Psychotic disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, dissociative disorders, and eating disorders are all types of mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that causes abnormal thoughts and perceptions. Personality disorders make it difficult for individuals to respond to life’s changes and demands, while dissociative disorders make relationships and social interaction difficult. Eating disorders have complex psychological causes and require mental health care in addition to medical care.
There are numerous types of mental illnesses, such as psychotic disorders, which are often incurable. Some people have mood disorders, which affect how they feel. Then there are the types of mental illnesses, such as personality disorders and dissociative disorders, which are characterized by an inability to treat people normally. Additionally, it may come as a surprise to learn that eating disorders are also considered a form of mental illness.
Schizophrenia is a condition that the general public may believe they are familiar with due to media publicity and the film industry. This condition belongs to a group known as psychotic disorders. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes psychotic illnesses as severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thoughts and perceptions. People suffering from these conditions may be delusional and experience hallucinations. These types of mental illnesses are often considered incurable.
Mood disorders are conditions characterized by abnormal changes in the way a person feels. These changes often reach an extreme that is unhealthy and debilitating. Examples of this type of mental illness include depression and bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic depression.
Personality disorders are conditions that are long-term and can exist throughout a person’s life. According to Mental Health America (MHA), people with these conditions tend to be inflexible, rigid, and unable to respond to life’s changes and demands. For this reason, individuals with these types of mental illnesses often exhibit abnormal behaviors that stress or damage social and intimate relationships. Examples of conditions classified in this group include narcissism and borderline personality disorder.
Dissociative disorders, while generally considered different from personality disorders, are conditions that also make relationships and social interaction difficult. Sufferers often lose touch with reality. Symptoms can include depersonalization, amnesia, and unrealistic perceptions of self-identity. The good thing about these conditions is that sufferers are commonly able, with proper treatment, to develop healthy habits that allow them to lead seemingly normal lives.
Many people may not be aware that eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and binge eating, are generally included among the types of mental illness. These conditions have not been historically and may still not be as widely accepted as some other mental conditions, but a growing amount of research shows that these disorders have complex psychological causes. While medical care is usually needed, it is believed that there can be no comprehensive treatment without mental health care.
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