Mental Disorders Overview

According to a report published by the U.S. Surgeon General, mental disorders currently ranks as second in terms of disabling illnesses. Mental disorders encompass a wide range of mental illnesses and disturbances, ranging from very mild cases to extremely severe cases. Of the many dozens of different types of mental disorders, they can be broken down into a handful of categories. These categories include anxiety disorders, childhood disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, cognitive disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders and substance related disorders.

Anxiety disorders include a variety of illnesses in which an individual experiences extreme fear related to a subject or situation. In some cases, the individual may feel fear or anxiety in which they cannot identify the source. Anxiety disorders can result from a particular terrifying experience and then develop into recurring anxiety attacks to such a degree that the individual is unable to resume normal life activities because of their fear or their concern of future panic attacks. Anxiety disorders also include social phobias in which an individual is afraid of a particular type of social situation.

Childhood disorders also include many different illnesses. One of the most common is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; a condition in which a child is unable to pay close attention to schoolwork or other activities and may be forgetful and unable to follow through with tasks. When accompanied by hyperactivity the child may experience such symptoms as frequent fidgeting, excessive talking and constant activity. In some cases the disorder may also be accompanied by impulsive actions and speech. Other types of childhood disorders include conduct disorder and oppositional defiance disorder. Conduct disorder is frequently marked by excessively aggressive and cruel actions and behavior while a child with oppositional defiance disorder will commonly display actions that are angry and resentful while defying adult rules and requests. Autism, separation anxiety disorder and Asperger's disorder are also included in the category of childhood disorders.

Eating disorders include illnesses that have received much attention in recent years; anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. While both of these disorders involve life threatening refusals to maintain normal body weight, they are characterized by different methods. Anorexia is accompanied by binge eating and purging; through various means such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of diuretics or laxatives. While bulimia is also characterized by binging and purging, anorexia is typically accompanied by an intense fear of gaining weight and the influence of the body shape on self-consciousness.

Many of the various depression related illnesses are gathered together under the category of mood disorders, including bi-polar disorder which is also known as manic-depressive disorder. Depression related disorders may be either chronic or cyclical and the severity of these disorders may range in terms of the impact they have on the ability of an individual to carry out normal life activities. Dementia and delirium are found within the category of cognitive disorders, including dementia that is related to both alcoholism and Alzheimer's disease.

All personality disorders, including those of a Schizophrenic nature, are categorized together within one single category. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also found within this category. These types of disorders may present early in life; however, they are more frequently diagnosed in late adolescence and even into adulthood. The symptoms of these disorders can range in terms of presentation and severity.

Finally, dependence upon chemical substances is found within the substance related disorder category. This includes dependence on alcohol, illegal drugs and controlled substances such as prescription medications. Dependence on nicotine is also included in this category. Dependence related disorders are often characterized by either a need for significantly increasing amounts of the substance or diminished effect with the continued use of the same amount of the substance.

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