Expert resources and compassionate care at our psychiatric center, supporting mental health and guiding individuals toward wellness.

Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder. It is a disorder that characterised by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks.

Here are some of the symptoms for people with depression:

• Feeling depressed most of the days/ nearly everyday

• Lack of interest or pleasure

• Sleeping more/ less

• change of appetite

• reduced concentration

• restlessness

• reduced concentration

• feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness

• thoughts of harming yourself/ suicide

Reference: World Health Organisation, 2018; American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in the population.

Anxiety Disorders is a group of mental disorders that characterised by excessive or persisting anxiety, including Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism, etc.

The disorders affect someone’s social life, work, study, and/or daily functioning.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD)

OCD is a mental disorder in which people have uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts, urges, or images (obsessions) and behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over to prevent or reduce distress.

Some common obsessions (not limited to the list):

• Fear of germs or contamination

• Unwanted forbidden or taboo thoughts involving sex, religion, and harm

• Aggressive thoughts towards others or self

• Having things symmetrical or in a perfect order

• Repeated unwanted thoughts/ urges/ images

Some common compulsions (not limited to the list):

• handwashing or excessing cleaning

• ordering/ arranging

• checking

• counting

• repeating words silently

Reference: National Institute of Mental Health, 2016; American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is a manic-depressive mental disorders that people experience episodic unusual, intense emotion, changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and unusual behaviours. They may experience periodic manic/ hypomanic and depressive episode over time.

Manic/Hypomanic Episode:

• High energy: Feeling “up,” “high,” or elated, with increased activity levels.

• Jumpy: Feeling “wired,” with trouble sleeping.

• Fast-paced: Talking quickly, feeling thoughts racing, trying to do many things at once.

• Irritable: Feeling touchy or agitated.

• Risky behaviors: Spending recklessly or engaging in unsafe activities.

Depressive Episode:

• Low energy: Feeling very sad, down, or empty with decreased activity levels.

• Trouble sleeping: Sleeping too little or too much.

• Loss of interest: Feeling unable to enjoy anything, with worry or emptiness.

• Cognitive issues: Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness.

• Physical symptoms: Eating too much or too little, feeling tired or slowed down.

• Suicidal thoughts: Thinking about death or self-harm.

Reference: National Institute of Mental Health, 2016; American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a mental disorder that people may develop after experiencing traumatic events.

Here are some of the symptoms of PTSD:

• Intrusive memories associated with traumatic events (e.g., flashbacks, distressing dreams, intense distress when expose to cues associated with trauma)

• Avoidance (e.g., avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event; avoid people, situations, objects, activities, conversation, places that are associated with traumatic event)

• Cognitive and mood changes (e.g., inability to remember traumatic event, distorted beliefs, persistently feeling negative emotions, feelings of detachment, loss of interest, inability to feel positive emotions,

• Alterations in arousal and reactivity (hypervigilance, reckless, exaggerated startle response, reduced concentration, sleep disturbance, irritable, etc.

Reference: National Institute of Mental Health, 2016; American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Some common red flags for people with ASD:

• lack of eye contact

• lack of facial expressions

• difficulties in making friends and socialising with people

• lack of interest in peers

• difficulties in understanding and using gestures and/ or non-verbal behaviours

• repetitive movements, speech, use of objects (e.g., hand flapping, lining up toys, echolalia)

• inflexible to routine changes; may throw tantrum or become extremely upset when there’s small changes in the routine

• limited and fixated interests that are abnormal; preoccupied with unusual object

• hyper/hyposensitive to sensory input

Resource: American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Some symptoms for people with ADHD:

• make careless mistakes

• difficulty to remain focused; easily distracted

• does not seem to listen when spoken to directly

• fails to finish homework, tasks given

• have difficulty to organise tasks and activities

• often loses things in daily life

• very forgetful in daily activities

• fidgeting, squirms in seats

• often leaves seats; always “on the go”

• runs or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate

• talks excessively

• difficulty to wait for turns

Resource: American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

SLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. People with SLD may have some of the following difficulties:

• slow and effortful word reading

• difficulty in understanding the meaning of what is read

• difficulty in spelling, written expression, and/ or Maths

Resource: American Psychiatric Association, 2013

Intellectual Disability (ID)

ID is a neurodevelopmental disorder. People with ID may show difficulties in intellectual functioning such as learning, problem solving, reasoning, etc. They also face challenges in adaptive behaviour, which includes a range of everyday social and practical skills.

Resource: American Psychiatric Association, 2013