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9 COMMON TYPES OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Mental health is an aspect of well-being that constitutes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is a phase of health that coordinates thinking, behaviors, and emotions. All of our daily activities involve our mental strength. 

The presence of illness can develop into mental health problems. It is also called a mental illness or mental disorder. It happens in children, teenagers, and adults. The presence of other medical conditions in the body can lead to mental illness. Some mental illnesses can be so severe that it leads to other mental disorders. People with mental illness develop crises in their relationships with people, at work, and in physical health.

Mental health problems tend to set in when the demand is more than an individual’s capacity. Mental health is simply achieving equilibrium with life activities, responsibilities, and efforts.

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Causes and risk factors of mental health problems

Various factors contribute to the development of mental illnesses. The causes can be more than one in an individual. The more the risk factors, the higher the chances of developing problems. Mental illness does not discriminate between age, race, and sex. It affects everyone. The causes and risk factors include:

• Environment
• Early abuses and trauma such as sexual assault, bullying, or violence
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Genetic such as a family history of mental health problems
• Chemical imbalance in the brain
• Chronic health issues such as cancer, diabetes, and so on 
• Natural disasters such as fire outbreak experience or flooding
• Unhealthy habits
• Negative thoughts

All these factors can determine the severity of the illness. 

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Types of mental health problems.

Anxiety disorder

It is a common illness commonly found in teenagers and younger adults. Individuals with this illness find it hard to control or access situations that lead to fear responses. It results in anticipation of danger with physical symptoms of muscle tiredness, restlessness, nightmares, poor concentration, diarrhea, confusion, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, disturbed sleeping patterns, and sweat. It is associated with the development of phobias. 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD

It is a double-phase mental health problem. As the name implies, it involves obsessive and compulsive behavior. Individuals get obsessed with unnecessary thoughts and compulsive with time-consuming routines. It is associated with fears. It brings back disturbing images, impulses, and thinking. 

It causes a shift in the brain center that creates the urge to repeat a routine till there’s satisfaction. It is related to anxiety disorder. People with OCD find it hard to keep social and career life.

Posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD 

PTSD is usually a result of trauma from intimidating or frightening events such as sexual assault, natural disasters, or the death of loved ones. The mind keeps the event fixed in mind for a lasting memory. It can be related to psychological torture with symptoms like anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and fragmented thoughts. PTSD leads to poor coordination of the body and poor cognition. 

Depression

Depression is known to be increasing among younger adults and adolescents. It is associated with several medical conditions examples are peptic ulcers and liver diseases. It shows different symptoms in individuals with sudden mood changes. 

Symptoms are sadness, extreme excitement, low energy, loss of appetite, loss of interest, suicidal thoughts, and lack of sleep. The individual develops low self-esteem, self-reproach, and low cognitive capacity.

Personality disorder

This illness makes its patient have a different belief, more like a different perspective of society and community. It results in a life crisis and hinders self-realization with a series of emotional instability. Patients get sensitive to situations that threaten the environment. They lose control of their impulses and emotions. They are often isolated from the public. 

Psychotic disorder

It is also known as psychosis. An example of a psychotic disorder is schizophrenia. It is often caused by imagining unreal images or objects- hallucinations and false beliefs and facts- delusions due to damage to the nervous system. This mental health problem keeps the mind of its patient wandering away from reality. Psychosis symptoms are uncontrolled thinking, impaired judgment, lack of motivation, withdrawal into isolation, and emotional and behavioral disorders. Other examples of psychotic disorders are Korsakoff’s syndrome and bipolar disorder. 

Bipolar disorder

This mental health problem contains two opposite psychological conditions- they are depression and manic. In most cases, the symptoms of the two overlap each other. It involves two types – bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. They include mixed manic and depressive episodes and low levels of maniac and major depressive episodes respectively. It has no unknown causes and is considered a threat to surrounding persons and the community at large.

Mood disorder

It is also called an affective disorder. This illness is associated with moods- a colorful covering for our emotions and a long persistent period of sadness and happiness. It is related to depression and bipolar I and II disorder. 

Paranoia

Paranoia is a critical mental health problem that requires immediate treatment. The patient feels insecure every moment, persecutory, and delusional. They see every person has an antagonist trying to hurt them, so they become impulsive. It leads to trust issues with friends and family.

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Common signs and symbols of mental health problems

There are numerous signs and symptoms associated with mental health problems. Here’s a list of the common ones:

• Excessive paranoia
• Unnecessary worries and anxieties
• Isolation and loneliness
• Mood swings
• Impaired sleeping pattern
• Loss of appetite
• Period of sadness
• Irritation
• Poor sense of judgment
• Violence
• Tiredness
• Insomnia
• Excess drug and alcohol intake
• Suicidal thoughts
• Low sexual drive
• Weight fluctuation
• Hallucination and delusional 
• Sluggishness 

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Treatment of mental health problems

The treatments for mental health problems differ in their types and severity. In critical conditions, treatments get combined to treat the illnesses.

During the period of treatment, supports should be from all sides. Your family, friends, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, nurses, and pharmacist must work together for better results. Treatments include:

Medication: drugs do not cure mental health issues but help alleviate some of the symptoms. For cases with combined treatment, the use of drugs contributes to the effectiveness. Before using any medications. The types of medications include:

• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics medications 
• Antianxiety drugs
• Mood stabilizing medications.

Psychotherapy: this is an effective method mostly used for treating mental issues. It is a therapy session with your psychotherapist, where patients share their feelings, noticeable changes, and disturbing reactions. It is usually a long-term treatment that helps to assemble the mind. 

Brain stimulating treatment: it is usually recommended by doctors when medications and psychotherapy. This treatment includes electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. 

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Prevention of mental health problems

Preventing mental health problems is expected of everyone. It is a way of maintaining overall wellness- emotional, physical, social, and mental health. Preventing tips include:

• Always express your feelings or emotions in words. Talk about how you feel about people.
• Ensure you have regular sleep. It sharpens your mind, renews your body, and builds immunity.
• Be intentional about your diet. Eat real and healthy meals.
• Engage yourself in physical activities often. Staying active helps with concentration.
• Care for others around you. 

In conclusion,

Mental health constitutes overall well-being. Mental illnesses tend to affect our physical health. It is advisable to prevent any form of illness. By doing so, the whole body stays healthy. Your wealth is your wealth. 

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Types of mental health problem FAQs

What are the types of mental health problems?

Mental illness involves various types somewhat linked together. They include anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder, psychosis, personality disorder, mood disorder, bipolar disorder, and paranoia. They are deviations from mental well-being that can reflect in the overall wellness. 

What are the common signs and symptoms of mental health problems?

There are several warning signs and symptoms of mental disorders. These signs can be degrading and discomforting and linked to physical symptoms. They are anxiety, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, hallucination, delusion, mood change, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, loss of appetite, irritation, extreme sadness, restlessness, and weight changes. It can develop in any age, sex or ethnicity. 

What are the causes of mental health problems?

The causes of mental illness are present in everyone, but the chances differ among individuals. Mental disorders are associated with several risk factors and causes, such as genetics, environment, brain chemical imbalance, drugs and alcohol, chronic medical conditions, violence, unhealthy habits, environment, and mental exposure to trauma and abuse. 

How to improve your mental health?

Mental health issues are a crisis that develops gradually from causes and risk factors. It can be improved by talking about your feelings, filling your table with healthy meals, engaging in regular exercise to stay active, listening to cool music, quitting smoking and reducing your alcohol intake, regular medical checkups, and avoiding multitasking. 

Is mental stress related to mental health issues?

Yes, they are related. Stress is the pressure we experience in our daily life. It causes fear, worry, anxiety, and even sadness. It is advisable to sketch out an effective way to manage your stress. It leads to degrading health status.