Types Of Mental Illness

ANXIETY DISORDER
  • Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear.
  • Anxiety disorders can cause people to avoid certain situations or activities, and they can also lead to physical symptoms such as panic attacks.
  • Emotional Symptoms: Excessive worry, fear, irritability, and restlessness. Physical Symptoms: Rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, dizziness, and gastrointestinal issues.
  • Exercise Regularly: Physical activity can reduce anxiety by releasing endorphins and improving overall health.
  • Healthy Diet: Eating a balanced diet can stabilize mood and energy levels.
  • Meditation: Practicing mindfulness meditation can help reduce anxiety by promoting relaxation.
 Anxiety disorder illustration
BIPOLAR DISORDER
  • Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
  • These mood swings can affect your sleep, energy, activity, behavior, and ability to think clearly.
  • Medication: Mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics can help regulate mood swings.
  • Therapy: Therapy can help you identify triggers for mood episodes, develop coping mechanisms, and improve your relationships.
  • Lifestyle changes: Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcohol and drugs can all help improve your mood and overall health.
 Bipolar disorder illustration
DEPRESSION
  • Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. It can cause feelings of sadness or a persistent feeling of emptiness and a loss of pleasure in activities once enjoyed.
  • Emotional Symptoms: Feeling sad, anxious, empty, or hopeless most of the day, nearly every day.
  • Physical Symptoms: Significant changes in appetite or weight (such as weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting), trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, loss of energy or increased fatigue, difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions, restlessness or feeling slowed down, feeling worthless or guilty, fixation on death or suicide (if you are having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help immediately), withdrawing from friends and family.
  • Depression is not just feeling down or having a bad day. Symptoms must be present for at least two weeks and be severe enough to interfere with your daily life. Everyone experiences depression differently.
  • Depression can strike at any time, and anyone can be affected. There are different types of depression with varying durations and intensities. Depression is treatable with medication, therapy, or a combination of both.
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DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER
  • Dissociation itself is a normal experience to some degree. Daydreaming or zoning out for a moment are examples of mild dissociation. However, in dissociative disorders, this disconnection becomes severe and interferes with daily life.
  • There are several types of dissociative disorders, each with its own characteristic symptoms. Some general ones include:
    • Depersonalization: Feeling detached from or unreal about yourself or your body. You might feel like you're observing yourself from outside your body.
    • Derealization: Feeling detached from or unreal about your surroundings. The world may seem foggy, dreamlike, or distorted.
    • Dissociative amnesia: Inability to recall important personal information, usually related to a traumatic event.
  • Dissociative disorders are often linked to experiencing trauma, particularly in childhood. This trauma can be physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or witnessing a traumatic event.
  • There is no single cure for dissociative disorders, but treatment can effectively manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Therapy, particularly psychotherapy, is a mainstay of treatment. Medication may also be helpful in some cases.
 Dissociative disorder illustration
SCHIZOPHRENIA
  • Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental health condition that disrupts how the brain processes information. It can significantly impact a person's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
  • Symptoms: Schizophrenia can manifest in a variety of ways, but some common symptoms include:
    • Psychosis: This is a loss of touch with reality. People with schizophrenia may experience delusions (false beliefs) or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there).
    • Disorganized thinking and speech: This can involve rapid jumps between topics, illogical thinking patterns, or difficulty forming coherent sentences.
    • Disorganized behavior: This may include social withdrawal, neglecting personal hygiene, or acting impulsively and unpredictably.
  • There is no cure for schizophrenia, but it can be effectively managed with a combination of treatments.
    • Medication: The primary treatment for schizophrenia is antipsychotic medication. These medications help regulate brain chemicals like dopamine, which are thought to play a role in the development of psychosis.
    • Therapy: Several forms of therapy can be helpful for people with schizophrenia. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help manage symptoms and develop coping mechanisms, as well as social skills training and family therapy.
 Schizophrenia illustration