Brain Injuries

Any significant impact or trauma to the head should be checked out by a doctor. Brain injuries may result from penetrating wounds or damage associated with impact.

Bulimia

To her friends and family, Marlene had a perfectly fine figure, and she seemed confident and self-assured. But privately, Marlene suffered from bulimia and could not seem to stop bingeing and purging.

Bullying

Sam looked at the clock and saw that it was almost lunchtime. He dreaded going to his locker, and he was kicking himself for putting his lunch there this morning.

Cerebral Palsy

Marsha could not help comparing her baby to the others at the park. At ten months old, Sam could hardly sit up on his own, but most of the other babies Sam's age were crawling and pulling up to a standing position.

Chronic Illness

Chronic (KRAH-nik) illnesses are different from illnesses such as flu or chicken pox, where a person becomes sick for a short time and then returns to health. These short-term illnesses are called acute (a-KYOOT) illnesses.

Conduct Disorder

Joe always seems to pick fights on the school bus. He intimidates and bullies others and has few friends.

Consciousness

Here is a test: Try to write down all the steps you followed in getting dressed this morning. Did you put on your pants or your top first?

Conversion Disorder

Conversion disorder is a mental disorder in which psychological symptoms are converted to physical symptoms, such as blindness, paralysis, or seizures. Unlike malingering, in which a person fakes an illness or injury, a person with conversion disorder does not intentionally produce symptoms.

Death and Dying

Everyone on this earth shares two experiences: we are born and we die. Someone dies about every 20 seconds.

Delusions

Imagine being completely convinced that someone is following you, to the point where you even call the police several times. Or imagine believing that your friend is spreading horrible rumors behind your back, even though there is no reason to think she is.

Dementia

As Jacob sat in the hospital waiting room, he reminisced about this same day last year; Grandpa had taken him to the Baltimore Oriole's home opener to celebrate his eleventh birthday. Since then, his grandfather had experienced a few small strokes, or blockages in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to his brain.

Depression

Everyone feels sad occasionally, especially after a loss or a setback. Feeling down for short periods is perfectly normal.

Disability

Disability is a deviation from the normal range of functioning that places a limit on what a person can do or that imposes special conditions or needs that must be met to allow a person to function in the normal range or up to his or her full capacity. Disabilities can be mental, physical, psychological, or a combination of all three.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the most complex of a group of disorders characterized by the process of dissociation (di-SO-see-ay-shun). Other dissociative disorders include amnesia*, fugue*, and depersonalization*.

Divorce

Divorce or the breakup of a nuclear family is an extremely stressful event for both the divorcing adults and their children. Although adults who are divorcing may feel relief that a difficult marriage is ending, children may feel frightened, confused, and uncertain about their futures.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are not merely unhealthy eating habits; they involve patterns of eating too little or too much, and they may cause a variety of physical and emotional problems. Eating disorders usually develop during adolescence and usually affect girls, although boys can also be affected.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

ECT is a form of treatment for certain severe psychiatric disorders that involves using electrical shock. In ECT, a physician applies a mild electrical shock (20 to 30 milliamps) to each side of the patient's skull near the area of the temples.

Emotions

One morning Mandy waited for the light to change so that she could cross the street to school. As the light in her direction turned green, she stepped off the curb.

Families

Throughout history, people have found that their lives are better, easier, and more rewarding if they live within a group. This group, or family, is a basic unit of almost every society.

Fears

Fear is the emotion that people feel when they sense that they are in danger. It is a protective emotion, which signals danger and helps a person to prepare for and cope with it.