Mental disorder or mental illness is a pertinent topic that has got people talking in current times more than ever. It is no more a taboo of a thing that it used to be. As people are recognizing the need to build awareness around the topic, here’s the complete A-Z guide to start with. 

Mental illness is a condition where an individual’s mental ability to perform optimally gets affected negatively. Such a disorder results in changes in behavior, mood, and thinking. There are many forms of existing mental problems, ranging from — depression, insomnia, anxiety, phobia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, hallucinations, and much more.

This is quite a number! The biggest problem of people dealing with mental problems is that they do not even know that they are being affected. The refusive behavior is the biggest enemy that lends a hand at worsening the mental health issue. But, the sooner you move towards acceptance, the sooner you can pave your path towards recovery.

What are mental disorders?

A mental disorder or mental illness can be defined as a — psychological condition where the mind deviates from its normal functioning pattern and leads to the emergence of negative thoughts, feeling, and self-destructive behavior.

You can choose to walk yourself out of this deep dark well with the help of consultations and homeopathic treatment. We’ll get back to it, but first lets’ revisit the history of mental problems that have been coexisting with human civilization since time immemorial. 

History of mental disorder

The perceptions and treatment associated with mental disorders have come a long way since its inception. From being treated as a supernatural event to the progression of medical therapies around mental illnesses, it is a journey worth pondering.

In the ancient civilizations, mental problems were mostly thought to be in control of the special deities. The supernatural connection was a prevalent belief that led people to rely on supernatural remedies as well.

In the middle ages, however, people believed that people suffering from mental diseases are witches and sorcerers.

Coming to the eighteenth century, people with mental issues were treated no less than animals. Asylums were set up, but the treatment that a mental illness patient received was quite harsh and inhumane.

In the early 19th century, mental illness asylums increased in numbers in the western world as population and industrialization increased. The century also had a big breakthrough as the term psychiatry was introduced.

By the 20th century, positive development was witnessed. The first time in the history of mental problems — asylums were renamed as hospitals — people dealing with mental sickness were referred to as patients as opposed to mental or crazy. Also, new studies related to psychoanalysis were conducted — bringing a ray of hope for the distressed.

Fast forward to today, the 21st century is synonymous with broad mindsets and thinking. People are vocal about mental illness and the power of healing. The normalization of mental problems has led more people to come out and speak for themselves. It is not just science, but people’s perception is also progressing. Today, people hesitate less when it comes to treating mental illness. A positive change indeed!

Types - There are hundreds of mental problems that fall under different categories. Here’s a glimpse into each of the categories and the corresponding mental problems it covers. 

Anxiety disorder - Anxiety refers to feelings of fear and worry resulting in panic attacks and restlessness. There are different types of anxiety disorders, such as: 

Phobias disorders - This is an anxiety disorder where an individual has a fear of getting into a specific situation or a particular object. Common examples of phobia are fear of heights (Acrophobia) or closed places (claustrophobia).

Panic disorders - This is a type of disorder that results in frequent panic attacks. Panic disorders make one feel fearful of everything around them, which further leads to shaking, sweating, shortness of breath, and even temporary paralysis.

Agoraphobia disorder - This is a situation where you might feel unsafe of the environment you are exposed to, followed by hopelessness. You think that there is no way out, thus leading to anxiety.

Obsessive-compulsive disorders - This is a type of anxiety disorder where a person performs certain activities repeatedly or experiences certain thoughts repeatedly. With OCD, it becomes tricky to control thoughts and actions.

Post traumatic stress disorder - This anxiety disorder occurs after going through a traumatic incident such as loss of a loved one, sexual assault, an accident, or child abuse. The result of such anxiety includes — disturbing dreams and thoughts and fear for life. 

Mood disorder - Mood disorder refers to prolonged sadness, hopelessness, and lost interest in life. If left untreated, this can also lead to suicide. The various types of mood disorders include: 

Depression - Depression can be characterized by — sadness, seclusion, mood swings, unhappiness, insomnia, eating disorder, and loss of self—worth and concentration. The major symptom of depression is anhedonia,i.e., loss of interest in simple pleasures of life. According to WHO’s study, women are more affected by depression than men.

Bipolar disorder - This type of mood disorder is characterized by depression and unusually elevated moods. If one feels unusually happy, irritating, excited, and energetic, the disorder is called mania. On the other hand, if the feelings are not that severe, the disorder is termed as hypomania.

Dysthymia - This mood disorder is also known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and is similar to depression. The only difference is that the symptoms persist for longer periods. In other words, it can be referred to as a chronic disorder with symptoms existing for over two years. 

Personality disorder - This type of mental issue refers to a situation where a person behaves against the normality of the culture they grow up in. Such a behavior can be termed as maladaptive. The various types of personality disorders include:

PDD - When an individual is constantly suspicious about people around them and misinterprets them as conspiring against him, it is termed as Paranoid Personality Disorder. The biggest trait of PDD is mistrust.

SPD - If an individual discards social gatherings and relationships, they are likely to be suffering from Schizoid Personality Disorder. The SPDians tend to love solitude and usually showcase emotional coldness and lack of apathy.

ASPD - When an individual showcases violence and unacceptance of one’s rights, it is termed as an antisocial personality disorder. The most common traits of ASPDians include — aggressiveness, violence, low morality, and history of crimes.

OCPD - This type of personality disorder is quite prevalent. OCPD relates to feeling the excessive need for cleanliness and perfectionism. If things go hay—wired, it is more likely to constantly irritate a person’s conscience until it is fixed.

BPD - This type of personality disorder is related to emotional instability. The toxic environment often lends a hand at making BPD worse, which might result in self-harm or harm to others. The most common feelings associated with borderline are — feeling a void, loneliness, and unacceptance towards reality. 

Psychotic disorder - This type of mental issue refers to a situation where a person behaves against the normality of the culture they grow up in. Such a behavior can be termed as maladaptive. The various types of personality disorders include:

Schizophrenia - When psychosis becomes a constant and recurring part of one’s life, it is called schizophrenia. The common symptoms include — hearing voices as a part of hallucinations, disoriented thinking process, delusions, and apathy.

Schizoaffective disorder - This is a psychotic disorder that is associated with unstable thoughts and mood. If an individual shows psychotic symptoms for over two weeks, they are likely to suffer from SAD. 

Sleeping disorder - Deviation from normal sleep patterns is termed as a sleep disorder. There are generally two types of sleeping disorders that exist.

Insomnia - This refers to a lack of sleep or sleeping very less in a way that the body gets deprived of the rest it needs.

Hypersomnia - This refers to oversleeping and daytime sleeping. This could be due to one’s choice to stay away from the reality and the mental agonies they suffer. 

Eating disorder - Eating patterns and habits also help in identifying one’s state of mind. The more abnormal the eating patterns, the more are the chances of negative effects on the mind and body. Here are some of the common eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa - This type of eating disorder relates to low weight as a result of eating too little. The disorder accompanies the fear of gaining weight, which causes an individual to eat consciously.

Bulimia nervosa - This type of eating disorder relates to binge eating, which results in eating way too much in a small amount of time. Bulimia also refers to purging, i.e., the act of trying to get rid of consumed food. This is either done by vomiting or sticking to laxatives’ consumption.