Depression is a brain disease. It damages the parts of the brain which regulate mood, motivation, memory, sleep and appetite etc. Therefore in depression, apart from persistently depressed mood, the symptoms also include loss of interest and energy, poor memory, disturbed sleep and appetite, losing confidence and even thought of suicide.

OCD is broadly classified as one of anxiety disorders, characterised by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness or apprehension (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviours aimed at reducing the associated anxiety (compulsions). Symptoms of the disorder are diverse, including excessive washing or cleaning, checking, hoarding; preoccupation with sexual, violent or religious thoughts and so on.

Panic disorder is characterised by repeated panic attacks which happen unpredictably and are not restricted to any particular circumstances. It affects the work and daily living of the patients, causing severe distress.

Generalized anxiety disorder and phobic disorders are characterized by highly distressing and excessive worry and anticipation of impending danger. Apart from psychological symptoms, there are physiological symptoms, e.g. fast heart beat, fast breathing etc.

PTSD is an anxiety disorder which develops after experiencing an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic event, e.g. natural disaster, serious accident, witnessing violent death of others, or being a victim of violent crime.

Social phobia is one of the anxiety disorders. Patients with social phobia obviously and persistently feel anxious or frightened in one or many social situations. They also have negative thoughts on themselves, others as well as social interactions. They always feel being judged in social situations. At the same time, they feel worried and are self-conscious of their anxious symptoms being discovered, leading others to have a poor impression on them or even causing humiliation to themselves.

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness which runs a chronic nature and relapsing course. Upon a relapse, the mood becomes extremely elated or depressed, and leads to marked change in thinking and behaviour, resulting in disturbance in daily living.

Eating disorders, mainly including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are a group of mental illnesses which are characterized by abnormal eating habits, with adverse consequences on physical and mental. Eating disorders commonly starts in adolescence and is much more common in female. The patients suffer a lot from the illness, but engaging the patients is not easy.

Our personality is formed and will become more obvious when we have reached late adolescence. If someone’s personality has persistently caused a lot of trouble in relating to others and in controlling his own emotion and behaviour, thus making the person and people around him suffer, this condition is referred as personality disorder in psychiatry.

Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are a kind of brain diseases. They affect about 1% of the population. The main symptoms include hallucination, delusion, disorganized speech and behaviour; these symptoms are accompanied by significant decline in social and occupational functioning. Treatment at the early stage of illness is crucial in the recovery, and therefore patients should seek psychiatric assessment and treatment early.

There are major changes in the psychological and physiological states of a woman during her pregnancy and postnatal period. The hormonal changes, the role change as well as the anticipatory new challenges in life such as child care and family problems that the woman has to face can bring about depressed, irritable and anxious mood.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioural developmental disorder. Children suffering from ADHD usually present with hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention symptoms. The prevalence of ADHD among Hong Kong school children is similar to that of the international figure, which is around 5-9%. It usually affects male more than female.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder – which means they are caused by abnormalities in the way the brain develops and works. They affect approximately 1 in 1000 children and it usually affects males more than females. Around 2/3 of autistic children have intellectual disability and about 10% of them may also have some special skills and abilities.

Many people think that children are always active and cheerful and do not have mood problems as adults do. In fact, some children and teenagers always feel anxious, restless or depressed, but they may not be able to express their feelings clearly. It may hinder them from seeking the right treatment.

Many of us become more forgetful as we get older. Some of us will begin to develop more serious memory problems which affect their ability to cope with daily living. These may be the first signs of dementia.

Elderly depression</div><div id="comp-jyjtv5t4dataItem-jyjympmlDescription" style="text-align:center" itemProp="description" class="style-jyjumetwimageItemdescription">Depression is one of the commonest psychiatric disorders in old age and yet it is frequently underdetected and under-treated. The fact that loss is common in this particular stage of lift often leads to the notion that the presence of depressive symptoms is somehow understandable and “normal” in old age. This often results in dela