The Most Common Types of Mental Disorders

A significantly large number of the population suffers from mental illnesses. These illnesses range from slight annoyances to serious, debilitating conditions. Here are the most common types of mental illnesses and how they affect those who suffer from them.

Anxiety Disorders

When you suffer from an anxiety disorder, fear, dread worry, nervousness and panic rule your daily life. While these feelings are normal in all of us, a person with anxiety disease feels them when it's not appropriate to. They get so out of hand that they interfere with your daily life.

Different types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and separation anxiety.

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders, also known as affective disorders, are marked by extreme sadness or happiness, and sometimes both. If you have a mood disease, you may have violent mood swings that are far beyond the usual ups and downs we all feel. Mood disorders are often related to substance abuse problems.

Mood disorders include chronic depression, mania, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and dysthymia.

Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders are among the most debilitating. Many people who suffer from them need to live in supervised assisted housing. Hospital stays are also quite common. Psychotic disorders are marked by distorted perceptions and thinking, hallucinations, and delusions. The most common psychotic disease is schizophrenia.

Eating Disorders

If you suffer from an eating disorder, you may have extreme thoughts and behavioral patterns related to food and weight. Most eating diseases come from a skewed perception of your own body weight. The most common are anorexia and bulimia.

Addictions

Addictions are actually a form of mental illness. When a certain substance is used over a long period of time, it changes your brain chemistry and you become dependent on it. Substances are often abused in this way in order to deal with depression, anxiety or past trauma.

The most common addictions are to drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, prescription medications, opiates and stimulants. Certain behaviors can also be addictive. These include gambling, playing the lottery, sex, pornography, surfing the internet, eating, and even shopping.

Impulse Control Disorders

Impulse control disorders are when you have an uncontrollable urge that makes you act a certain way. Some mental health experts include addictions under this category. Impulse control disorders include things like pyromania and kleptomania.

Dementia

Dementia refers to any kind of impairment to mental functioning as you get older. While all people lose their memory and certain cognitive abilities when they reach old age, dementia is marked by a more rapid or extreme decline.

Organic Brain Disorders

Organic brain disorders overlap somewhat with dementia. These are diseases where there is damage or a physical change to the brain that change the person's mental processes or personality. This category includes Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, and Alzheimer's.

Developmental Disorders

Developmental disorders are mental illnesses that strike early in life. They are diagnosed in infancy or childhood. These include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, learning disabilities, and mental retardation.

Dissociative Disorders

This unique and often bizarre category includes an interruption or dissociation of consciousness. If you suffer from a dissociative disorder, you may have trouble with your memory or identity. These disorders include multiple personality disorder (now known as dissociative disorder) and depersonalization disorder.

Mental illness is much more common than most people realize. If you think you may suffer from one of the above conditions, talk to a therapist immediately. Your mental problems can be effectively treated and managed with the right professional help.

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