Understanding Common Mental Health Disorders

 

Defining Mental Health Disorders

Key Characteristics

Mental health disorders involve changes in thinking, emotional state, and/or behavior that are dysfunctional or distressing. These disorders disrupt a person's ability to function in work, relationships, and other areas. The symptoms vary based on the specific disorder but may include mood changes, distorted thinking, abnormal behavior, and distress.

Prevalence and Statistics

Nearly 1 in 5 American adults experience a mental health disorder each year. Anxiety and depression are most common, affecting over 40 million adults annually. Around 4% experience more severe illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Mental health disorders are rising, especially among youth, making awareness vitally important.

Causes and Risk Factors

Mental health disorders arise from a complex mix of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Family history and trauma can increase risk, as can chronic stress, lack of support, and harmful coping methods like substance abuse. Imbalances in brain chemistry and structure are often present too. Stigma remains a key barrier to diagnosis and treatment.

Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Major Depressive Disorder

This involves at least 2 weeks of noticeably depressed mood and/or loss of interest plus other possible symptoms like appetite changes, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, and suicidal thoughts. It causes significant life impairment. Depressive episodes may be triggered by stress or happen spontaneously.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

This involves a long-term (2+ years) severely depressed mood occurring most days. It often develops early in life and is less episodic than major depression. It may involve periods of major depression along with chronic symptoms between episodes. Formerly known as dysthymia.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This disorder involves frequent, exaggerated worry about everyday things. Physical anxiety symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue and restlessness persist for over 6 months. The non-specific anxiety and tension are chronic and disruptive to daily function.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Also known as social phobia, this involves intense fear of social situations due to feeling scrutinized/judged. Blushing, sweating, shaking, and avoidance behaviors occur around other people. It impairs ability to function socially, at work, and elsewhere.

Panic Disorder

This involves recurrences of panic attacks, which are sudden episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms like rapid heart rate, dizziness and shortness of breath. It leads to worry about future attacks and avoiding triggers, impairing normal life.

Trauma/Stressor-Related Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal involving actual or threatened death/injury. Symptoms like flashbacks, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, and avoidance severely impair function. It's associated with trauma like warfare, violence, disasters, and abuse.

Acute Stress Disorder

This short-term disorder arises within a month after a traumatic event, lasting at least 3 days. Symptoms include dissociation, re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance behaviors and anxiety. It resembles PTSD but resolves within weeks as shock subsides.

Adjustment Disorders

These disorders involve emotional distress and impairment in functioning due to inability to cope with major life transitions or stressors. Symptoms arise within 3 months of the stressor and typically resolve in under 6 months once adaptation occurs.

Bipolar, Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders

Bipolar I and II Disorders

These disorders involve dramatic mood swings between depressive and manic/hypomanic episodes. Bipolar I has severe mania while bipolar II has less extreme hypomania. Mood episodes greatly impair functioning and often require hospitalization.

Schizophrenia

This severe disorder causes disordered thinking and hallucinations/delusions that impair ability to function. It typically develops in early adulthood and involves phases of acute psychotic symptoms alongside periods of reduced functioning between episodes.

Schizoaffective Disorder

This involves concurrent symptoms of schizophrenia like delusions/hallucinations and a mood disorder like major depression or bipolar disorder. Mood and psychotic symptoms happen together.

Delusional Disorder

This features persistent delusional beliefs that are non-bizarre (involving situations that could be possible in real life). Apart from the delusions, thinking and behavior are relatively normal.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorder

This developmental disorder impairs communication/interaction and involves restricted interests plus repetitive behaviors. It covers a wide spectrum of symptom severity including Asperger syndrome. Signs appear in early childhood.

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder manifests in problems with concentration, impulsivity, hyperactivity and organization. Symptoms like inattention and restless behavior impair functioning and emerge in childhood. Both kids and adults can be affected.

Specific Learning Disorder

This disorder impairs the ability to learn foundational academic skills in areas like reading, writing and math. It may involve challenges processing language or numbers. Genetics can play a role.

Eating, Impulse Control and Addiction Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

These eating disorders involve extreme efforts to lose weight through restricted eating, purging, over-exercising and other methods. They cause severe weight loss, body image distortion, and even death.

Binge Eating Disorder

This features recurrent episodes of uncontrolled overeating without purging afterward. It results in weight gain and causes significant distress. People may eat very rapidly, past fullness, and when not hungry.

Addiction and Substance Abuse Disorders

These include disorders linked to abusing substances like alcohol, tobacco, opioids, marijuana, stimulants and others. Addiction causes compulsive substance use despite harmful effects. These disorders are associated with genetic, biological and environmental factors.

Conclusion

Understanding common mental health disorders is critical for reducing stigma and encouraging those struggling to seek help. Major depression, anxiety and substance abuse issues are widespread yet treatable through medication, therapy and lifestyle changes. Severe disorders like schizophrenia are less common but can be managed with comprehensive treatment and community support. While causes of mental illness are complex, recovery is possible, especially when social attitudes and access to care improve. Education, compassion and investing in mental healthcare are vital for all.

FAQs

What are the most common mental health disorders?

The most prevalent are anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety and phobias along with major depressive disorder and addiction/substance abuse disorders. Around 20% of adults face these conditions each year.

How do trauma disorders differ from PTSD?

PTSD is specifically about life-threatening trauma while acute stress disorder resolves faster and adjustment disorders are caused by major life stressors. Both can benefit from trauma-focused therapy, though.

What distinguishes bipolar disorder from depression?

Bipolar involves fluctuating periods of elevated mood/energy (mania) along with depression, while people with regular depression experience only low mood without the highs.

What disorders commonly co-occur?

Anxiety and depression often occur together. Addictions are also highly comorbid with other mental health disorders. PTSD is associated with higher incidence of depression, anxiety and substance abuse as well.

Why is increasing access to mental healthcare important?

Reducing barriers through policies like insurance coverage can help more people get vital treatment earlier before disorders become severe. Catching issues early prevents individual suffering and societal costs.