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brochures
Let's Talk Facts brochures
APA is releasing the latest edition of
Let’s Talk Facts
brochures. The series is designed to improve mental health by promoting informed factual discussion of psychiatric disorders and their treatments. They were developed for educational purposes for the general public and provide answers to commonly asked questions on mental health issues and disorders.
Anxiety
- Adobe PDF Format
What are Anxiety disorders? Anxiety disorders are the most common of emotional disorders and affect more than 25 million Americans. Although each anxiety disorder has its own unique characteristics, most respond well to two types of treatment: psychotherapy and medications.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Bipolar Disorder
- Adobe PDF Format
What is Bipolar Disorder? A brain disorder that causes shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Bipolar disorder is very treatable. A combination of psychotherapy and medication is optimal for managing the disorder over time.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Choosing a Psychiatrist
- Adobe PDF Format
What Is a Psychiatrist? A psychiatrist is a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance abuse and addiction. Psychiatrists are uniquely qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological disturbance.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
College Students and Alcohol Abuse
- Adobe PDF Format
Students of legal age who consume alcohol should do so responsibly and in moderation. Unfortunately, many students engage in underage, risky drinking that could lead to long term alcohol problems. These patterns include binge drinking and heavy drinking on a regular basis. The health and social effects of alcohol misuse can be extremely serious and even life threatening both to the individual and to others.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Common Childhood Disorders
- Adobe PDF Format
For parents, the key to handling mental disorders of children is to recognize the problem and seek appropriate treatment. These disorders have specific diagnostic criteria and treatments, and a complete evaluation by a mental health provider can determine whether a child needs help. Some of the mental disorders commonly seen in children are depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Depression
- Adobe PDF Format
What is Depression? Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression is never normal and always produces needless suffering. With proper diagnosis and treatment, the vast majority of people with depression will overcome it.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Domestic Violence
- Adobe PDF Format
What is Domestic Violence? Domestic violence is control by one partner over another in a dating, marital or live-in relationship. The means of control include physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse, threats and isolation. While you cannot stop your partner’s abuse – only he or she can do that - you can find help and support for yourself.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Eating Disorders
- Adobe PDF Format
What is an Eating Disorder? Eating disorders are illnesses in which the victims suffer severe disturbances in their eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Eating disorders affect some several million people at any given time, most often women between the ages of 12 and 35. There are two main types of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa; a third disorder, binge eating disorder, is still being examined.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Adobe PDF Format
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which time-consuming obsessions and compulsions significantly interfere with a person’s routine, making it difficult work or to have a normal social life. OCD often begins in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. Afflicting over four million Americans, OCD is equally common in men and women and knows no geographic, ethnic, or economic boundaries.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Panic Disorder
- Adobe PDF Format
Panic attack, the core feature of panic disorder, is a period of intense fear or discomfort that strikes suddenly, often in familiar places, where there is seemingly nothing threatening an individual. But when the attack comes, it feels as if there is a real threat, and the body reacts accordingly.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Phobias
- Adobe PDF Format
What are Phobias? Phobias affect people of all ages, from all walks of life, and in every part of the country. They are the most common psychiatric illness among women of all ages and are the second most common illness among men older than 25. Any phobia that interferes with daily living and creates extreme disability should be treated.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Adobe PDF Format
What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed life-threatening events such as natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist incidents, war, or violent personal assaults like rape. Today, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have good success in treating the very real and painful effects of PTSD.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Psychiatric Dimensions of HIV and AIDS
- Adobe PDF Format
Mental health problems can strike anybody, but people with HIV are more likely to experience a range of mental health issues. More common are feelings of acute emotional distress, depression, and anxiety, which can often accompany adverse life-events. HIV also can directly infect the brain, causing impairment to memory and thinking. In addition, some anti-HIV drugs can have mental health side effects.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Adobe PDF Format
During the fall and winter months, some people suffer from symptoms of depression that can appear gradually or come on all at once. These symptoms often dissipate as spring arrives and stay in remission through the summer months. For some people, this is a sign that they suffer from SAD.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
Teen Suicide
- Adobe PDF Format
A considerable number of teenagers are dealing with depression, an illness with significant long-term consequences, including an increased risk for suicide. Simply taking the time to talk to troubled teenagers about their emotions or problems can help prevent the senseless tragedy of teen suicide. Let them know help is available.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
What is Mental Illness?
- Adobe PDF Format
What is Mental Illness? In the past, the subject of mental illness was surrounded with mystery and fear. Today, we have made tremendous progress in our understanding and especially, in our ability to offer effective treatments. However, questions about mental illness often go unanswered, and stand in the way of people receiving help.
Text-only version - Adobe PDF format
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