People often come to WWC for help with difficult life changes, but sometimes, a more complex diagnosis becomes evident. Below find some of the problems clients present.
Addictions are excessive behaviors which pose significant hazards to health and/or interfere with social, occupational, psychological or physical functioning. The recurrent behaviors must continue within a twelve-month period in spite of negative consequences. Common addictions include excessive patterns related to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, spending, sex and electronics. When another mental health diagnosis is combined with an addiction component, the person has a dual diagnosis.
These disorders refer to specific behaviors that are presenting problems in functioning for individuals in their environment. This term usually describes children that are persistently acting defiantly or oppositional in school or at home. These behaviors may include tantrums, bullying, refusing to comply with reasonable adult requests or using physical or verbal force toward people or animals.
Anxiety disorders include, but are not limited to, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias. Approximately forty million American adults, ages 18 and older, have an anxiety disorder in a given year. Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance abuse. The majority of people with an anxiety disorder will have their first episode before they are 22 years old.
Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
These disorders are characterized by persistent inattention or by continuous hyperactivity/impulsivity for at least six months. In order to meet the criteria for this diagnosis, there must be significant impairment in functioning, symptoms need to be present before age seven in two or more settings and symptoms cannot be caused by another disorder. ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents. It also affects an estimated 4.1 percent of adults, ages 18 – 44, in a given year.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
This disorder is identified by excessive apprehension about everyday activities for at least six months. It is associated with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness. The worry can become so strong that it affects how a person functions at work, at school or even at home. Anxiety is linked to fatigue, irritability and sleep disturbances among other symptoms.
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD)
This disorder is characterized by recurrent thoughts or ideas (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). The obsessions cause the individuals great distress because they cannot dismiss the thoughts even though they originate in their own minds. The compulsions are repetitive actions, such as washing hands or putting things in order, connected to the individuals’ obsessive thoughts in order to reduce their distress. The obsessions and compulsions are severe enough to interfere with social and occupational functioning. Approximately 2.2 million American adults, age 18 and older, have OCD in a given year.