Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnxiety DisordersEating DisordersMood DisordersPersonality DisordersTrauma- and Stressor-Related DisordersDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anxiety Disorders
Eating Disorders
Mood Disorders
Personality Disorders
Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
Diagnosis
Treatment
Mental illnessis an umbrella term for a variety of disorders that affect a person’s behavior, emotional responses, or thinking (or a combination of these).
Mental health issues are common. Experts estimate that one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
This article provides a detailed list of anxiety, mood, eating, personality, trauma, and psychotic disorders.
Verywell / Joules Garcia
People who have ananxiety disorderoften deal with recurringintrusive thoughts—unwanted, automatic thoughts that get stuck in your head and cause great distress and anxiety.
The are four main types of types of anxiety disorders:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
Panic Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobias
Aphobiais an irrational fear of something, such as a type of animal, blood, a situation (such as flying in an airplane), or an environment, such as dark places. Someone with a phobia will try to avoid the object or situation and experience extreme anxiety when confronted with it.
Though an eating disorder is a mental health condition, it is also a physical one, since severe disturbances in eating patterns impact physical health. For example, severe restriction of calories, as is the case with anorexia nervosa, can cause a decrease in bone mineral density, increasing the risk of fractures.
There are several types of eating disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosainvolves an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, leading to self-starvation.
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating disorder
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Pica
People withpicahave recurring episodes of eating of non-food objects, such as chalk, metal coins, pebbles, or paper.
Rumination Disorder
Rumination disorderinvolves repeatedlyregurgitatingfood unintentionally (bringing swallowed food back up), to re-chew and re-swallow it.
Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders
Any other eating disorder that causes distress and impairs someone’s ability to function at home or work is labeled as another specified feeding and eating disorder.
Mood disorderscover a variety of depressive and bipolar disorders. While everyone feels sad or depressed from time to time, a mood disorder is different. Mood disorders are very intense and persistent, and they significantly affect everyday life.
The following are the most common types of mood disorders:
Major Depressive Disorder
Inmajor depressive disorder, a person feels hopeless, losing interest in one’s normal activities, along with other physical and mental symptoms that last two weeks or longer.
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Substance-Induced Mood Disorder
When alcohol, drugs, or medication cause depression or another mood disorder, it is called a substance-induced mood disorder.
People with a personality disorder might not realize they have a mental illness.
There are many personality disorders, which can be classified into three major categories, each with its own subset of personality disorders:
Cluster A: Odd or Eccentric Behavior
Cluster B: Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic Behavior
Cluster C: Anxious or Fearful Behavior
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)is the central disorder in this category. It is a psychiatric disorder where a past traumatic experience, witnessed or experienced, causes severe distress and disruption to everyday living. A natural disaster, serious accident, war, rape, and sexual violence are examples of traumatic events that may lead to PTSD.
People with PTSD experience intense and disturbing thoughts and feelings that are related to the traumatic event, even if it happened a long time ago. They may avoid situations that might trigger a memory of the traumatic event or react strongly to ordinary things that bring them back to that traumatic time.
Post-traumatic stress disorders are sometimes differentiated into the following types, though they are not included in theDSM-5:
Complex PTSD
Complex PTSDis a type of PTSD that develops after prolonged, repeated trauma (such as long-term sexual or physical abuse) rather than an isolated traumatic event.
Delayed Expression PTSD
Delayed expression PTSD (formerly called delayed-onset PTSD) is PTSD that develops more than six months after the trigger event.
Dissociative PTSD
Doomscrolling: The Meaning and Impact on Mental Health
Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disordersare mental illnesses that cause abnormal thoughts and perceptions that, in turn, cause someone to lose touch with reality.Delusionsandhallucinationsare common. Psychotic disorders can cause great distress and functional challenges in everyday life.
Types of psychotic disordersinclude the following:
Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizoaffective disorderinvolves a combination of psychotic features such as delusions (beliefs that are not based in reality) and mood symptoms like depression.
Schizophreniform Disorder
Inschizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia episodes last longer than one month but less than six months.
Delusional Disorder
Brief Psychotic Disorder
Brief psychotic disorder describes a short-term episode of psychosis lasting less than one month.
Substance-Inducted Psychotic Disorder
Psychotic disorder due to a medical condition
Psychosis can sometimes be a symptom of a medical condition such asParkinson’s diseaseor Alzheimer’s disease. Certain prescription medications may also have psychosis as a side effect.
How Is Mental Illness Diagnosed?
Diagnosis may involve a medical evaluation to rule out any underlying physical causes that might be contributing to the mental illness. For example, a doctor may order bloodwork to rule out anemia or thyroid problems beforediagnosing persistent depressive disorder. A psychiatrist or psychologist will ask about symptoms and family history and may use psychological evaluation tools, such as a questionnaire, to determine a diagnosis.
The symptoms that need to be present for a healthcare professional to make a diagnosis using theDSM-5criteria vary based on the type of illness, but there are some common warning signs of mental illness. These include:
How Is Mental Illness Treated?
Treatment options depend on the specific mental illness and the type and severity of symptoms.
In some cases, psychotherapy alone is effective. Many types of therapies involve tools and techniques for combating unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that can help an individual cope long-term.
Medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and anti-psychotics are also very useful. Often a combination of therapy and medication is used.
How to Get HelpIf you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts, behaviors, or emotional distress related to a mental illness, theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) National Hotline at1-800-662-HELP (4357)can provide treatment resources, support, and information.If you believe you might harm yourself or someone else, immediately dial911for your local emergency operator or go to the nearest emergency room. Dial988for theSuicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in mental distress.
How to Get Help
If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts, behaviors, or emotional distress related to a mental illness, theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) National Hotline at1-800-662-HELP (4357)can provide treatment resources, support, and information.If you believe you might harm yourself or someone else, immediately dial911for your local emergency operator or go to the nearest emergency room. Dial988for theSuicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in mental distress.
If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts, behaviors, or emotional distress related to a mental illness, theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) National Hotline at1-800-662-HELP (4357)can provide treatment resources, support, and information.
If you believe you might harm yourself or someone else, immediately dial911for your local emergency operator or go to the nearest emergency room. Dial988for theSuicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in mental distress.
Summary
There are many types of mental illnesses, which range in severity and how they impact everyday life. Categories of mental illnesses include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, and trauma-induced disorders. Most mental health disorders can be treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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