Common Mental Conditions

What is mental illness?

The National Alliance on Mental Illness defines it as an illness that adversely affects a person's thinking, feeling, or mood for a sustained length of time.

Is depression a mental condition, you may wonder?

How about anxiety? They are, indeed, in fact, the most prevalent varieties of mental illnesses.

Anxiety disorders

Although 18.1% may not seem like much, it represents the proportion of US adults who experience anxiety disorders. Every year, 40 million people experience anxiety disorder symptoms.

Of those 40 million individuals, just 36.9% are expected to receive support.

Anxiety disorders are frequently co-diagnosed with depression, however they rarely present on their own.

Among the several types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

So what do all of these different anxiety disorders have in common?

They are all characterized by almost continual worry that interferes with many facets of everyday life, including sleep, relationships, learning, and working.

The good news is that there are a variety of treatment options available, including different types of therapy and medication.

Character disorders

What exactly does it mean to have a disordered personality?

Characteristics of behavior, emotion, and thought that considerably deviate from those expected in an individualist culture are referred to as personality disorders.

9.1% of people display symptoms of personality disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

What does this look like in the real world then?

Anyone with a small amount of uniqueness may be given a personality disorder diagnosis.

The person's perception of themselves, other people, and situations, as well as how well they relate to and function around other people, must be severely affected by these differences for the person to meet the diagnostic criteria set out by the DSMV.

Thankfully, personality disorders can be managed even though they cannot be cured.

This course of treatment includes talk therapy as well as a number of medications for the underlying mental health issues.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

When we talk of ADHD, what comes to mind?

The traditional image of someone with ADHD is that of a small child who is hyperactive or incapable of finishing things.

But between 7.8 and 11% of children between the ages of four and 17 receive an ADHD diagnosis each year.

The signs of ADHD, which include restlessness, losing things, forgetfulness, problems focusing, and difficulty sitting still, can affect people of all ages.

Depending on an individual's age, gender, and type of ADHD, different symptoms will manifest.

Did you know that there are three different types of ADHD?

There are four types of ADHD: mixed, impulsive/hyperactive, inattentive, and destructive.

Most individuals believe that the only way to manage ADHD is through medication.

Well, many individuals with the disorder find relief by combining talk therapy, education, life coaching, and medication.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Did you know that 6.8% of Americans are expected to get post-traumatic stress disorder?

In the US alone, that amounts to around 19 million people.

What causes this, then?

Everybody will experience stress in their lives, including you and I.

Some people have situations that are so traumatic that they are forever changed.

Many of them experience trauma because of this stress.

Any incident that shouldn't have happened, such as a natural disaster, an assault, child neglect, abuse, malnutrition, and so forth, is referred to as a traumatic experience.

What will happen when the threat has passed besides a traumatizing reaction that is entirely normal?

When the mind and body realize the person is no longer being attacked, the stress and trauma usually end on their own for most people.

What happens, though, if the body and mind resist the commands?

After the traumatic event has passed, a prolonged fight-or-flight response is experienced, which is referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder.

CPTSD, or complex post traumatic stress disorder, is PTSD brought on by a series of continuously upsetting events, such as abuse as a child.

Think of PTSD and CPTSD as the echoes of the stress response.

Emotional flashbacks, nightmares, acute anxiety or panic attacks, communication issues, and a paralyzing sense of fear can all be symptoms of these echoes.

So how does one obtain help for such a significant issue?

People with PTSD or CPTSD may find relief from trauma therapies like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or traditional talk therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Depression

In the US, 15.7 million adults over the age of 18 are thought to be depressed. 6.7% of the population as a whole.

An occasional bad mood is a natural response to unpleasant situations, but depression is characterized by depressive symptoms that last longer than six weeks.

Compared to men, women experience depression differently.

Women frequently experience feelings of hopelessness, unworthiness, shame, or guilt when they are depressed.

Men frequently confuse fatigue and irritation with the symptoms of depression.

Depression is frequently treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, interpersonal therapy, or IPT, psychodynamic therapy, psychoeducational groups, antidepressants, and other brain stimulation modalities.

Bipolar disorder.

In 2018, an estimated 2.8% of people in the US who sought mental health care received a bipolar disorder diagnosis.

This figure may be underestimated since many people who experience mental health disorders do not seek help.

For a few reasons, bipolar disorder encompasses much more than just terrible mood swings.

First of all, those who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder are unable to fully control their mood swings. Secondly, these mood swings range from extreme manic episodes—doing crazy things spontaneously, feeling invincible or ecstatic—to extreme depressive episodes—possibly with a little hypomania in between. It's difficult to live with bipolar disease, but those who do can find a variety of drugs and conventional counselling treatments to help them find greater balance.

Eating disorders.

Did you know that roughly as many people suffer from eating disorders as from bipolar disorder?

It is true.

In 2018, an eating disorder was identified in 2.7% of those who sought treatment.

What distinguishes having an eating disorder from not being content with your physique is the most frequent query regarding eating disorders.

In addition to this singular focus on their physical faults, eating disorders are characterized by dysmorphia and the binge-purge-restrict cycle of activity.

The person's intense distress and contempt about their body is what starts this cycle.

The person with the condition is so preoccupied with their weight and shape because of this revulsion.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are the two eating disorders that are well-known, yet the majority of individuals have never heard of eating disorders.

Food is a necessity for everyone, so how can someone who has such a negative relationship with food and body image improve?

It is entirely feasible to overcome an eating disorder.

treating the signs of any underlying mental health disorders with a combination of talk therapy, inpatient treatment, and medication.

Obsessive compulsive disorder.

2.3% of people will eventually meet the requirements for an OCD diagnosis.

What images come to mind when you think of an OCD patient?

Have you ever given the idea that there could be someone who is scared of germs?

Maybe someone who needs to turn the doorknob 27 times just to get out of the house?The typical image of a person with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, is that they are comically preoccupied with cleaning or counting things. However, this is not the full picture.

The reality of OCD includes intense anxiety, inflexible thinking, and a sense of social isolation.

Obsessions are recurring ideas that OCD patients cannot stop having. Obsessions are also known as repetitive thoughts.

These obsessions can involve checking and double-checking, worrying that one will be punished for sinning, or other tasks like cleaning or accounting.

arranging, stockpiling, and organizing.

Being detail-oriented or a bit type A is not the same as having obsessions since those who have obsessions struggle with terrible anxiety as a result of their uncontrollable thoughts.

Autism spectrum disorder ASD.

In recent years, awareness of the disorder known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown significantly.

This is because, in the upcoming year, one in 59 children, or 1.2% of youngsters, will receive a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder.

ASD begins in childhood, yet many people don't receive a diagnosis until they are in their adolescence or older.

ASD is characterized by significantly impaired speech, learning, and social interaction.

People with ASD may appear odd or emotionless to others because they are unable to read typical social signs.

Some of these traits include acting as though they are lost in their own world, repeating thoughts or deeds, having limited interests, failing to make eye contact, and having difficulty relating to others to the point that it seriously impairs their functioning.

ASD therapies that are most widely used are specialized education, ABA therapy, applied behavioral analysis, and administration of medication, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral management, and therapy.

Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders

You may be surprised to learn that three out of every 100 people will experience psychosis at some point in their lives.

It is true that this shows 1% of persons suffer a psychotic condition.

Most people experience their first psychotic break between the ages of 16 and 30, which means that every year, about 100000 teenagers and adults will experience this.

Not everyone who has a psychotic episode will later develop a psychotic disorder.

Excessive stress, some prescription drugs, and illegal drugs are only a few examples of the situations, environmental, or physiological factors that can cause temporary psychosis.

But the signs of a psychotic disorder persist for a lot longer than six months.

What exactly is psychosis, then?

A person with psychosis experiences breakdowns or interruptions in reality, which show themselves as behaviors like hallucinations of sound, vision, or touch, feelings of paranoia or persecution, and disordered or disorganized thinking and speech.

The DSMV recognizes a few other psychotic disorders in addition to schizophrenia, which is the most prevalent.

Do you want to learn more about the other psychotic conditions? It can feel like torment to have a psychotic disorder, but it doesn't have to.

Numerous patients who have been given a diagnosis of psychosis are successfully treated using a mix of case management, therapy, and specialized medications.

Have any of the mental diseases listed in this article affected you or a loved one at any time?

Which symptoms on this list surprised you the most?