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.
You might be wondering, is depression a mental illness?
What about anxiety?
Yes, they are.
In fact, they're the most common types of mental illnesses.
In this video, Psych2go covers 10
of the most common types of mental illnesses.
We know 18.1% doesn't sound like a lot
but that's the number
of adults in the US 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.
So, what do all these anxiety disorders have in common?
They're all characterized by nearly uncontrollable worry
that messes with several aspects of daily life
such as sleep, relationships, school and work.
The good news is there are several treatment options
available, which include
different types of therapy and medication.
Two, personality disorders.
What does it mean when someone's personality is disordered?
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.
So what does this look like in real life?
Could anyone who's a little different be diagnosed
with a personality disorder?
Well, according to the diagnostic criteria in the DSMV
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.
This treatment consists of combinations of medications
for the underlying mental health issues
as well as talk therapy.
Three, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
If we say ADHD what comes to mind?
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 four to 17
are diagnosed with ADHD any given year.
ADHD affects people of all ages and includes
multiple symptoms such as inability to concentrate,
forgetfulness, inability ability to sit still,
restlessness and losing things.
An individual's symptoms vary depending on their age,
gender and type of ADHD.
Did you know there's actually
three recognized types of ADHD?
There 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.
Four, post traumatic stress disorder.
Did you know that an estimated 6.8% of the US population
will develop some form of post traumatic stress disorder.
That's about 19 million people in the US alone.
So how does this happen?
You, me, everybody will get stressed out
by something in our lives.
Some people will come across something so stressful
that it affects them permanently.
For many of them this stress becomes trauma.
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.
Just as a completely normal reaction to trauma
what will happen when the threat is gone?
The stress and trauma stops on its own for most people,
when the mind and body understand the individual
is no longer under attack.
But what if the mind and body don't get the memo?
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.
So how does someone get help for something so overwhelming?
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.
Five, depression.
An estimated 6.7% of the US population
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.
Six, 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.
Seven, eating disorders.
Did you know there are almost as many people
living with eating disorders
as there are with bipolar disorder?
It's true.
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 restrict
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.
Leave a comment below if you wanna know more
about the binge purge restrict cycle.
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.
Leave a comment below if you wanna hear more
about the lesser known eating disorders.
Everyone needs food, so how is someone
who has such a terrible relationship with eating
and body image supposed to get better?
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.
Eight, obsessive compulsive disorder.
If obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD
is a type of anxiety disorder,
why does it make the number eight spot?
Simple professionals 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?
Did you imagine someone who can't stand
the thought of germs?
Maybe a person who turns the doorknob 27 times
before they can leave the house?
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.
So what is someone who lives with the reality of OCD to do?
Although there's no cure for OCD, a combination of medical
and talk therapy will help them manage
their symptoms effectively.
Nine, autism spectrum disorder ASD.
We've been hearing more and more about
autism spectrum disorder ASD in recent years.
That's because approximately 1.2% of children,
one in 59 children will qualify for a diagnosis
of autism spectrum disorder in the coming year.
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, therapy and medication management.
And 10, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders.
Did you know three out of 100 people will experience
the symptoms of psychosis in their lifetime?
Yep, 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.
So, what is psychosis anyway?
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.
Would you like to know more
about the other psychotic disorders?
Then tell us in the comments below.
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.
Have you or a loved one ever dealt
with any of the mental illnesses in this article?
Were there any symptoms on this list that surprised you?
Which mental illnesses do you wanna hear more about?
Tell us in the comments below.
As always, any information provided here
is for educational purposes only.
If you need mental health counseling or treatment,
please contact your insurance company,
local college students counseling clinic
or your county crisis line, help is out there.
