Guide To The Types Of Mental Health Conditions

Mental health conditions affect individuals all over the world, and millions in the United States alone struggle with mental health issues. Though some mental illnesses have become better understood by the mainstream media, there's still a stigma regarding mental illness. There's also a general lack of understanding about how the different types of mental health issues present and affect an individual's day-to-day life. Mental illnesses are conditions with negative effects on a patient's mood, feeling, or thinking. 

Every experience is unique regardless of whether two patients share a diagnosis. Treatment can help individuals recover and live the lives they want to. Seeking help is the most important step, and individuals need to be proactive about their mental health. A better understanding of the different types of mental illnesses can help individuals understand others and seek treatment when necessary.

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are mental health conditions that cause serious emotional disruption. Ordinarily, an individual's moods and emotions change in response to external stimulation. For example, individuals might feel irritable and tired if they're under a lot of stress. At the same time, patients should experience positive feelings in response to things like happy social interaction, hobbies, and meeting goals. Certain factors can influence mood in a neurotypical individual like nutrition, sleep, and hydration. When someone has a mood disorder, though, their emotions don't match the circumstances surrounding them. The best-known mood disorder is major depression. A depressed individual doesn't experience the same pleasure in their life as a neurotypical person does, even if they try to inject positive things. 

Another mood disorder is bipolar disorder, which combines depression and mania. Mania can include feelings of euphoria, agitation, paranoia, panic, and reduced impulse control. With bipolar disorder, the changes in mood come seemingly out of nowhere rather than having external triggers. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that occurs in the winter months, and persistent depressive disorder is a low-grade, chronic kind of depression.