Mental Illness, Degenerative Diseases, and More

Mental Illness

Mental illnesses alter the cognitive processes of the individual. Some examples include:

• Psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia)
• Organic disorders (e.g., those caused by drugs and alcohol)
• Mood disorders (e.g., depression and bipolar disorder)
• Neurosis
• Anxiety disorders

Degenerative Diseases

Degenerative diseases, without an apparent cause, involve injury to organs and tissues, altering their normal operation.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and terminal illness that usually affects people over 65 years of age. It causes memory loss and behavioral changes, leading to dementia.

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease affects nerve cells responsible for control and coordination. Symptoms include instability, tremors, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement, and changes in posture and gait.

Transmission of Infections

Infections can be transmitted through various means:

• Contact transmission
• Transmission by chemicals in common use
• Transmission by vectors

Defenses Against Disease

Natural Defenses

• Genetic resistance
• Anatomical barriers: Skin, mucosa, bactericidal substances, cilia, and mucus.
• Inflammatory response: An increase in temperature enhances the immune response.
• Phagocytic defense: Phagocytes destroy pathogens.

Artificial Defenses

Surgery

Surgery involves manual and instrumental intervention on an affected organ. Anesthesia and antisepsis are crucial to avoid pain and infection.

Transplantation

• Autologous transplant: Transplanted tissue is from the same individual.
• Allotransplant (Allograft): Individuals are of the same species.
• Xenotransplant: Individuals are of different species.

Medicines

• Vaccines
• Serums: Antibodies are injected into the patient, produced by another body that was put in contact with the pathogen.
• Antibiotics: Used to kill bacteria or prevent their growth.
• Other drugs: Cytostatics (for cancer), analgesics, muscle relaxants, contraceptives, cardiac medications, anesthetics, etc.

Rational Use of Medicines

• Weigh the benefits and adverse effects for each patient.
• Prescribe medications available in pharmacies.
• Choose the most cost-effective option among the various possibilities.
• Inform patients about the administration pattern, dosage, and duration of treatment.

Conditioning of Medical Research

Medical research involves several steps:

1. Observation and experimentation are done on healthy subjects.
2. Testing on patients.
3. Comparing the efficacy of the drug.
4. Marketing the drug and monitoring long-term effects.