestation of intense anxiety and fear associated with emotional and physical discomfort, which the individual is unable to control. The individual is often afraid of passing out or dying.
This anxiety attack is particularly prevalent in less intense forms such as sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath.
Usually it occurs in situations where the individual has the impression that escape might be difficult such as an elevator, train, plane, car on a highway, or business meeting.

People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) typically present with:

Obsessions: pictures, ideas, and impulses invading repeatedly the mental field, which the individual recognizes as issued from their own mental activity and causing in them distress. The individual feels personally responsible for these obsessions and for preventing them from happening.
Compulsions: repetitive ritualistic behavior, which can be considered as abnormal by the individual but temporarily reduces anxiety;
Contamination and aggressive obsessions are the most common.

Psychosis can be psychiatrically defined:

Psychosis can be defined in lay terms (at times pejoratively) as: crazy, mad, lunatic, “psycho”, maniac.

what do the individual, family or friends usually notice before the first psychotic episode, or in the so-called schizophrenia prodrome?

Social isolation and anxiety.
Attenuated or brief psychotic symptoms (illusions, overvalued ideas, suspiciousness).
Nonspecific symptoms (anxiety, depression, irritability, apathy, withdrawal, lack of initiative and sleep disturbances).
Odd behavior patterns like smiling and muttering to self.

People with depression (major depressive disorder) usually have a combination of symptoms such as:

Persistent sadness.
Loss of interest for activities that the individual usually enjoys.
Psychomotor slowing with physical and mental fatigue (at its worst the individual remains lying in bed), loss of creative capacity, difficulty reading, difficulty concentrating, poor memory.
Negative thoughts.
Decrease of self-care, or hygiene neglect.
Increase or loss of appetite with weight gain or loss along with sleep disorder.

Bipolar disorder (bipolar affective disorder) is a mood disorder that was called in the past manic depression or manic-depressive illness. Bipolar disorder is characterized by major mood swings alternating periods of depression with periods of hyper arousal called mania or hypomania. Between depressive episodes on one hand and hypomanic or manic on the other hand, there are periods when the individual's mood is normal, the so-called “euthymic” phases.

Sleep problems are common in individuals with psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety (post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, and substance abuse. Insomnia is the most common reported sleep problem related to psychiatric disorders. In mania, and possibly in depression, insomnia can worsen the condition, and early intervention to improve sleep may help to abort a relapse. Also, insomnia can signal an imminent relapse. In addition to increased insomnia, there can also be an increased incidence of parasomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and hypersomnia. For these reasons, it is always be cautious about any changes in the sleep pattern.

Each person and each addiction is unique. Your addiction therapy may consist of a combination of psychotherapy counseling and medication for addiction. Dr. Krithishree S.S. is a trusted and compassionate psychiatrist who helps guide your path to addiction recovery and safely manages your symptoms of withdrawal.

Sexual problems are highly prevalent among patients with psychiatric disorders. They may be caused by the psychopathology of the psychiatric disorder but also by its pharmacotherapy. Both positive symptoms (e.g., psychosis, hallucinations) as well as negative symptoms (e.g., anhedonia) of schizophrenia may negatively interfere with interpersonal and sexual relationships. Atypical antipsychotics have fewer sexual side-effects than the classic antipsychotics. Mood disorders may affect libido, sexual arousal, orgasm, and erectile function.

Paranoia is the feeling that you’re being threatened in some way, such as people watching you or acting against you, even though there’s no proof that it’s true. It happens to a lot of people at some point. Even when you know that your concerns aren’t based in reality, they can be troubling if they happen too often. Clinical paranoia is more severe. It’s a rare mental health condition in which you believe that others are unfair, lying, or actively trying to harm you when there’s no proof. You don’t think you’re paranoid at all because you feel sure it’s true.

Conditions Treated