It¡¯s Not Just Depression, Here¡¯s What You Need To Know About The Types Of Mental Illnesses

Around 450 million people are suffering from mental illnesses worldwide, while close to a 100 million people suffer from some form of mental disorder in India itself. While this surge in numbers has made it one of the leading causes for ill health and disability, according to World Health Organisation, sadly, often times the symptoms go unnoticed.

That¡¯s possibly because mental health is mostly recognised as a real issue only in certain metropolitan cities in the country. They either go unrecognised or a person might get categorised as either normal or mad in the smaller tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

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Awareness concerning mental health disorders, such as depression might be on the rise, but there are so many other mental health disorders that most people are not aware of. Did you know that there are 300 mental disorders that are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and Mental Disorders?

Here¡¯s what you need to know and understand about the most common types of disorders:

Anxiety disorder

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The next common mental illness after depression is anxiety disorder, so much so that one of every four Indians is affected by anxiety disorders. If a person¡¯s response is not appropriate for any situation or he cannot control his responses, such that it starts interfering with his normal functioning, there are fair chances that the person is suffering from an anxiety disorder.

People who suffer from anxiety disorder respond to situations with fear and dread. Physical signs like panic, anxiety, rapid heartbeat and sweating are some common symptoms. Types of anxiety disorder include panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, specific phobias and social anxiety disorder.

How do you deal with it: Many with anxiety disorders could progress to depression, which is the leading cause for self-harm and suicides. "The key message is that anxiety disorders cannot be ignored. Some of these people could be at the start of a depressive disorder and should be helped at the earliest," said Dr Maulik.

The key is to stop anxieties from developing into depression. "Relaxation techniques, yoga and exercises are a big help. But substance abuse, cigarettes and over-the-counter pills should be avoided," said Dr Gangadhar. However, doctors said people with most anxiety disorders could be helped easily.

While severe forms of anxiety disorder will need medication, they said that many eastern practices could help the affected persons. "Be it meditation or yoga, eastern practices help people check general anxiety or anxiety disorders," said Dr Shetty. If someone is dealing with these symptoms for more than six months, they should get it checked for generalised anxiety disorder.

Mood disorder

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Mood disorder involves a persistent feeling of either extreme sadness or extreme happiness. This disorder is also called affective disorder. Other types include depression, cyclothymic disorder and bipolar disorder. Mood variations in accordance with the environment proportionally are normal but when behavioural patterns are disproportionate, they are called abnormal mood disorder.

¡°When a mood is too low, it is known as depression and when it is too high it is called mania. The fluctuation between too high and too low is called bipolar disorder. While the high levels of mood behaviour may lead to mania, a significant fluctuation in the level of serotonin may fluctuate the mood, depending on the chemical imbalance,¡± says Dr H K Chopra, senior consultant, medicine and cardiology, Moolchand Heart Hospital, New Delhi.

How do you deal with it: The balance in the behavioural pattern is possible by optimising of lifestyle with self-discipline, regulated daily routine such as exercise, daily walks, sports, meditation and practising of all eight limbs of yoga¡ªyama, niyama, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi¡ªmeticulously may help in balancing the mood.

Eating the right food at the right time and in right dosage and consumption of satvik food enhance mood balance. Tamsik food may distort the mood. Excessive smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse may also be responsible for mood disorders. Therefore, perfection in the mindset is the key to have perfection in the mood. Following a meticulous lifestyle may reduce the requirement for mood stabilisation medication.

Impulse control and addiction disorder

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The most common symptom of impulse control disorder is the inability to control urges and impulses that can harm someone or oneself. Stealing and compulsive gambling are two common examples. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is also quite common. People suffering from this addiction get so involved, that they forget their responsibilities and relationships.

Researchers have found multiple mental disorders that have been caused by the rise in humans¡¯ use of internet and technology. The most common ones include modern day disorders, such as 'Selfitis' and the ¡®Google Effect¡¯.

Psychotic disorders

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Hallucination is the most common symptom of psychotic disorder. People suffering from this, experience sounds and see images that are not real and believe them to be true. Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder.

A study published recently in the peer-reviewed Indian Journal of Psychiatry found that public attitude towards the subject was correlated to religion, gender, education level and access to healthcare. Based on the response received, on a median scale of one to five, we arrived at a mean score of around three¡ªone being positive perception and five, negative," said neuro-psychiatrist Dr A K Tandon of AKT Neuropsychiatric Centre, Allahabad.

How do you deal with it: Psychotic symptoms can include detachment from reality, hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, and lack of motivation or emotion. Until now, treatments for trauma in psychosis have focused on post-traumatic stress disorder rather than specific symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.

"When young people come to youth mental health services, we should be assessing for trauma and for emerging psychotic symptoms, and treating them as soon as they emerge," says Sarah Bendall, head of trauma research at Orygen, a mental health service in Australia. Bendall said the new research would not only help refine treatments for patients with psychotic disorders but may also help to empower young patients.

Eating disorder

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Approximately 20 million people, half women and half men will develop some or the other eating disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Eating disorder can be considered as a mental disorder in which the person suffering from it shows a persistent pattern of unhealthy eating,

Extreme emotions and attitude towards food and weight are common symptoms of eating disorder. People suffering from eating disorder either eat a lot or do not eat at all. Some of the examples are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

How do you deal with it: For all the three eating disorders, the first thing to do is to change the behaviour of the person suffering from it. This is mostly done through methods like cognitive behavioural therapy paired with regular physician and nutritionists' care. When this doesn¡¯t work, the patients are monitored 24 hours and reintroduced to normal eating.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

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A condition that is developed following a traumatic or terrifying event is called PTSD. The unexpected death of a loved one, natural disaster, sexual harassment are some examples of events that can lead to PTSD. People suffering from the condition can have frightening thoughts and memories of what happened, which can makes them emotionally numb at the moment.

It was only in 1980 that PTSD was recognised as a health condition; a condition that occurs because of the prolonged exposure to a traumatic event. Interestingly, earlier, this health condition was called by different names such as, ¡®soldier¡¯s heart¡¯ during the American Civil War, ¡®combat fatigue¡¯ during World War I and ¡®gross stress reaction¡¯ during World War II.

How do you deal with it: In the initial phase, some medications may be required to reduce the arousal and panic. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavior therapy and EMDR are quite effective in dealing with specific symptoms of trauma such as avoidance, flashbacks and arousal. Psychodynamic therapy is helpful in understanding and working through the personality changes, which occur after a traumatic event.

It is important to understand that recovery will take time. Encourage yourself to get back to normal life but do not push it. The unpleasant emotions and psychological symptoms take a long time to heal and settle down. Seeking support from family members, friends, survivor groups and psychologist speeds up recovery.

Personality disorder

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People suffering from personality disorder have extreme personality traits which are distressing to the other person and may cause a problem in a social setting. A person¡¯s behaviour is so rigid and different from what people expect that it interferes with their normal functioning. While the causes of borderline personality disorder are not fully understood, it has been linked to a combination of biological factors, childhood trauma and abuse.

Borderline personality disorder (BDP) is a serious mental illness that is characterised by unstable moods and emotions, distorted self-image and pervasive patterns of instability in behaviour and interpersonal relationships. These patients are frequently misunderstood for their erratic behavioural patterns. It is their emotional instability that causes stressful mental and behavioural problems.

How do you deal with it: Early diagnoses and effective treatment can help BDP patients control their mood swings better. Therefore, it is important that one must analyse the signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder to begin early treatment.

Living with borderline personality disorder can be a stressful experience and needs immediate medical attention. If you or someone you know tests positive for the above mentioned signs, consult a doctor for the right treatment.

Other types of disorders

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Stress response syndrome: Developing behavioural symptoms in response to a stressful event is called stress response syndrome. The problem starts within three months of the event and may last till six months.

Dissociative disorders: As the name suggests, this disorder makes people suffer severe changes in memory, identity and their surroundings. This may happen due to too much stress.

Sexual and gender disorders: The condition affects sexual desire, behaviour and performance. Sexual dysfunction and paraphilia are two common examples.