Common mental health disorder

Types of Mental Illness, Diagnosis, Treatment

Mental health refers to your emotional and psychological well-being. Having good mental health helps you lead a relatively happy and healthy life. It helps you demonstrate resilience and the ability to cope in the face of life’s adversities.

Your mental health can be influenced by a variety of factors, including life events or even your genetics.

There are many strategies that can help you establish and keep good mental health. These can include:

keeping a positive attitude
staying physically active
helping other people
getting enough sleep
eating a healthy diet
asking for professional help with your mental health if you need it
socializing with people whom you enjoy spending time with

forming and using effective coping skills to deal with your problems

A mental illness is a broad term which encompasses a wide variety of conditions which affect the way you feel and think. It can also affect your ability to get through day-to-day life. Mental illnesses can be influenced by several different factors, including:

genetics
environment
daily habits
biology

Mental health issues are common in the United States. About one in five American adults experience at least one mental illness each year. And around one in five young people ages 13 to 18 experience a mental illness at some point in their lives, too.

Although mental illnesses are common, they vary in severity. About one in 25 adults experience a serious mental illness (SMI) each year. A SMI can significantly reduce your ability to carry out daily life. Different groups of people experience SMIs at different rates.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, women are more likely to experience SMI than men. Those ages 18 to 25 are most likely to experience an SMI. People with a mixed-race background are also more likely to experience an SMI than people of other ethnicities.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) helps mental health professionals diagnose mental illnesses. There are many types of mental health disorders. In fact, almost 300 different conditions are listed in DSM-5.

These are some of the most common mental illnesses affecting people in the United States:

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness that affects about 2.6 percent of Americans each year. It is characterized by episodes of energetic, manic highs and extreme, sometimes depressive lows.

These can affect a person’s energy level and ability to think reasonably. Mood swings caused by bipolar disorder are much more severe than the small ups and downs most people experience on a daily basis.

Persistent depressive disorder

Persistent depressive disorder is a chronic type of depression. It is also known as dysthymia. While dysthymic depression isn’t intense, it can interfere with daily life. People with this condition experience symptoms for at least two years.

About 1.5 percent of American adults experience dysthymia each year.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) goes beyond regular everyday anxiety, like being nervous before a presentation. It causes a person to become extremely worried about many things, even when there’s little or no reason to worry.

Those with GAD may feel very nervous about getting through the day. They may think things won’t ever work in their favor. Sometimes worrying can keep people with GAD from accomplishing everyday tasks and chores. GAD affects about 3 percent of Americans every year.

Major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) causes feelings of extreme sadness or hopelessness that lasts for at least two weeks. This condition is also called also called clinical depression.

People with MDD may become so upset about their lives that they think about or try to commit suicide. About 7 percent of Americans experience at least one major depressive episode each year.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) causes constant and repetitive thoughts, or obsessions. These thoughts happen with unnecessary and unreasonable desires to carry out certain behaviors, or compulsions.

Many people with OCD realize that their thoughts and actions are unreasonable, yet they cannot stop them. More than 2 percent of Americans are diagnosed with OCD at some point in their lifetime.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that’s triggered after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Experiences that can cause PTSD can range from extreme events, like war and national disasters, to verbal or physical abuse.

Symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks or being easily startled. It’s estimated that 3.5 percent of American adults experience PTSD.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia impairs a person’s perception of reality and the world around them. It interferes with their connection to other people. It’s a serious condition that needs treatment.

They might experience hallucinations, have delusions, and hear voices. These can potentially put them in a dangerous situation if left untreated. It’s estimated that 1 percent of the American population experiences schizophrenia.

Social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder, sometimes called social phobia, causes an extreme fear of social situations. People with social anxiety may become very nervous about being around other people. They may feel like they’re being judged.

This can make it hard to meet new people and attend social gatherings. Approximately 15 million adults in the United States experience social anxiety each year.

The symptoms of many mental illnesses may get worse if they’re left untreated. Reach out for psychological help if you or someone you know may have a mental illness.

If you’re unsure where to start, visit your primary care doctor. They can help with the initial diagnosis and provide a referral to a psychiatrist.

It’s important to know that you can still have a full and happy life with a mental illness. Working with a therapist and other members of your mental health team will help you learn healthy ways to manage your condition.

Each type of mental illness causes its own symptoms. But many share some common characteristics.

Common signs of several mental illnesses may include:

not eating enough or overeating
having insomnia or sleeping too much
distancing yourself from other people and favorite activities
feeling fatigue even with enough sleep
feeling numbness or lacking empathy
experiencing unexplainable body pains or achiness
feeling hopeless, helpless or lost
smoking, drinking, or using illicit drugs more than ever before
feeling confusion, forgetfulness, irritability, anger, anxiety, sadness, or fright
constantly fighting or arguing with friends and family
having extreme mood swings that cause relationship problems
having constant flashbacks or thoughts that you can’t get out of your head
hearing voices in your head that you can’t stop
having thoughts of hurting yourself or other people
being unable to carry out day-to-day activities and chores

Stress and periods of emotional distress can lead to an episode of symptoms. That may make it difficult for you to maintain normal behavior and activities. This period is sometimes called a nervous or mental breakdown. Read more about these episodes and the symptoms they cause.

Diagnosing a mental health disorder is a multi-step process. During a first appointment, your doctor may perform a physical exam to look for signs of physical issues that could be contributing to your symptoms.

Some doctors may order a series of laboratory tests to screen for underlying or less obvious possible causes.

Your doctor may ask you to fill out a mental health questionnaire. You may also undergo a psychological evaluation. You might not have a diagnosis after your first appointment.

Your doctor may refer you to a mental health expert. Because mental health can be complex and symptoms may vary from person to person, it may take a few appointments for you to get a full diagnosis.

Treatment for mental health disorders is not one size fits all, and it does not offer a cure. Instead, treatment aims to reduce symptoms, address underlying causes, and make the condition manageable.

You and your doctor will work together to find a plan. It may be a combination of treatments because some people have better results with a multi-angle approach. Here are the most common mental health treatments:

Medications

The four main categories of medications used to treat mental health disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotic medications, and mood-stabilizing medications.

Which type is best for you will depend on the symptoms you experience and other health issues you may face. People may try a few medications at different doses before finding something that’s right for them.

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy is an opportunity for you to talk with a mental health provider about your experiences, feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Therapists primarily act as a sounding board and neutral mediator, helping you learn coping techniques and strategies to manage symptoms.

Hospital and residential treatment

Some people may need brief periods of intensive treatment at hospitals or residential treatment facilities. These programs allow an overnight stay for in-depth treatment. There are also daytime programs, where people can participate in shorter periods of treatment.

Lifestyle treatments and home remedies

Alternative treatments can be used in addition to mainstream treatments as a supplement. These steps won’t eliminate mental health issues alone, but they can be helpful.

They include sticking to your treatment plan as closely as possible, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and adopting a healthy lifestyle that incorporates foods that may be a benefit to your brain. This includes omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fish oil that occurs naturally in some high-fat fish.

The term therapy refers to several styles of talk therapy. Therapy can be used to treat a variety of disorders, including panic disorders, anxiety, depression, anger issues, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Therapy helps people identify mental health issues and unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns. During sessions you and your therapist can work to change these thoughts and behaviors.

In most cases, therapists focus on current issues, things that are affecting your daily life, and help you find solutions to what you’re experiencing in real time, but each doctor’s approach is different. Read more about the different types and what results you might expect from therapy.

Mental Health First Aid is a national public education course. It’s designed to teach people about the warning signs and risk factors of mental health issues. In the training, participants learn about treatments and approaches that can help people with mental health disorders.

This training program is made for people who regularly interact with patients in a healthcare setting. Through scenarios and role-playing, healthcare providers can learn how to help a person in crisis connect with professional and self-help treatment steps.

Physical exercise is great for your body. Dancing, swimming, walking, and jogging boost cardio health and strength. They’re also great for your mind. Research shows they can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

However, there are also “exercises” you can do for your brain. These include:

Striking a power pose. People who use “power poses” (aka hands on hips) may see a temporary drop in feelings of social anxiety.
Listening to calming music. A 2013 study of 60 women revealed that people who listen to relaxing music recover faster after stress than people who relax but do not listen to music.
Practicing progressive muscle relaxation. This process involves tightening and then slowly relaxing various muscle groups. It may be combined with other techniques like listening to calming music or breathing exercises.
Finding a yoga pose. One 2017 study showed that just two minutes of performing yoga poses can boost self-esteem and help increase bodily energy.

When you talk with your doctor or therapist about your mental health, they may go through a series of examinations in order to reach a diagnosis. These steps could include a physical examination, blood or laboratory tests, and a mental health questionnaire.

A series of questions helps doctors understand your thoughts, responses, and reactions to events and scenarios. While this test won’t return immediate results, it will help your doctor better understand what you’re experiencing.

Avoid taking online mental health tests. While these may provide some insight into causes of symptoms, they aren’t administered by a healthcare professional. The questions and answer options may not be as specific as a doctor or therapist might be in an in-person testing environment.

Most individuals with mental health issues can and will find treatments that are successful. That means you can get better. Some mental health issues, however, are chronic and ongoing, but even these can be managed with proper treatment and intervention.

Recovery from mental health disorders or issues requires ongoing attention to your mental and overall health, as well as adherence to any behavioral therapy techniques learned from a therapist.

In some cases, treatments like medication may be needed on an on-going basis; others may be able to stop using them at some point. What recovery will mean for you is different than recovery for another person.

Mental health is a vital concern for healthcare professionals. Most people know the signs and symptoms of physical illnesses, like a heart attack or stroke. But, they may not be able to pinpoint the physical effects of anxiety, PTSD, or panic.

Awareness campaigns are designed to help people understand these common signs and symptoms.

More than 40 million Americans experience some form of mental illness every year. Knowing that they’re not alone may invite people to seek treatment from a professional. Treatment is key to relief from symptoms and maintain a healthy, active life.

Around 21 percent of American teenagers between 13 and 18 years old have experienced a severe mental health disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Half will develop a disorder by the time they’re 14 years old.

A significant number of youth are affected by depression in particular. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), around 13 percent of Americans between 12 and 17 years old had at least one major depressive episode in 2017.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now endorses universal depression screening for 12- to 18-year-olds. These screenings can be performed by a primary care physician.

Signs and symptoms in teens

The signs and symptoms of mental illness may be brushed aside as the angst of the turbulent teenage years. But, these may be the earliest predictors of mental health disorders or issues that require treatment.

Signs of mental health issues in teenagers include:

loss of self-esteem
excessive sleeping
loss of interest in activities or favorite hobbies
sudden and unexpected decline in academic performance
weight loss or changes in appetite
sudden personality changes, such as anger or aggression

Types of Mental Illness, Diagnosis, Treatment

Your mental health can be influenced by a variety of factors, including life events or even your genetics.

There are many strategies that can help you establish and keep good mental health. These can include:

keeping a positive attitude
staying physically active
helping other people
getting enough sleep
eating a healthy diet
asking for professional help with your mental health if you need it
socializing with people whom you enjoy spending time with
forming and using effective coping skills to deal with your problems

genetics
environment
daily habits
biology

These are some of the most common mental illnesses affecting people in the United States:

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness that affects about 2.6 percent of Americans each year. It is characterized by episodes of energetic, manic highs and extreme, sometimes depressive lows.

Persistent depressive disorder

About 1.5 percent of American adults experience dysthymia each year.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) causes feelings of extreme sadness or hopelessness that lasts for at least two weeks. This condition is also called also called clinical depression.

People with MDD may become so upset about their lives that they think about or try to commit suicide. About 7 percent of Americans experience at least one major depressive episode each year.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Many people with OCD realize that their thoughts and actions are unreasonable, yet they cannot stop them. More than 2 percent of Americans are diagnosed with OCD at some point in their lifetime.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks or being easily startled. It’s estimated that 3.5 percent of American adults experience PTSD.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia impairs a person’s perception of reality and the world around them. It interferes with their connection to other people. It’s a serious condition that needs treatment.

Social anxiety disorder

This can make it hard to meet new people and attend social gatherings. Approximately 15 million adults in the United States experience social anxiety each year.

The symptoms of many mental illnesses may get worse if they’re left untreated. Reach out for psychological help if you or someone you know may have a mental illness.

If you’re unsure where to start, visit your primary care doctor. They can help with the initial diagnosis and provide a referral to a psychiatrist.

Each type of mental illness causes its own symptoms. But many share some common characteristics.

Common signs of several mental illnesses may include:

not eating enough or overeating
having insomnia or sleeping too much
distancing yourself from other people and favorite activities
feeling fatigue even with enough sleep
feeling numbness or lacking empathy
experiencing unexplainable body pains or achiness
feeling hopeless, helpless or lost
smoking, drinking, or using illicit drugs more than ever before
feeling confusion, forgetfulness, irritability, anger, anxiety, sadness, or fright
constantly fighting or arguing with friends and family
having extreme mood swings that cause relationship problems
having constant flashbacks or thoughts that you can’t get out of your head
hearing voices in your head that you can’t stop
having thoughts of hurting yourself or other people
being unable to carry out day-to-day activities and chores

Some doctors may order a series of laboratory tests to screen for underlying or less obvious possible causes.

Your doctor may ask you to fill out a mental health questionnaire. You may also undergo a psychological evaluation. You might not have a diagnosis after your first appointment.

Your doctor may refer you to a mental health expert. Because mental health can be complex and symptoms may vary from person to person, it may take a few appointments for you to get a full diagnosis.

Treatment for mental health disorders is not one size fits all, and it does not offer a cure. Instead, treatment aims to reduce symptoms, address underlying causes, and make the condition manageable.

Medications

The four main categories of medications used to treat mental health disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotic medications, and mood-stabilizing medications.

Psychotherapy

Hospital and residential treatment

Lifestyle treatments and home remedies

Alternative treatments can be used in addition to mainstream treatments as a supplement. These steps won’t eliminate mental health issues alone, but they can be helpful.

Therapy helps people identify mental health issues and unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns. During sessions you and your therapist can work to change these thoughts and behaviors.

However, there are also “exercises” you can do for your brain. These include:

Striking a power pose. People who use “power poses” (aka hands on hips) may see a temporary drop in feelings of social anxiety.
Listening to calming music. A 2013 study of 60 women revealed that people who listen to relaxing music recover faster after stress than people who relax but do not listen to music.
Practicing progressive muscle relaxation. This process involves tightening and then slowly relaxing various muscle groups. It may be combined with other techniques like listening to calming music or breathing exercises.
Finding a yoga pose. One 2017 study showed that just two minutes of performing yoga poses can boost self-esteem and help increase bodily energy.

Recovery from mental health disorders or issues requires ongoing attention to your mental and overall health, as well as adherence to any behavioral therapy techniques learned from a therapist.

Awareness campaigns are designed to help people understand these common signs and symptoms.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now endorses universal depression screening for 12- to 18-year-olds. These screenings can be performed by a primary care physician.

Signs and symptoms in teens

Signs of mental health issues in teenagers include:

loss of self-esteem
excessive sleeping
loss of interest in activities or favorite hobbies
sudden and unexpected decline in academic performance
weight loss or changes in appetite
sudden personality changes, such as anger or aggression

8 most common mental disorders that people attribute to themselves //Psychological newspaper

In recent years, it has become somewhat fashionable to have this or that mental disorder. An important role in this was played by the fact that in recent years, as a whole, they have begun to talk more about mental disorders, the topic has ceased to be taboo, and mental illness itself is something shameful in the public mind.

“This trend is especially noticeable among adolescents, since in adolescence there is a formation of personality and a search for one’s own uniqueness, and mental disorders seem to young people as something unusual and even mysterious, something that distinguishes them from other people,” the psychiatrist explains. Irina Korobkova . “In addition, teenagers are often very impressionable, they are greatly influenced by what they may have read or seen in books, films or real life, and they are more likely to compare and “transfer” what they see or hear to themselves.

Most often, people attribute the following mental disorders to themselves.

1. Depression

“This is one of the most common mental disorders, and for many years it has been in first place in the ranking of “fashionable” disorders,” says Irina Korobkova. - This is a unique state, because it affects our feelings, thoughts, behavior, physical condition, intellectual abilities, perception of ourselves, the surrounding reality and our own perspectives.

Feature of depression

The key manifestations of depression are persistently depressed mood and the loss of the ability to experience positive emotions. It is literally impossible to distract a depressed person from painful experiences at least for a while. The patient has impaired metabolism of a number of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Depression very often takes a chronic course and in one way or another worries a person throughout life, at times increases the risk of serious cardiovascular diseases and suicide, that is, one can literally die from depression. With depression, there is often a hereditary burden.

Just a bad mood, a grief reaction, emotional burnout - all this is not depression, although it has some manifestations similar to it.

About depression in an article by Doctor of Medical Sciences Tatiana Arturovna Karavaeva.

2. Bipolar affective disorder (BAD)

- A disease in which depressive and manic phases alternate. Mania (emphasis on "I") is the exact opposite of depression, the doctor explains. — It may seem that this is a wonderful state in which a person is always satisfied and happy, but in fact, mania is a serious mental disorder, and patients with bipolar disorder with a long history of the disease are much more afraid of mania than depression.

Feature BAR

This state is dangerous because, due to the overestimation of their own capabilities, people do things that are not characteristic of them and inadequate: they take loans for large amounts of money, enter into intimate relationships with strangers, get involved in dubious adventures, the doctor explains.

With a particularly severe course of bipolar disorder, people can almost constantly lie in psychiatric hospitals, since mood disorders do not allow them to fully integrate into society.

- With bipolar disorder, the risk of suicide is significantly higher than with unipolar depression. With bipolar disorder, constant drug therapy is required, - Irina Korobkova draws attention.

Just because you are a "mood person" does not mean that you are "bipolar".

3. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

“In my subjective opinion, this is the most “fashionable” diagnosis of the last 3-4 years,” says the psychiatrist. — BPD is a persistent personality disorder that is manifested by impulsivity, low self-control, emotional instability, high anxiety, significant difficulties in social interaction, and often self-damaging behavior.

Feature PRL

In the development of BPD, the role of heredity is great. Often develop depression, alcohol and drug addiction, eating disorders. BPD patients often die by suicide. BPD is a personality disorder, that is, a pathological change in a person’s character.

It is impossible to make a diagnosis of BPD based on one or two symptoms. A comprehensive assessment of all manifestations and monitoring of the development of the condition over time is important.

4. Panic attacks (PA)

“Like depression, PA is an “eternal classic” of psychiatry,” explains Irina Korobkova. “Modern life is very conducive to anxiety disorders in general and panic attacks in particular, because the dynamic rhythm, high demands and standards, multitasking mode - all this forces us to live at the limit of our capabilities.

Panic Attack Feature

This is a pronounced anxiety-vegetative attack, in which a variety of autonomic symptoms unfold against the background of anxiety (strong and / or rapid heartbeat, interruptions in the work of the heart, lack of air, fever or chills, feeling of sinking in the chest, sweating, lump in the throat, nausea, fainting, a sharp urge to urinate and / or defecate, etc.), as well as a fear of death and / or fear of going crazy.

Further, the fear of a recurrence of such an attack and the avoidance of certain places in which they occur can be added. Panic attacks are not a disease, but a syndrome, and they occur with a variety of mental disorders. Treatment usually responds very well.

However, panic attacks are often called something that they are not at all. Severe anxiety, anxiety, inner tension, or fear is not a panic attack.

5. Anorexia

- An eating disorder (EDD), which is manifested by the fear of weight gain, deliberate pronounced dietary restrictions and, as a rule (but not always!), Significant weight loss below the biological norm, - this is how Irina Korobkova describes the disease.

The expert notes that the fashion for thinness itself appeared in the era of supermodels of the 1990-2000s. Later, the promotion of unhealthy thinness became even more widespread, many Internet publics appeared that approved of the unhealthy desire for excessive thinness and called for it.

Anorexia Feature

Anorexia is primarily a genetic disease. The influence of heredity in anorexia is up to 80%.

Young girls dream of becoming ill with anorexia in order to be thin, easily endure food restrictions and “not break into goodies.” But they should know that it is the mental disorder with the highest mortality rate.

About anorexia in an article by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Tatyana Leonidovna Kharaburova.

6. Social phobia

“Now it has become fashionable to associate any feature of one’s character or temperament with a mental disorder, and introverted people who are prone to solitude and do not need a large number of social contacts have begun to call themselves social phobes,” says the psychiatrist.

Features of social phobia

In fact, social phobia is a painful disorder when a person wants to be in a circle of people and express himself in society, but cannot do this due to the large amount of anxiety and shame associated with social interaction.

The percentage of errors as a result of "self-diagnosis" is very high. Therefore, leave questions of diagnosis and treatment to doctors.

7. Autism

And especially its most functional variant (with intact intelligence) is Asperger's syndrome.

“People often imagine autistic people as unusual people with superpowers, such as they are shown in the film “Rain Man” and the series “The Good Doctor,” explains Irina Korobkova. But films are always fiction to one degree or another.

Feature of autism

In fact, autism is a severe mental disorder associated with impaired development of the central nervous system. As a result of such a violation, a person reacts sharply to some stimuli and is completely indifferent to others. People with autism move away from reality, are immersed in the world of their own experiences and cannot socialize normally.

Among medical students there is a concept of "third-year syndrome". This is how they designate a situation when students - future doctors, who do not yet have enough special knowledge and developed clinical thinking, read about the symptoms of various diseases and find all of them in themselves. What can we say about people who have nothing to do with medicine at all.

8. ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

“Often, people, having experienced minimal difficulty concentrating in the process of studying or working, decide that they have ADHD,” the doctor draws attention. - In fact, in an adult, such problems in the overwhelming majority of cases are due to a violation of the regime and lifestyle (lack of sleep, lack of rest, an excessive number of tasks per unit of time) or disorders of the anxiety-depressive circle.

Features ADHD

This is a childhood disorder that by adulthood either smooths out or passes, or “outgrows” into other forms of psychopathology.

At the same time, children with ADHD literally cannot sit still for a second, they experience great difficulties with learning and establishing social contacts.

“Only a psychiatrist should be engaged in the diagnosis of mental illness,” recalls Irina Korobkova. - If you are worried about your psycho-emotional state, the first thing to do is to make an appointment with a psychiatrist, and not engage in self-diagnosis.

Source: Doctor Peter

Not OK: 8 Common Mental Disorders

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Immunology specialist Jenna Macciochi in her book Immunity. The science of how to be healthy” has repeatedly noted that immunity and psychology are closely related. Experiences and stress weaken our body, making it vulnerable to various viruses. Sometimes states of anxiety, discomfort, stress become so habitual that a person does not even notice how he develops various mental illnesses. We talk about the most common of them and the signs that are inherent in them - but solely for educational purposes. To accurately determine a particular disorder, the help of a specialist is required, and self-diagnosis can be harmful.

According to the WHO, approximately 264 million people worldwide have this disease. Moreover, women suffer from depression more often than men (in men, the risk of getting sick is 7-12%, in women - 20-25%). More often, depression occurs in urban residents due to information overload, violation of the regime, continuous stress, abuse of various types of simulators. Also, this disease can be a response to dramatic experiences, such as the loss of a loved one. In such cases, we are talking about reactive depression. There is also depression endogenous : it occurs from within, that is, without any external influences. The causes of the disease are neurobiological.

Common signs of depression are depressed mood, loss of interest in life, lack of emotions such as joy, surprise, decreased activity for at least two weeks. Many people also suffer from anxiety, sleep and appetite disorders, and concentration problems.

This type of mental disorder affects 45 million people worldwide. It is characterized by alternating manic and depressive episodes with periods of normal life. Manic episodes involve agitated or irritable mood, activity, and a fast pace of speech and action. Patients with manic episodes but no depressive episodes may also be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders can result from head trauma, hormonal imbalances, traumatic life events, or genetic predisposition.

The prevalence of asthenia, according to various researchers, ranges from 10 to 45%. More often, this disorder is described as increased fatigue. However, it is characterized by a number of other signs: irritability, quickly depleted attention, sleep disturbances, vegetative symptoms (lack of air, sweating, etc.). Asthenia occurs as a result of debilitating diseases of the internal organs, emotional, mental and physical overstrain. The latter occurs due to improper organization of work, rest, and nutrition. Asthenia can occur in the initial period of diseases of the internal organs, occur as a consequence of an acute illness (pneumonia) that has ended.

This severe mental disorder affects 20 million people worldwide. This type of psychosis is characterized by distorted thinking, emotions, speech and behavior, perception of the world and one's own personality. Common psychotic symptoms include hallucinations (for example, a person begins to hear, see or feel something that is not really there) and delusions (false beliefs arise even when there are facts that indicate the opposite). People with these disorders experience difficulties in work and learning.

Obsessions - obsessive thoughts that occur contrary to common sense and feelings. Their appearance, due to their incomprehensibility, often gives rise to a feeling of fear. Compulsions are compulsive actions that a person repeats over and over again. They are a way to prevent the possibility of an unpleasant event. Accompanied by depressive reactions, anxiety. Compulsions can manifest themselves as visible actions (jumping over cracks in the sidewalk, constantly arranging objects) and internal acts (calculating in the mind, repeating "protective" words, etc. ).

Dementia affects 50 million people worldwide. Due to this disease, cognitive function is degraded: memory, thinking, understanding, speech, the ability to count, learn and reason. Cognitive dysfunction is often accompanied by a loss of control over the emotional state. The likelihood of developing this disease increases with age: among people in the age group from 65 to 74 years, about 5% of people have dementia, and among people aged 85 years and older, about 30%. Dementia is caused by various diseases and injuries that cause brain damage, such as Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

Eating disorders come in two forms: decreased appetite (extreme anorexia) and increased appetite (bulimia). Anorexia suggests a critical weight loss (body mass index becomes less than 17). At the same time, the person wants to lose more weight. Important functions of the body gradually begin to turn off, the body weakens. Bulimia is a pathologically increased appetite. This disease is characterized by the appearance of a compulsive and uncontrollable desire to eat, while there is no mental saturation with food.

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