There are many misconceptions about what mental health is across the world. The following list contains a number of, but not all, mental health disorders that are common throughout the United States. These disorders are coupled with small definitions that cover the main aspects of each. It is important to note that these definitions are summaries only, and this is by no means a complete list. If you would like to learn more about each disorder, we encourage you to click on the linked references beneath each definition.
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Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Open or Close
ADHD is characterized by 3 primary factors: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Inattention is the tendency to become unfocused on a task at hand, which is not always intentional. Hyperactivity is when a person seems to be constantly moving such as tapping, looking around, etc. which can affect others if not in an appropriate situation. Impulsivity is when a person makes a decision or action without considering the long term consequences. It is not uncommon for an individual with ADHD to struggle with some or all of these symptoms. These symptoms must manifest before 12 years old for a proper diagnosis. Current treatments include medication, behavioral therapies, and skill training. There are two primary types of ADHD:
- Inattentive: often doesn’t pay attention and is prone to making simple mistakes like forgetting keys. This type is easily distracted and doesn’t always stay organized.
- Hyperactive/impulsive: as indicated above, tends to fidget, tap, etc. They can talk a lot, be constantly moving about, etc.
- Combined: a combination of the two above
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Adjustment Disorder (AD) Open or Close
Those who suffer from adjustment disorder often experience prolonged stress, sadness, and other negative emotions during and after going through a stressful “adjustment”. This can be something like moving, divorce, or the death of a loved one. Although it is common for people to experience stress around these times, those with AD often experience it to a higher degree that is abnormal in the eyes of others. In serious cases, AD can evolve into major depressive disorder, different types of anxiety disorders, PTSD, etc., and individuals who suffer this level of stress/sadness are more prone to attempting suicide. CBT is most times an effective way of treating this disorder. Typically, the focus of this treatment involves coping and relaxation skills, as well as seeing the stressors in a different light. It is not uncommon to use medications that help with depression and anxiety as well.
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Anxiety Open or Close
Although worry is a natural part of life for most people, those who have an anxiety disorder have excessive worry that they cannot control. This worry interferes with their ability to complete life tasks in areas like school, work, and/or relationships. There are several different types of anxiety disorders including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and other specific phobias. Anxiety disorders can be treated with various types of psychotherapy including CBT and exposure therapy as well as with medications.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
GAD is characterized by excessive anxiety that occurs daily in settings such as work, school, etc. Some symptoms include constant worrying, issues controlling this worry, sleep problems, irritability, etc.
- Panic Disorder:
An anxiety disorder in which the individual has unexpected panic attacks on a consistent basis. While they can occur at any time, they can be triggered by fear, specific situations or places, etc. A panic attack often includes a rapid heartbeat, sweating, uncontrollable emotions, shaking, etc. These vary with the individual.
- Phobias:
Often defined as an intense aversion or fear, phobias are characterized by excessive worry about encountering the feared stimulus, and when faced with the stimulus, the individual often experiences heightened levels of anxiety. Some phobias include the fear of heights (acrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), and the fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia).
- Social Anxiety Disorder:
Previously classified as a phobia, people with this disorder often feel fear or anxiety when placed in a social situation. This is accompanied by fears of what people will think of them, and thus they will avoid social situations. Social anxiety can be felt in any space with a number of individuals, including schools, concerts, and the workplace.
- Separation Anxiety Disorder:
People with separation anxiety disorder fear being separated from a person they feel attached to. While this is most common in children, adults may experience this with romantic partners or others. An individual who experiences this may anticipate that the person they are attached to will get hurt, and will avoid being away from them or being alone in general.
For more information, please see the references section below:
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Open or Close
ASD is a developmental disorder in which individuals have a hard time communicating/socializing. Usually appearing early on in life, the disorder can be diagnosed at any point, and can range in severity (thus, spectrum). Symptoms of ASD include difficulties with interactions, certain repetitive behaviors, and others such as inability to focus that affect other aspects of life. These are oftentimes accompanied by seizures, gastrointestinal issues, and sleep problems. Beginning treatment early on can help individuals with ASD thrive, and some are known to live independent of care (See Applied Behavior Analysis).
For more information, please see the references section below:
References:
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml
- https://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/publications/newsletter/2016/09/autism-spectrum-disorder
- https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
- https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/autism/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder
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Bipolar Disorder Open or Close
A brain disorder in which the individual experiences vast mood swings, often characterized by a period of mania and/or depression. Manic periods are times in which the person is highly energized, which depressive periods are when the person appears more hopeless. It is also possible for the individual to experience both mania and depression at the same time, called hypomanic periods. Between these periods, a person can be symptom free, or may constantly switch between manic and depressive periods. While research has shown that offspring of people with bipolar disorder are more likely to develop it themselves, there is no current understanding of a bipolar gene. Different types of medications coupled with medications are helpful in reducing symptoms. There are four main types of bipolar disorder:
- Bipolar 1 Disorder:
These individuals experience both periods of mania and depression for extended periods of time (mania for 7+ days, and depression for around 2+ weeks). The manic episodes of people with Bipolar 1 are often serious enough to incur hospitalization.
- Bipolar 2 Disorder:
Individuals have periods of depression and hypomania, but not mania as severe as in bipolar 1.
- Cyclothymia:
Individuals experience periods of hypomania and depression on and off. However, these symptoms do not qualify as full-blown episodes of hypomania and depression.
- Other:
Other types of bipolar disorders can include symptoms listed above, but are not exclusive.
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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Open or Close
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) have frequent fluctuations in mood, self-image, and behavior. They have quickly changing interests and values which can make relationships with others difficult. They also often experience varying and intense episodes of anxiety and depression. Borderline personality disorder is treated with evidence-based psychotherapy and sometimes with medications. Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy specifically designed to help people with BPD. CBT therapy is sometimes also used to treat BPD. No medications currently exist specifically for BPD, but sometimes medications are used to treat specific symptoms of BPD such as mood swings or depression.
For more information, please see the references section below:
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Conduct Disorder (CD) Open or Close
Individuals with conduct disorder often display aggressive tendencies and break the rules consistently. Acts of delinquency include breaking things, stealing, disobeying rules, etc. In most cases, children with conduct disorder are dismissed as being “bad” rather than considering that they do have a serious mental disorder. Much like IED, the causes of conduct disorder are often linked to household and/or environmental factors. Children growing up in abusive households, in poverty, and in violent neighborhoods are more likely to develop CD, and less likely to understand the wrongness of their actions. Long term therapy has proven effective in helping those with CD.
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Depression Open or Close
Depression is a mood disorder that includes a wide variety of symptoms. People who are depressed often experience feelings of persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and an overall depressive mood. They also often lose pleasure in activities they previously enjoyed, experience fatigue, and have diminished ability to concentrate. These symptoms must persist for at least two weeks for a person to receive a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Depression can interfere with many different aspects of a person’s life, including the way the person sleeps, eats, and works. Depression can be treated by various types of psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and also by antidepressant medications.
- Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that some people experience only in certain seasons, typically beginning in the late fall and persisting through the winter before going way in the spring and summer. Sometimes people also experience SAD linked to summer instead of winter, but this is much less common. SAD is a subset of depression, and people receive this diagnosis when their depression follows a seasonal pattern for at least two years in a row and is more frequent than non-seasonally linked depression.
- Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia):
A subset of depression in which a person has persistent depressive symptoms for at least two years.
- Perinatal/Postpartum Depression:
A type of depression that women experience during pregnancy or after having a baby.
- Psychotic Depression:
A type of depression in which people experience both severe depressive symptoms and psychosis, usually in the form of delusions or hallucinations.
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD):
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a type of depression where symptoms of depression begin the week before menstruation and typically end a few days into a person’s menstrual cycle. These symptoms of depression are also often accompanied by physical symptoms such as painful menstrual cramps, bloating, and nausea.
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Eating Disorders Open or Close
Most all eating disorders are affected by emotional stress and lead to harmful behaviors surrounding a person's body. This can include intentionally starving oneself or vomiting to lose weight, which can lead to other bodily consequences. The most common anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. For bulimia and binge-eating, CBT has been shown to help with distorted thinking and behaviors. For anorexia, DBT and Interpersonal Therapy has proven effective. Certain medications are also helpful alternatives for all.
- ARFID:
ARFID stands for “Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder”. ARFID involves limiting food intake that often results in nutritional deficits, weight loss, etc. Unlike anorexia nervosa, ARFID is not associated with body image and rather has to do with perceptions of food, such as certain characteristic textures, flavors, etc. The long term effects can include affected growth for children, weight loss in adults, and an interference with psychological processes.
- Anorexia Nervosa:
Often in an effort to lose weight due to body image, people with this particular eating disorder restrict themselves in what they eat in a way that is excessive and potentially harmful. They may weigh themselves constantly, force themselves to relieve their bodies of food via vomiting, and/or exercise in an excessive manner. As a result, people with this disorder are often times severely underweight. As noted on the National Institute of Mental Health website, anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness.
- Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia nervosa involves periods of eating higher quantities of food. Following this, individuals feel the need to compensate for this eating and attempt to force themselves to lose weight through laxatives, vomiting, etc. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa can be both underweight and overweight. Symptoms may include swollen throat, dehydration as a result of eliminating waste from the body, and stomach issues.
- Binge-eating Disorder:
Like bulimia nervosa, people with binge-eating disorder consume high quantities of food. However, this is not followed by purging, and rather binge-eaters tend to be overweight or obese. While binge-eaters consume even in times when they are not hungry, they often show signs of guilt and shame as a result.
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Gender Dysphoria Open or Close
Gender dysphoria is defined in the diagnostic statistical manual (DSM) as feeling a difference between the physical gender a person is assigned at birth and the gender a person identifies with. This difference can sometimes lead to feelings of distress within the individual. The inclusion of gender dysphoria in the DSM-5 has a long and complicated history. Describing the experiences of trans people as a disordered stigmatizes and pathologizes their experiences. It also indicates that their feelings of distress surrounding their gender identity is the result of something wrong within the person instead of due to problems in the way that society treats them. These criticisms have led many to feel that gender dysphoria should be removed from the DSM and should not be classified as a disorder. However, having gender dysphoria in the DSM allows trans people to bill their insurance company for the treatment they may need such as therapy or parts of their medical transition. Without having gender dysphoria in the DSM, it would be more challenging to cover these services. Ultimately, it is important to understand that having distress about gender identity does not mean something is wrong with you, and that if you need to seek services for medical matters around your gender identity, you can bill your insurance for these services.
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Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder (GPPPD) Open or Close
GPPPD is a new disorder that encompasses three disorders that previously were separated: female sexual dysfunction, dyspareunia and vaginismus. GPPPD is a disorder that affects female identifying individuals by making it difficult for them to engage in sexual intercourse because of pain during penetration. An estimated 15% of people with vaginas in North America experience recurrent pain during intercourse. GPPPD involves the tightening of the pelvic floor muscles in anticipation of or during vagainal intercourse in a way that makes penetration a source of pain. Often, GPPPD has both physical and psychological symptoms. Treatment often can involve exposure therapy, CBT, and psycho-sexual education.
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Intellectual Disability Open or Close
Only about 1% of the population suffers from intellectual disability. This developmental disability is defined by two main factors: overall problems with intellect and everyday adaptive functioning. This can mean deficits in social interaction, learning, empathizing, etc. The causes of intellectual disability can range from prenatal alcohol consumption to postnatal trauma, but can also have genetic roots. In recent years, the diagnostic requirements for measuring level of intellectual disability has moved away from IQ testing as a severity gauge. It is not uncommon for intellectual disbabilities to co occur with other disorders such as ASD.
For more information, please see the references section below:
References:
- https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability
- https://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/publications/newsletter/2016/09/intellectual-disability
- https://www.mentalhelp.net/intellectual-disabilities/dsm-5-criteria/
- https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Intellectual-Disability/
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Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) Open or Close
People who struggle with intermittent explosive disorder often have impulsive outbursts of rage that can involve shouting, violence, increased heart rate, etc. This outbursts can often have serious consequences such as domestic abuse, divorce, and other relational problems. It is believed that this disorder might arise from either genetics or mental functioning, but one of the more supported theories is household environment. Children growing up in houses in which they experience or observe violence, substance use, and other rage-motivated activities may develop these habits for themselves. People with other mental disorders, such as ADHD and BPD, may experience symptoms of IED or may be diagnosed with it. It is common to treat IED with both medication and some form of psychotherapy.
For more information, please see the references section below:
References:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/intermittent-explosive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20373921
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/intermittent-explosive-disorder
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/treating-intermittent-explosive-disorder
- https://www.valleybehavioral.com/disorders/ied/signs-symptoms-causes/
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Mood Disorders Open or Close
According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM), mood disorders are mood disturbances that occur for long periods of time. This disturbances oftentimes affect the way we function, and they can also co-occur with anxiety disorders. Some mood disorders include bipolar disorder and depression. Mood disorders are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, which are often generated and/or exacerbated by stressful events. It is important to note that while some are used to treat mood disorders, certain medications and substances can contribute to an overall change in mood over time.
For more information, please see the references section below:
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Open or Close
A long term disorder where a person has thoughts that are obsessive over something. At the same time, these individuals often conduct certain behaviors over and over again. Some of these include an obsession over cleanliness, leading to compulsive hand washing, or obsession over things that are not perfect, leading to a constant reordering of materials like papers. While these habits may seem normal, a person with OCD cannot keep these thoughts in check and must continue to do such behaviors to satisfy their urges. SSRIs and SRIs are shown to help with symptoms, as well as CBT.
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Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Open or Close
ODD is marked by defiant and hostile behavior towards others. While this is common for many children and adolescents, individuals with ODD tend to rebel more frequently than most. It is unclear what causes ODD, but researchers theorize it originates early on in childhood via learning, or from a lack of independence. When it comes to treatment, it may take more than one therapist to satisfy a patient with ODD. Frequent treatment types include CBT and Family Therapy.
For more information, please see the references section below:
References:
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/oppositional-defiant-disorder
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/oppositional-defiant-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20375831
- https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-With-Oppositional-Defiant-Disorder-072.aspx
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Personality Disorders Open or Close
To understand a personality disorder, we must first understand what personality really is. According to the American Psychiatric Association, personality is a person's way of thinking, acting, and feeling that is unique to them. Personality can be affected by genes, upbringing, and other environmental factors. A personality disorder is a deviation of personality that affects the way a person operates in society. Some of the most common are borderline-personality disorder (BPD), obsessive compulsive disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. These, and many other personality disorders involve problems in controlling behavior, thoughts, emotions, and socializing. Much in the same way that personalities develop, personality disorders can originate from childhood trauma, genetics, and even bullying.
For more information, please see the references section below:
References:
- https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/personality-disorders/what-are-personality-disorders
- https://www.apa.org/topics/personality/disorders-causes
- https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/ask-the-doc/whats-the-difference-between-a-mood-disorder-and-a-personality-disorder/
- https://www.apa.org/monitor/mar04/treatment
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Open or Close
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety-related condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic stressor such as interpersonal violence, a natural disaster, or combat. People with PTSD may struggle with repeated flashbacks, sleep problems, and feelings of numbness. PTSD can be treated with different types of psychotherapy including EMDR, CPT, and traditional CBT.
For more information, please see the references section below:
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Schizophrenia Open or Close
Schizophrenia often manifests after the age of 16, but has appeared in children as well. People with this mental disorder can have positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors that include hallucinations or delusions, disorders with movement, etc. Negative symptoms disrupt emotions and behaviors, such as reduced speaking and pleasure. Cognitive symptoms can include trouble focusing, memory loss, and an inability to understand. Certain types of coordinated specialty care, psychosocial treatments, and antipsychotic medications can be helpful with alleviating symptoms (see NIMH website).
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Substance Dependence and Addiction Open or Close
A common misconception is that substance addiction and dependence are the same thing; this is not exactly the case. Addiction is the reliance on a substance for the high feeling or other benefits it provides while ignoring the detrimental effects. Thus the addicted person will continue to use. Dependence is different in that one consumes the substance because they “need” to. People can easily become dependent on alcohol or marijuana because if the substance is not used, it often leads to withdrawals. Both dependence and addiction are linked to substance use disorder over time, and are not mutually exclusive.
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Substance Use Disorder Open or Close
Millions of Americans struggle with substance use disorder. This can include the constant use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc. Some criterion for people with substance abuse disorder include prolonged use of larger amounts of a specific substance, investing heavily in obtaining more of the substance, having cravings for the substance, and the failed attempt to quit. However, a diagnosis can only be given by a mental health provider. Most times these disorders are comorbid with another mental disorder. There are many groups dedicated specifically to substance use, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).
For more information, please see the references section below:
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