Mental health conditions
Serious mental health conditions affect millions of people across the United States and the entire world.
It is estimated that 26.2% of Americans ages 18 and older—about one in four adults—suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
Of this percentage, about 6%, or 1 in 17 Americans, suffer from a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
It’s important to know that these serious mental health conditions are brain disorders. They may be due to environmental or genetic factors. No particular family member did anything to cause them; nobody did anything wrong to acquire a mental illness.
Understanding and knowledge are important steps toward empowerment. The more engaged people become—and the more they learn about their mental health condition—the more prepared they will be to develop a comprehensive treatment plan and begin the lifelong process of mental health recovery.
Remember, information is always evolving. There’s a lot of information out there – so it’s helpful to keep up with the latest information and research from credible sources.
ADHD stands for Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It used to be called ADD, but since hyperactivity (what the “H” stands for) was found to present without inattention in certain people, the disorder was renamed in recent years.
Impulsive behaviors often accompany other ADHD symptoms.
You may hear that ADHD is found mostly in kids, but 50% of children do not outgrow it, but instead turn into adults with primarily inattentive symptoms.
Addictions to prescription or illegal drugs and alcohol are disorders listed as mental health disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM 5). Depending on your drug of choice, you can experience severe, sometimes life-threatening symptoms.
Most addicts and substance abusers also struggle with a co-occurring disorder. Meaning, they also have depression, anxiety, bipolar, or another untreated illness on top of addiction.
The more treatment you can receive to treat addiction, the better. From medical detox to outpatient counseling, it is beneficial to seek support.
Anxiety disorders can include a wide range of symptoms, from generalized worry to panic attacks. Fear, dread, inability to sleep, post-traumatic stress, nightmares, racing thoughts, and phobias are further symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.
A mental health specialist can assess your symptoms to determine the specific type you may be struggling with.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, previously called manic depression, is a brain disorder that affects mood. It is much more serious than just having minor changes in mood from time to time. A person with bipolar disorder experiences extreme highs and lows.
Scientists don’t know for sure what causes bipolar disorder, but they think it may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. In bipolar disorder, mood shifts are severe and can happen throughout a person’s lifetime. These symptoms can affect a person’s ability to do his or her job well as well as have an effect on his or her relationships, school, work, and finances.
The average age of onset for bipolar disorder is 20. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. First-degree biological relatives such as siblings and offspring of someone with bipolar disorder are more likely to develop the illness than the general population.
The good news is that once properly diagnosed, bipolar disorder can be managed. With a combination of treatment that may include medication and psychotherapy, many people with bipolar disorder are able to participate in daily activities and live productive and meaningful lives.
A borderline personality disorder is said to make a person unable to maintain positive social relationships. You become emotionally unstable, impulsive, and your self-image is damaged.
Your moods may range from having a fear of abandonment to explosive anger outbursts. Moods like this are typically uncontrollable. Severe borderline can leave you feeling paranoid.
Depression affects millions of adolescents and adults across America and globally. The symptoms can vary for each. Some may feel sadness and become tearful for no apparent reason. Some find themselves sleeping more than usual, with a feeling of dread each time they think about starting their day.
Severe depression may leave some feeling hopeless or having thoughts of suicide.
Ketamine therapy is a new treatment we offer in our office that research has shown alleviates many negative symptoms of depression and thoughts of self-harm.
Anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder are the most common eating disorders. Many people with eating disorders feel out of control in other areas of their life. The one thing they can control is the food that enters or exits their body.
With anorexia, calorie restriction is the main objective. With bulimia, a person will binge eat and ingest enormous amounts of calories. Once they are done binging, they will feel guilty and the overwhelming need to purge the food they consumed.
Binge-eating disorder involves consuming large amounts of food but without the purging. The guilt is severe, however.
PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder can happen if you have experienced traumatic events. War combat, sexual abuse, and natural disasters are examples of traumas that can lead to PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD include severe anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, and the inability to control your thoughts about the trauma. You may feel overwhelmed by thoughts and memories surrounding the trauma you survived.
There is a new treatment method showing significant progress with PTSD. It is called EMDR or eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing. It must be done by a licensed EMDR specialist, however
What Is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder. It can affect the ability to think clearly, manage feelings, make decisions, and relate to other people. It affects about 1% of the population – about 2.4 million American adults. It occurs equally in both men and women. The onset of schizophrenia usually occurs between the late teens and the mid-30s.
Siblings and offspring of people who have schizophrenia have a 10 times greater risk for the condition than the general population. What that means is that if a parent has schizophrenia, a child of that person has a 10 times greater risk of developing the condition. Nobody yet knows exactly how schizophrenia happens, or why.
In most people, the symptoms tend to have a gradual onset. Once symptoms of schizophrenia begin, it is usually a lifelong illness. Research suggests that schizophrenia may be caused by too many or too few chemicals in the brain. These chemicals are thought to control emotions, motivation, movement, and how people experience the world around them. A problem with these chemicals may cause messages in the brain to get mixed up and bring about symptoms.
The good news is that, once properly diagnosed, schizophrenia can be managed. With a combination of treatment that may include medication and psychotherapy, many people with schizophrenia are able to participate in daily activities and live productive and meaningful lives.
What Is Schizoaffective Disorder?
A person who has schizoaffective disorder experiences symptoms of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder (major depressive, manic, or mixed episode). The disorder is seen all over the world, affecting 2 to 5 in 1,000 people (0.2 – 0.5 % of the population).
Once properly diagnosed, schizoaffective disorder can be managed. With a combination of treatment that may include medication and psychosocial interventions, many people with schizoaffective disorder are able to participate in daily activities and live productive and meaningful lives.
Diagnosing Schizoaffective Disorder
The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder include:
- A significant period of time when symptoms of psychosis and mood (either mania, depression, or both) are experienced at the same time
- At least 2 weeks of hallucinations and delusions without any mood symptoms; however, mood symptoms are present for a substantial portion of the illness
A Brighter Tomorrow Begins Today
These mental health disorders are treatable, and the team of professionals at EQCS can provide a range of effective options—from medication management to Outpatient Therapy.
You can begin improving your mental health today by reaching out for support. With our new Telehealth Services, you can even access care without leaving your home.
Take the first step toward healing and wellness by connecting with a mental health center in your area.
