Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 120. Chapters: Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Mental disorder, List of neurological disorders, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Autism, Catatonia, Delusion, Neuroleptic malignant syndrome, Reactive attachment disorder, History of mental disorders, Causes of schizophrenia, Mechanisms of schizophrenia, Classification of mental disorders, Schizoaffective disorder, Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, DSM-5, Ego-dystonic sexual orientation, Internet addiction disorder, DSM-IV Codes, Diagnosis of schizophrenia, Grisi siknis, Post-traumatic embitterment disorder, History of schizophrenia, Delusional disorder, Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, Jumping Frenchmen of Maine, Psychiatric disorders of childbirth, Depression, Stereotypy, Schizophreniform disorder, Intermittent explosive disorder, Pediatric schizophrenia, A Reason to Live, Tardive dysphrenia, Acedia, Services for mental disorders, Comorbidity, Black triangle, Global Assessment of Functioning, Tic disorder, Autoscopy, Children's Global Assessment Scale, National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Catastrophic schizophrenia, Abraham-men, Sexual relationship disorder, Nidotherapy, Psychomotor retardation, Hwabyeong, Sexual maturation disorder, Serious emotional disturbance, Impulse control disorder, Pseudoneurotic schizophrenia, Primary and secondary gain, Neurotransmitter-stress syndrome, Ideas of reference, Information addiction, Blood-injection-injury type phobia, Caffeine-induced sleep disorder, Autophagia, Foerster's syndrome, Schizothymia, Biologically-based mental illness. Excerpt: Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize, how this occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met. Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by rare mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines, the vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and lack convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of autism is about 1-2 per 1, 000 people worldwide, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports approximately 9 per 1, 000 children in the United States are diagnosed with ASD. The number of people diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice, the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs usually develop ...