Skip to main content

Categories of Mental Illness

Psychological Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders or mental disorders are patterns of behavioral and psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life. These disorders create distress for the person. It is a disease of the brain that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life's decision.
There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness.
Some of the more common disorders are:
Clinical depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disordes, dementia, etc.

Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and/or social withdrawal.

"According to the latest World Health Organization report on depression released on 23rd Feb. 2017, Thursday, almost 7.5% of Indians suffer from major or minor mental disorders that require expert intervention."


While there are over 200 classified forms of mental illness, the five major categories of mental illness are:


ANXIETY DISORDER:



A mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interface with one's daily activities. They are a group of mental illness, and the distress they cause can keep you from carrying on with your life normally.


Symptoms:


  •  Fatigue, restlessness, sweating, lack of concentration, racing thoughts, or unwanted thoughts, hypervigilance or irritability, anxiety, excessive worry, fear, feeling of impending doom, insomnia, nausea, palpitations, or trembling.



EATING DISORDERS:


Irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape causes eating disorders. Although these conditions are treatable, the symptoms and consequences can be detrimental and deadly if not addressed. Eating disorders commonly coexist with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders, substance abuse, or depression.

Symptoms:
  • Constant weight fluctuations,
  • Obsession with calories and fat contents of food
  • Depression or lethargic stage
  • Avoidance of social functions, family, and friends. May become isolated and withdrawn
  • Switching between periods of overeating and fasting
  • Stomach Cramps
  • Sleep Problems, etc.


MOOD DISORDERS:

Mood disorders are a category of illnesses that describe a serious change in mood. Mood disorders encompass a wide array of mood issues, such as major depression, depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Major depression is the most common mood disorder.  It often prevents normal daily function. While some people with depression may experience only one episode of major depression in a lifetime, most endure multiple episodes.
Dysthymic disorder, or dysthymia, is a milder form of depression. It may not hinder a person’s ability to function in daily life.
Bipolar Disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, is less common. Bipolar Disorder is a combination of extreme elation, which is known as mania, and depression.

Emotional Symptoms:
  • Thoughts of and attempts at suicide
  • Loss of interest in activities that were pleasurable in the past
  • Unyielding anxiety, sadness or feelings of emptiness
  • Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness or guilt
  • Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

Physical Symptoms:

  • Decreased energy or fatigue
  • Headaches, body aches, pains, cramps or digestive problems
  • Difficulty remembering details, making decisions or concentrating
  • Loss of appetite or overeating
  • Excessive sleeping or insomnia

PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS:


It is also known as Psychoses. Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality.

People with psychotic disorders lose contact with reality and experience a range of extreme symptoms that usually includes:
    Hallucinations—hearing or seeing things that are not real, such as voices
      Delusions—believing things that are not true

      Symptoms:

      Anger, anxiety, apathy, excitement, feeling detached from self, general discontent, limited range of emotions, loneliness, or nervousness, fear, hearing voices, depression, manic episode, paranoia, persecutory delusion, religious delusion, or visual hallucinations, deficiency of speech, excessive wordiness, incoherent speech, or rapid and frenzied speaking, nightmares or tactile hallucination.

      DEMENTIAS:

       It's an overall term that describes a group of symptomassociated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. 

      People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.
      Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other.

      Symptoms:

      • Recent memory loss,
      • Problems in communicating.
      • Problems with abstract thinking,
      • Disorientation,
      • Mood Changes,
      • Personality Changes,
      • Loss of Initiative.

      Comments

      Popular posts from this blog

      Effect of Career Pressure on Mental Health

      Years pass by to formulate and decide on a definite career path for ourselves . The process is undertaken at quite a young age of an individual. For some the career choice is pre- decided for them by their guardians and for the latter the struggle of choosing from multiple choices of career preferences turns into an undying helix of confusion and self doubting. Even the students who have accomplished in their respective fields have had several doubts and pressure during his or her teenage. Career pressure is something which does not stop even after acquiring a job. It bothers a person to an extent where he or she undergoes constant stress and anxiety. High pressure jobs have often led people to take up psychological aid in order to cope up with the building pressure. Let’s unravel the journey of this pressure which is carried on from time to time , and which quite vividly remains static for a longer period causing an air of lethargy to develop ar

      Maternal Depression And Child Development

      Moms who are depressed often suffer in silence -- but this common illness can also take a heavy toll on their children. That's why getting treated has become an eternal part. Millions of children are caught in the web of maternal depression. As many as one in four women will suffer from this biological illness at some point in her lifetime, including about 10 percent of new mothers who develop postpartum depression (PPD) . Not only is a child with a depressed parent two to four times more likely to develop depression himself before adulthood, but extensive research has shown that a mother's depression, especially when untreated, can interfere with her child's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Helpless and Hopeless People who've been depressed say that it's almost impossible to explain what it feels like. "You become unbearably miserable, lethargic, and incapable of any joy or enthusiasm," says Anne Sheffield, author of Sorr

      MENTAL HEALTH: MYTHS AND FACTS

      Have you ever discussed about your mental health! NO? But why? Mental health is as important as physical health.You should take care of your mental health in the same way you take care of your physical health. Emotional wellness incorporates our enthusiastic, mental, and social prosperity.It affects how we think, feel, and act.Similarly, it assists with deciding how we handle pressure, identify with others, and settle on decisions. Psychological wellness is significant at each phase of life, from childhood and pre-adulthood through adulthood. The stigma associated with mental health, lack of awareness and limited access to professional help are the reasons why only 10% to 12% of suffering people seek help. The stigma attached gives birth to a lot of myths about mental health. Check out these myths and their reality about mental health that needs to be addressed immediately! 1. MYTH: Mental health problems are rare. I am safe. FACT: Mental health problems are actually ve