Common Types of Mental Disorders

There is a broad range of conditions that fall under mental illnesses. The challenge with most individuals is that they don’t understand these symptoms. Some of them are obvious while others need a medical expert to realize.

In this article, we will be looking at the common types of mental disorders. This knowledge is vital in helping anyone who has problems with his or her mental health.

Anxiety Disorders

People who are suffering from anxiety disorders respond to particular situations or objects with dread and fear. It goes along with physical signs of panic and anxiety-like sweating and a rapid heartbeat.

You can diagnose the anxiety disorder if the response of the individual does not fit the situation, if the individual can’t control his/her answer, or if the anxiety is interfering with his or her normal functioning. Examples of anxiety disorders are specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Mood Disorders

Mood or affective disorders entail periods of feeling overly happy or persistent feelings of sadness or fluctuations from extreme sadness to extreme happiness. The most common types of mood disorders include cyclothymic disorder, bipolar disorder, and depression.

Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders entail distorted thinking and awareness. The most common signs of psychotic disorders include hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations refer to the experience of sounds or images that aren’t existent like hearing voices.

On the other hand, delusions are false fixed beliefs that the sick person takes to be true even though he/she has sufficient evidence that the opposite is true. An excellent example of a psychotic disorder is schizophrenia.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders comprise extreme attitudes, emotions, and behaviours that involve food and weight. The most common examples of eating disorders include binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa.

Addiction and Impulse Control Disorders

Individuals who have impulse control disorders cannot resist impulses or urges to perform acts that can either harm them or other people. The examples of compulsive disorders include compulsive gambling, Kleptomania (stealing), and pyromania (starting fires).

The most common objects of addiction are drugs and alcohol. Most people who have these disorders get deeply involved in addictive objects and begin to ignore their relationships and responsibilities.

Personality Disorders

Individuals who have personality disorders have inflexible and extreme personality traits that are distressing to the patient and/or lead to problems in their social relationships, school, or workplace.

Besides, the behaviour and pattern of thinking of the individual differs from the societal expectations and are highly rigid that they interfere with the normal functionality of the person. Some of the examples include paranoid personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and anti-social personality disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

People who are suffering from OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder face constant fears or thoughts that make them perform certain routines or rituals. We refer to such disturbing thoughts as obsessions, and the rituals are known as compulsions.

A typical example is an individual who has an unreasonable fear of germs and hence keeps on washing his or her hands.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This condition develops from a terrifying and/or traumatic event like physical or sexual assault, natural disaster or sudden death of a loved one. People with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) have frightening and lasting memories and thoughts of the event which makes them emotionally numb.

Make sure you take any person who displays such signs to a mental healthcare facility for therapy.