Abnormal Psychology: Organic Mental Disorders

Organic mental disorders are a collection of signs and symptoms that suggest there is physical damage to the brain or nervous system.

This damage may be caused by an injury, toxicity, genetics, infections or a vitamin deficiency.

There are three main types of organic mental disorders.

1 - Alcohol Amnestic Disorder

Alcohol amnestic disorder is general loss of memory as a result of prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption.

Memory loss may be due to a deficiency of thiamine, which is caused by alcohol abuse. This type of memory loss can usually be reversed with nutritional therapy.

Memory loss may also be due to neuronal damage, which is not reversible.

2 - Dementia Of The Alzheimer’s Type

Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is a progressive loss of mental functioning, such as a decline in the ability to think, learn, remember, make decisions and understand things.

This type of mental degeneration is characterised by tangles of fibres within nerve cells, and amyloid plaques (protein deposits between nerve cells).

During the later stages of the disease, a person becomes weak and unable to move.

3 - General Paresis

General paresis describes a person who suffers from both dementia and paralysis, and is linked to syphilis (a sexually transmitted disease).

Summary

• Organic mental disorders are when there is something physically wrong with the body.

• Alcohol amnestic disorder is memory loss due to alcohol abuse.

• Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is a progress loss of mental functioning.

• General paresis is a person who suffers from dementia and paralysis.