Understanding Mental Health Disorders
First off, to understand mental health conditions, we need to understand the state of mental well-being in America. Surprisingly, over 50 million Americans suffer from mental health conditions each year. Additionally, youth mental health is on the decline. Furthermore, nearly half of adults with a mental health disorder also have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. Unfortunately, lack of access to care, combined with a shortage of providers, means millions of people go untreated. For many, the stigma associated with mental illness prevents them from seeking help.
What is a Mental Health Disorder?
Mental illness is a health condition that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought, emotion or behavior. A disorder occurs when the illness creates an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines. Mental health conditions can be disorders of mood, behavioral, developmental, or brain.
Types of Mental Health Disorders
There are over 200 types of classified mental health disorders. The most commonly recognized disorders include anxiety and depression. Also, bipolar, eating, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Phobias, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Schizophrenia are common.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the reference manual mental health professionals and physicians use to diagnose mental disorders in the United States. In their latest edition, new disorders were made official including hoarding disorder, binge eating disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Additionally, the World Health Organization also lists hundreds of mental health disorders and recently added gaming disorder to their list. Also, more rare disorders include postpartum psychosis, which occurs in only one in every thousand women who give birth.
Serious mental health disorders may require rehabilitation in a residential treatment center. Mental health rehab can be essential to the well being of a person with a mental or emotional disorder. If you or someone you love is in a crisis, call us today at 714.375.1110. We can help!