Top 10 Common Mental Disorders

1. Top 10 Common Mental Disorders BY William Shell

2. INTRODUCTION Have you ever wondered why tangled earphones make you want to drive up the wall, or a crooked line irks you so much? There is no answer to the questions really. Mental illnesses or mental disorders are somewhat similar (both incomprehensible and inexplicable). Like a bout of fever, psychological disorders are merely ailments. True that there are no rising temperatures that the mercury in your thermometer can record. Albeit, the wounds are very much real and they affect both the mind and the body.

3. 10 Mental disorders along with their symptoms Mental illnesses are no taboo, and they can happen to anyone. Before it starts to wreak havoc on someone, you need to be ready with the precautionary measures. Here are 10 mental maladies that affect every one out of five people.

4. 1. Schizophrenia Some of the symptoms of schizophrenia are: Hallucinations Delusions Thought disorder Social withdrawal Impaired thinking and memory. ● ● ● ● ●

5. 2. Depression There are varying levels of severities in depression, and someone who is diagnosed with it can even go the length of self-harming. Depression can take a toll on your physical health too, leading to extreme weight loss or gain. Some of the symptoms of depression are: loss of interest bouts of sadness reduced energy loss of appetite ● ● ● ●

6. 3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) goes beyond neatly stacked cutlery and colour-coded files. The symptoms of OCD are: Obsessive cleanliness Obsession with symmetry Counting objects Hoarding or collecting things Checking things ● ● ● ● ●

7. 4. Behavioural Disorders In a class full of pupils, you would often see some unruly children who tend to go rouge often. Now many of them may be miscreants, but some may have a mental disorder like oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). A child who is diagnosed with ODD tends to be a non-conformist. He or she is likely to be the one always questioning rules or arguing with a teacher. They are often restless and tend to make deliberate attempts trying to upset people around them.

8. 5. Bipolar Affective Disorder Also known as manic depression, bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder in which a person experiences episodes of elation and depression within a short window of time. Some of the symptoms are: Euphoria Hopelessness Delusion Risk-taking behaviours Aggression Insomnia ● ● ● ● ● ●

9. 6. Dissociative identity disorder A person who is diagnosed with DID prefers to disconnect from his/her sense of identity and tends to be controlled by an imaginary character. Some of the symptoms are: self-destructive behaviour feeling detached from self altered consciousness flashbacks and blackouts recurring gaps in memory ● ● ● ● ●

10. 7. Eating disorders Some of the symptoms are: Osteoporosis water-electrolyte imbalance binge eating anxiety extreme weight loss and thinness irregular menstruation vomiting ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

11. 8. Paranoia Paranoia includes paranoid personality disorder and delusional disorder. The cause of paranoia is still in a haze, but it is believed that genetics has a role to play. Difficulty in trusting others Defensive behaviour Hostile and aggressive behaviour Overly suspicious/unable to confide in anyone Feeling persecuted by the world at large Creating conspiracy theories ● ● ● ● ● ●

12. 9. Post-traumatic stress disorder A person diagnosed with PTSD is triggered by the horrific memories of the trauma. The flashbacks often compel the patient to go through intense emotional and physical fits. Some of the symptoms are Nightmares Flashbacks heightened reactivity to stimuli anxiety hyperactivity insomnia ● ● ● ● ● ●

13. 10. Psychosys This problem stems typically from inferior complexity where a person exaggerates and creates situations in their minds to give shape to their fantasies. Psychosis is a part of schizophrenia and paranoia. Some of the symptoms are: Delusions Hallucinations talking incoherently agitation loss of entity ● ● ● ● ●

14. Conclusion As a caregiver, make sure that you communicate with the person before offering to help. You must ensure that the interactions you have with a mentally ill person are stress-free. You need to be compassionate, and most importantly, you much lend them an empathetic ear. Every time they falter, tell them that it is okay to do so. Regards https://survivingspirits.com/

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