List of Mental Health Conditions
There’s a wide variety of mental health conditions, and all of these affect you a little differently. Here are some common ones to be aware of:
Anxiety
Reacting to difficult situations or negative news by worrying or feeling nervous can often feel like a universal experience. Feeling apprehensive or fearful is even healthy when it helps you avoid potential harm. But if those thoughts are making you terribly uneasy, interfering with day-to-day activities and relationships, or causing dizziness, racing heart, or other physical symptoms, you may be living with an anxiety disorder. However, treatments like therapy and anti-anxiety medications can help you cope.
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Bipolar Disorder
Living with any mental illness can be challenging, but bipolar disorder can be especially so. One reason bipolar disorder poses challenges is that it isn’t always easy to get an accurate diagnosis. One feature of bipolar disorder is unpredictable mood swings between two opposite symptoms, depression (periods of feeling sad, hopeless, or lethargic) and mania (periods of euphoria, high energy, and impulsivity). Bipolar disorder also has three subconditions called bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder, which can sometimes make it difficult to be diagnosed correctly. An experienced mental health professional, however, can make an accurate diagnosis and develop a personalized treatment plan that helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
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Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions. However, it’s also one of the most undertreated ones since many of the signs of depression — such as feeling sad, irritable, overwhelmed, or hopeless — can easily be chalked up to everyday stress. Other common symptoms of depression include difficulty doing daily activities, losing joy in things that used to make you happy, or feeling as though life isn’t worth living. Treatment may include therapy, medications, or lifestyle changes.
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Borderline Personality Disorder
When most people feel intense emotions like sadness or anger, coping mechanisms kick in to keep their reactions in check. But for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD), they often find intense emotions so painful and difficult to contain that they may go numb, feel frantic, or do potentially harmful things like act out in a rage, drive recklessly, eat uncontrollably, or even injure themselves or attempt suicide. However, treatment is available, and with the right medications, therapy, and social support, people with BPD can regain emotional control and improve their quality of life.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD can develop in anyone who has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, including but not limited to an accident, abuse or violence, or natural disasters. This condition may cause symptoms like feeling emotionally numb, frequently having nightmares or flashbacks, or experiencing extreme anxiety, which can make it feel difficult to function. But processing your feelings through various therapy options, developing helpful coping skills, and implementing certain lifestyle changes can help you move forward after experiencing trauma.
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Schizophrenia
Hearing sounds that don’t exist, seeing things that are not there, or living with paranoid thoughts are all classic signs of schizophrenia, which is a brain disorder that usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood. This condition is linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain, as well as environmental and genetic factors. And while more research is still being conducted, antipsychotic drugs and psychosocial therapy can be effective in managing symptoms.
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However, there are several other mental health conditions that you may experience that aren’t listed here. So, if you notice changes in your emotional well-being, see a healthcare provider. They can help you understand what you’re going through, do tests to identify your symptoms, and make a diagnosis. Then they can offer treatment options or give you a referral to a specialist, and support you with your mental health journey. Help and hope are available; please don’t forget that.