10 Common Mental Illnesses Crash Course

What is mental illness? According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, it's defined as a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or mood for a sustained period of time that negatively impacts them. Depression and anxiety are the most common types of mental illnesses. We will look at 10 common mental that probably are not known.

Anxiety Disorders. We know 18.1% doesn't sound like a lot but that's the number of adults who suffer from anxiety disorders. 40 million people suffer from symptoms of an anxiety disorder every year. Of those 40 million people, it's estimated that only 36.9% of them will get help. Anxiety disorders rarely appear alone, with depression being a common co-diagnosis. Anxiety disorders come in a few varieties, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Anxiety disorders are all characterized by nearly uncontrollable worry that messes with several aspects of daily life such as sleep, relationships, school and work. There are several treatment options available, which include different types of therapy and medication.

Personality Disorders. Personality disorders refer to behavioral, emotional and thought patterns that deviate greatly from the expectations of an individualist culture. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that 9.1 of the population has the traits of a personality disorder. According to the diagnostic criteria these differences must be causing the individual significant amounts of distress in the way they see themselves, others and situations, inappropriate or exaggerated emotional responses, impulse control and how well the individual relates to and functions around others. Personality disorders can't be cured but thankfully they can be treated. Treatment consists of combinations of medications for the underlying mental health issues as well as talk therapy.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The stereotype of a person diagnosed with ADHD is usually a small child who's bouncing off the walls or can't finish a task. However, between 7.8 and 11% of children aged 4 to17 are diagnosed with ADHD any given year. ADHD affects people of all ages and includes multiple symptoms such as inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, inability to sit still, restlessness and losing things. An individual's symptoms vary depending on their age, gender and type of ADHD. There are three recognized types of ADHD. The ADHD, combined type ADHD, impulsive/hyperactive type in ADHD, inattentive and destructible type. Most people think meds are the only way to control ADHD. Well many people diagnosed with the disorder find relief by using a combination of medications, life coaching, education and talk therapy.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. An estimated 6.8% of the population will develop some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. A traumatic event is considered any event that should not have happened, such as a natural disaster, an assault, childhood neglect, abuse, starvation and so on. The stress and trauma stop on its own for most people, when the mind and body understand the individual is no longer under attack. Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to a prolonged fight or flight response that happens after the stressful event has stopped. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder, CPTSD refers to the PTSD that occurs due to a series of continued traumatic events, such as childhood abuse. Think of PTSD and CPTSD as the echoes of the stress response. These echoes can happen in the form of emotional flashbacks, nightmares, extreme anxiety or panic, difficulties connecting to others and an overwhelming sense of fear. People suffering from PTSD or CPTSD can find relief through trauma therapies, which is eye movement desensitization reprocessing EMDR or traditional talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Depression. An estimated 6.7% of the US populations over the age of 18, 15.7 million people live with depression. Although the occasional low mood is a normal response to negative situations, depression entails low moods that are severe and last longer than six weeks. Depression manifests differently in women than men. Women tend to experience depression as feelings of sadness, worthlessness and shame or guilt. Men tend to mistake the symptoms of depression as fatigue and being easily irritated. Common treatments for depression include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), psychodynamic therapy, psycho education groups, antidepressants and various brain stimulation therapies.

Bipolar disorder. An estimated 2.8% of the US population that sought mental health treatment was diagnosed with some form of bipolar disorder in 2018. This number may be low, as many individuals who suffer from any mental health disorder do not seek treatment. Bipolar disorder means a lot more than just really bad mood swings for a couple of reasons. First people diagnosed with bipolar disorder cannot completely control these mood swings and in second, these mood swings range from manic, feeling super happy or invincible, doing crazy spontaneous things, grandiosity and having racing or unrealistic thoughts to extreme bouts of depression and maybe a little hypomania in between. Living with bipolar disorder isn't easy but people struggling with the disorder can find a variety of medications and traditional counseling treatments to help them find more balance.

Eating disorders. Did you know there are almost as many people living with eating disorders as there are with bipolar disorder? Approximately 2.7% of individuals who sought treatment were diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2018. The most common question people ask about eating disorders is what's the difference between not being happy with your body and having an eating disorder? Well, in addition to this total focus on their physical flaws, eating disorders are defined by dysmorphia and the binge purge restricts cycle of behavior. This cycle comes from the person's feelings of extreme distress and disgust about their body. This disgust drives the individual who has the disorder to become super focused on their body weight and shape. The eating disorders everyone knows about are anorexia nervosa and bulimia but most people have never heard of eating disorders not otherwise specified, EDNOS or avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, ARFID. Recovery from an eating disorder is totally possible. With a combination of talk therapy, residential treatment and medications to treat the symptoms of any underlying mental health conditions.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  If obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD is a type of anxiety disorder, why does it make the number eight spot? Simple professional’s day 2.3% of individuals will qualify for a diagnosis of OCD during the course of their lifetime. What's the first thing you think of when you think of someone who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder? The common stereotype of an individual diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD is if someone obsessed with cleaning or counting to a comical degree but that's not the whole picture. The reality of OCD includes a great deal of anxiety, rigid thinking and feeling isolated from others. Individuals diagnosed with OCD suffer from reoccurring thoughts that they cannot control, which are referred to as obsessions. These obsessions can be things like cleaning or accounting but also include checking and double checking, feeling as though one will be punished for being a sinner. Organizing and arranging and hoarding. Having obsessions is different from being detail oriented or a little type A because individuals who suffer from obsessions experience crippling anxiety due to these thoughts they're unable to control. The compulsions are the actions such as cleaning, hand washing, arranging and hoarding, individuals use to cope with overwhelming anxiety and rigid thinking. Although there's no cure for OCD, a combination of medical and talk therapy will help them manage their symptoms effectively.

Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD. Approximately 1.2% of children, one in 59 children will qualify for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. ASD begins in childhood but many individuals are not diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood. ASD is characterized by significantly impaired social interactions, learning and communication. Individuals with ASD may seem eccentric or unemotional to others, as they do not understand normal social cues. Some of these behaviors include seeming off in their own world, repetitive thoughts or behaviors, restricted interests, poor eye contact and difficulty communicating with others to the point their functioning is greatly impaired. The most common treatments for ASD include special education classes, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral management, and therapy and medication management.

Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders. Three out of 100 people will experience the symptoms of psychosis in their lifetime. This means 1% of the population suffers from a psychotic disorder. People usually have their first psychotic break between the ages of 16 and 30 which means approximately 100000 adolescents and adults will experience their first psychotic break every year. This does not mean everyone who experiences psychosis will always have a psychotic disorder. Medical and environmental or situational factors such as extreme stress, certain prescriptions and illicit drugs can induce temporary psychosis. For individuals with a psychotic disorder however, the symptoms last longer than six months. Someone suffering from psychosis has breaks or disruptions in their reality, which manifests in behaviors such as religious delusions, audio visual or tactile hallucinations, feelings of paranoia or persecution and disordered or jumbled thoughts and speech. Schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder but the DSMV recognize a few others. Having a psychotic disorder can feel like torture but it doesn't have to. Many people who are diagnosed with some type of psychosis are successfully treated with a combination of specialized medications, therapy and case management. As always, any information provided here is for educational purposes only. If you need mental health counseling or treatment, please contact your local doctor kindly.  I hope that with this explained it will be easier to identify exactly what mental illness one is suffering from. Thank you for your continued support and as usual let’s engage in the comment section.

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