M–O

mania A psychotic disorder of extremely ele-
vated mood. A person who has mania, also called
manic disorder, may appear euphoric and ener-
getic almost to a level of hyperactivity though also
is characteristically irritable and impatient. The
person often cannot sleep and expresses jumbled,
sometimes irrational thoughts and ideas. Mania
distorts a person’s judgment and can result in
inappropriate behaviors such as uncontrolled
spending or sexual indiscretions. The diagnostic
path includes comprehensive medical examina-
tion including BLOODtests to check for conditions
such as HYPERTHYROIDISM(overactive THYROID GLAND)
or other endocrine disturbances that could
account for symptoms. Medications to treat mania
include

• the antiseizure medications valproic acid (val-
  proate), gabapentin, carbamazepine, and topi-
  ramate


• the ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS olanzapine,
  ziprasidone, quetiapine, clozapine, and risperi-
  done


• the mood stabilizer lithium

With treatment the symptoms of mania are
manageable and most people are able to return to
functional, productive lifestyles. Failure to con-
tinue taking medications, a common concern, can
result in a return of symptoms.
See also BIPOLAR DISORDER; DEPRESSION; PSYCHOSIS.

multiple personality disorder See DISSOCIATIVE
DISORDER.

Munchausen syndrome See FACTITIOUS DISOR-
DERS.

nervous breakdown A casual term for an acute

psychiatric condition that suddenly manifests

symptoms in a person who had otherwise

appeared normal and functional. The underlying

premise of a nervous breakdown is that the per-

son reaches his or her breaking point as a conse-

quence of accumulated mental stress or of a

single, traumatic precipitating event, such as the

death of a loved one. The term nervous breakdown

came into vogue in the early decades of the 20th

century as an attempt to attribute physical causes

to mental illnesses. Common usage broadly

applied the term to numerous conditions though

typically referred to those from which the person

eventually recovered.

See also ACUTE STRESS DISORDER; BIPOLAR DISOR-

DER; BRIEF REACTIVE PSYCHOSIS; DEPRESSION; GENERAL-

IZED ANXIETY DISORDER(GAD); POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

DISORDER; SCHIZOPHRENIA.

neurosis A pattern of thought or behavior that

causes disruption in a person’s life but does not

prevent the person from functioning in daily

activities and does not represent a break from

reality. Nearly everyone has some neuroses, which

commonly arise from ineffective COPING MECHA-

NISMS. Neurotic behaviors may include minor

compulsive acts (such as starting a set of stairs

with the same foot first or sitting in a particular

row of seats at the movie theater), excessive wor-

rying, or irrationally avoiding certain circum-

stances (such as elevators because of fear of

getting stuck). Most mental health professionals

do not consider neurosis a mental illness.

See also OBSESSIVE–COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD);

PHOBIA; PSYCHOSIS.

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