…it is such a relief to finally get help after experiencing issues for a long time–
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), mental health is: “… a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”
Mental health is all about how we think, feel and behave. It refers to our cognitive, behavioral and emotional well-being. It also impacts our ability to enjoy life – to find a balance between the stressors and activities we face and our ability to be resilient. The lack of good mental health can affect our daily lives, our relationships and even our physical health.
We all have the potential to develop mental health problems, no matter how old we are, whether we are male or female, rich or poor, or which ethnic group we belong to.
2019 research shows:
- In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime.
- 5 percent of adults (18 or older) experience a mental illness in any one year, equivalent to 43.8 million people.
- Of adults in the United States with any mental disorder in a one-year period, 14.4 percent have one disorder, 5.8 percent have two disorders and 6 percent have three or more.
- Half of all mental disorders begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24.
- In the United States, only 41 percent of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services.
- In the U.S. and much of the developed world, mental
disorders are one of the leading causes of disability
Out-Patient Psychotherapy
Provides a regular time and space for you to talk about your thoughts and experiences and explore difficult feelings with a trained professional. This could help you to:
- deal with a specific problem
- cope with upsetting memories or experiences
- improve your relationships
- explores thoughts, feelings and behaviors and seeks to improve an individual’s well-being
- develop more helpful ways of living day-to-day.
The Main Classes of Mental Illness Are:
Mood disorder
These are also known as affective disorders or depressive disorders. Patients with these conditions have significant changes in mood, generally involving either mania (elation) or depression. These include disorders that affect how you feel emotionally and they can disrupt your ability to function. Examples of mood disorders include
Major depression – the individual is no longer interested in and does not enjoy activities and events that they previously liked. There are extreme or prolonged periods of sadness.
Bipolar disorder – previously known as manic-depressive illness, or manic depression. The individual switches from episodes of euphoria (mania) to depression (despair).
Persistent depressive disorder – previously known as dysthymia, this is mild chronic (long term) depression. The patient has similar symptoms to major depression but to a lesser extent.
SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – a type of major depression that is triggered by lack of daylight. It is most common in countries far from the equator during late autumn, winter, and early spring.
Bipolar and related disorders. This class includes disorders with alternating episodes of mania — periods of excessive activity, energy and excitement — and depression.
- Other Depressive disorders, not all inclusive:
- Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Disruptive Mood Regulation Disorder
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by the anticipation of future danger or misfortune, along with excessive worrying. It can include behavior aimed at avoiding situations that cause anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common types of mental illness. The individual has a severe fear or anxiety, which is linked to certain objects or situations. Most people with an anxiety disorder will try to avoid exposure to whatever triggers their anxiety. Examples of anxiety disorders include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Continual worry, feeling nervous and on-edge, difficulty concentrating, fearful that something awful might happen
Phobias – these may include simple phobias (a disproportionate fear of objects), social phobias (fear of being subject to the judgment of others), and agoraphobia (dread of situations where getting away or breaking free may be difficult). We really do not know how many phobias there are – there could be thousands of types.
Panic disorder – the person experiences sudden paralyzing terror or a sense of imminent disaster.
Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
These disorders involve preoccupations or obsessions and repetitive thoughts and actions. The person has obsessions and compulsions. In other words, constant stressful thoughts (obsessions), and a powerful urge to perform repetitive acts, such as hand washing (compulsion).
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Hoarding disorder
• Hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania).
Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
These are adjustment disorders in which a person has trouble coping during or after a stressful life event. Examples include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute
stress disorder. This can occur after somebody has been through a traumatic event – something horrible or frightening that they experienced or witnessed. During this type of event, the person thinks that their life or other people’s lives are in danger. They may feel afraid or feel that they have no control over what is happening.
Dissociative disorders
These are disorders in which your sense of self is disrupted, such as with dissociative identity disorder and dissociative amnesia.
Somatic symptom and related disorders
A person with one of these disorders may have physical symptoms with no clear medical cause, but the disorders are associated with significant distress and impairment. The disorders include somatic symptom disorder (previously known as hypochondriasis) and factitious disorder.
Feeding and eating disorders
These disorders include disturbances related to eating such as:
Anorexia nervosa
Binge-eating disorder
Elimination disorders
These disorders relate to the inappropriate elimination of urine or stool by accident or on purpose. Bedwetting (enuresis) is an example.
Sleep-wake disorders
These are disorders of sleep severe enough to require clinical attention, such as insomnia, sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
Sexual dysfunctions
These include disorders of sexual response, such as premature ejaculation and female orgasmic disorder.
Gender dysphoria
This refers to the distress that accompanies a person’s stated desire to be another gender.
Disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disorders
These disorders include problems with emotional and behavioral self-control, such as kleptomania or intermittent explosive disorder.
Substance-related and addictive disorders
These include problems associated with the excessive use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and drugs. This class also includes gambling disorder.
Personality disorders
A personality disorder involves a lasting pattern of emotional instability and unhealthy behavior that causes problems in your life and
relationships. Personality disorders include the Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Anti-social, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive types, and others.
Paraphilic disorders
These disorders include sexual interest that causes personal distress or impairment or causes potential or actual harm to another person. Examples are sexual sadism disorder, voyeuristic disorder and pedophilic disorder.
Neurocognitive disorders
Neurocognitive disorders affect your ability to think and reason. These acquired (rather than developmental) cognitive problems include delirium, as well as neurocognitive disorders due to conditions or diseases such as traumatic brain injury or Alzheimer’s disease.
Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
Psychotic disorders cause detachment from reality — such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking and speech. The most notable example is schizophrenia, although other classes of disorders can be times.
Neurodevelopmental disorders
This class covers a wide range of problems that usually begin in infancy or childhood, often before the child begins grade school. Examples include autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disorders.
Other mental disorders
This class includes mental disorders that are due to other medical conditions or that don’t meet the full criteria for one of the above disorders.
