Mental illness is something that affects people everywhere. No age, race, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status is immune. While you can’t always tell which types of mental health disorders Portland, Oregon residents deal with most, it is helpful to learn about the types of mental illness that exist.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is defined as a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior. These conditions, which can be long-lasting or occasional, can affect a person’s ability to function each day, and even relate to others. There are almost 300 of these disorders recognized by the bible of mental health, the DSM-5.
10 Common Mental Health Disorders
It may be surprising to know that the types of mental illness listed in the DSM-5 include things like:
- Autism
- Eating disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Kleptomania and other impulse-control disorders
- PMS
- Dementia
But these are not the ones that are most commonly associated with drug and alcohol use. When exploring the connection between addiction and mental health disorders, knowing the common types of mental illness can be helpful.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
This disorder most often starts in childhood and can continue through to adulthood. With ADHD, people will often have trouble paying attention, be overly active, or have difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors.
Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
After a traumatic event, such as war, abuse, a serious accident, or a natural disaster, people who deal with PTSD may have trouble coping with everyday life due to stress brought about from reliving the event. They may experience nightmares, mood instability, panic, or fear.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes intense feelings of sadness, lack of interest, and an inability to cope with daily demands. It is one of the most common mental illnesses affecting Americans today.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is different than just being anxious about one thing or knowing the cause of your anxiety, like claustrophobia. This type of anxiety is overwhelming, often long-lasting, and involves ongoing feelings of anxiousness about a wide variety of issues.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
With OCD, a person is plagued with repeated, unwanted thoughts. These thoughts are eased by doing a task repeatedly. Anxiety is a common symptom.
Somatic Symptom Disorders
When a person experiences physical symptoms of illness or pain and has an excessive reaction, but a doctor cannot find a medical cause for the symptoms, this disorder is the result. This disorder can make the person feel ‘crazy’ and misunderstood.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
A person who has a dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is one that suffers from disturbances in memory, consciousness, identity, or general awareness of their surroundings or themselves.
Insomnia Disorder
This is a type of sleep disorder that affects most people at some point in their lives. It becomes an official disorder of its own when it is accompanied by significant distress or impairment over time.
Borderline Personality Disorder
BPD is identified in a person that has severe, unstable mood swings, poor self-image, stormy relationships, or is impulsive and unpredictable.
Mental Illness and Addiction
Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. According to the National Alliance of Mental Health, 9.2 million U.S. adults experience the conditions together. In fact, substance abuse is actually classified as a mental illness, too, and falls under Addictive Disorders. With half of all chronic mental illness beginning by age 14 and three-quarters starting by age 24, the problem cannot be ignored.
Getting Help
Knowing you’re not alone can be helpful, but when seeking help for addiction, it’s crucial to go to a place that understands the connection to mental illness so that you can get fully on the road to recovery. At Crestview Recovery, we provide the support you need to heal. To learn more, please call us at 866.262.0531.
