Mental Illness Test

This may come as a surprise, but mental health experts claim that one in four people suffer from a mental illness each year. As much as five percent of the population is afflicted with a serious, long-term mental illness. Here is a mental disorders list with the most common conditions explained.

Anxiety Disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an umbrella term used to describe a number of different anxiety problems such as phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and anxiety attacks. Anxiety refers to feelings of tension and worry that get so out of hand they make it hard to function normally.
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Exactly how many people are mentally ill? What are the most common mental illnesses? How do mental illnesses affect men, women, seniors and children differently? For answers to these questions and more, here are some illuminating mental illness statistics.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the number of people in the United States who experience a mental health problem each year is now 1 in 3, which means a huge increase from its 2004 statistic of 1 in 4.
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Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that affects a large segment of the population. It’s an anxiety disorder where worry, fear, and nervous tension are so bad that you perform repetitive behaviors to make those feelings go away.

The negative thoughts you suffer from are extremely upsetting. They’re called obsessions and they rarely leave your mind for any length of time. You create rituals which banish these thoughts from your mind temporarily. OCD can be debilitating and seriously interfere with your daily life. For some sufferers, whole days can be consumed by their obsessions.

What Does OCD Look Like?

What’s the nature of these obsessions? They differ from person to person. Each sufferer has their own, but some examples include:
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Schizoaffective disorder is a major mental illness that is usually debilitating for its sufferers. It’s a combination of two types of mental illnesses – schizophrenia and affective (mood) disorder. This mood disorder may be something like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Fewer than 1 in 200 people suffer from this mental illness, but it has a huge impact on every aspect of their lives.

The Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder

If you suffer from schizoaffective disorder, you’ll exhibit symptoms of both schizophrenia and mood disorder. Schizophrenia symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech or behavior.
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A significantly large number of the population suffers from mental illnesses. These illnesses range from slight annoyances to serious, debilitating conditions. Here are the most common types of mental illnesses and how they affect those who suffer from them.

Anxiety Disorders

When you suffer from an anxiety disorder, fear, dread worry, nervousness and panic rule your daily life. While these feelings are normal in all of us, a person with anxiety disorder feels them when it’s not appropriate to. They get so out of hand that they interfere with your daily life.

 
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Major depressive disorder is a serious mental illness that’s characterized by persistent blue moods, low self-esteem, and a lack of pleasure in things you’ve always enjoyed. If you suffer from this illness, you may have trouble doing everyday things and feel that life isn’t worth living.

We all get the blues sometimes, but major depressive disorder is the blues on a whole other level. This is when it’s so bad you need to see a doctor. The common symptoms of major depressive disorder include:
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All of us feel stress and anxiety in our daily lives. It’s completely natural. But when anxiety is persistent and debilitating, it could be a sign of a mental illness known as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This disorder is marked by excessive worry that’s caused by nothing at all. You obsess over ‘what if’ scenarios and your fear won’t leave you alone.

Is It Normal or GAD?

There are several ways to know whether your anxiety is normal or a sign of generalized anxiety disorder:

• There is no reason for your worrying, or you worry about things that could happen but haven’t already.
• Your worry is constant and never seems to leave you alone.
• You’re restless, edgy and irritable. You may find yourself easily startled.
• You have physical symptoms like headaches, sweating, and nausea.
• You constantly feel like you have to go to the bathroom.
• You feel tired and drained much of the time.
• Your worry affects other areas of your life negatively.

 
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Throughout history, people with mental illnesses have shaped out world and they continue to do so today. It’s remarkable that people who suffer from such adversity can make an impact on our lives. Here are 9 famous people who have suffered from mental illnesses.

Sir Isaac Newton

The scientist who brought us the modern calendar and the gravitational relationship between the earth and moon often flew into wild rages against anyone who disagreed with him. The first scientist to be knighted by the Queen of English for his world-changing work, he would probably be diagnosed as bipolar if he were alive today.
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Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by extreme swings in mood, energy level, and cognitive ability. These dramatic swings are much more serious than the usual ups and downs everyone experiences. A person who is bipolar can go from manically happy and energized to so depressed they can’t even move. These swings can be quick or very long-lasting.

The Damage Done by Bipolar Disorder
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The exact cause of most mental illnesses is unknown, but there are many known factors at play. These can be biological, psychological or environmental. The cause varies from person to person and it can be complicated. For most people who suffer from mental illnesses, the cause is some combination of these factors.

Genetic Factors

Most mental illnesses run in families. Twin studies have shown that there is a definite genetic factor. While your family history doesn’t necessarily cause you to have the illness as well, it does put you at greater risk for developing it. In the case of schizophrenia, for example, people with close relatives that have the disorder are ten times more likely to develop it themselves. Chronic depression and bipolar disorder are similar.
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