Mental disorders are commonly diagnosed today, and Everyone knows to a lesser or greater extent what depression, anxiety disorder, bulimia means. etc. However, some are more common than others, making those that are more widespread deserve an extra degree of attention.
Psychopathologies affect a large number of people. In fact, experts say that one in three people suffer or will suffer from some type of mental disorder during their lifetime.
But what are the most common disorders? What are those disorders that affect the greatest number of people?
Below I present to you a brief explanation of the most common mental disorders.
1. Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a normal reaction of people to situations of stress and uncertainty. Now, a anxiety disorderIt is diagnosed when several anxious symptoms cause distress or some degree of functional impairment. in the life of the individual who suffers from it.
A person with an anxiety disorder may find it difficult to function in different areas of their life: social and family relationships, work, school, etc. There are different types of anxiety disorders:
1.1. panic attack
A panic attack is the sudden, intense onset of fear or terror, often associated with feelings of impending death. Symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain and malaise.
1.2. Phobic disorders
Many people admit that they are afraid of snakes or spiders, but they can tolerate that fear. Individuals who suffer from a phobia, on the other hand, are not able to tolerate that fear. They experience irrational fear when faced with the phobic stimulus, whether it is an object, an animal or a situation, and this usually ends in avoidance behavior.
There are different phobic stimuli that trigger this irrational fear. : flying with an airplane, driving a vehicle, elevators, clowns, dentists, blood, storms, etc. Some of the most common are:
1.2.1. Social Phobia
Social phobia is a very common anxiety disorder, and should not be confused with shyness. It is a strong irrational fear of situations of social interaction, since the person who suffers from this disorder feels extreme anxiety when being judged by others, when being the center of attention, because of the idea of ​​being criticized or humiliated by other individuals, and even when talk on the phone with other people.
Therefore, he is unable to make public presentations, eat in restaurants or in front of someone, go to social events, meet new people…
1.2.2. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is usually defined as an irrational fear of open spaces, such as large avenues, parks or natural environments. But this definition is not entirely true.
The phobic stimulus is not parks or large avenues, but the situation of having an anxiety attack in these places, where it may be difficult or embarrassing to escape, or where it is not possible to receive help.
1.3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder manifests itself when the person has been exposed to a traumatic situation that has caused the individual a stressful psychological experience which can be disabling. Symptoms include: nightmares, feelings of anger, irritability or emotional fatigue, detachment from others, etc., when the person relives the traumatic event.
Often, the person will try to avoid situations or activities that bring back memories of the event that caused the trauma.
1.4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition in which the individual experiences intrusive thoughts, ideas, or images. It is an anxiety disorder, and therefore it is characterized by being associated with a feeling of fear, anguish and continued stress in such a way that it represents a problem for daily life and has a negative impact on the person’s quality of life.
Thoughts that cause discomfort (obsessions) cause the person to perform certain rituals or actions (compulsions) to reduce anxiety and feel better.
Obsessions include: fear of contamination, feelings of doubt (e.g. Have I turned off the gas?), thoughts of harming someone, thoughts that go against the person’s religious beliefs, among others. Compulsions include: checking, counting, washing, repeatedly organizing things, etc.
1.5. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Worrying from time to time is normal behavior, but when worrying and feeling anxious continuously affects and interferes with the normality of an individual’s life It is possible that that person suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Therefore, the disorder is characterized by chronic worry and anxiety. It is as if there is always something to worry about: problems in studies, work, or a relationship, having an accident when leaving home, etc. Some of the symptoms are: nausea, fatigue, muscle tension, concentration problems, sleep problems, and more.
2. Mood Disorders
There are different types of mood disorders either affective disorders and, as its name suggests, its main underlying characteristic would be an alteration of the individual’s mood. The most common are the following:
2.1. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder can affect how a person feels, thinks, and acts. It is characterized by exaggerated changes in mood, from mania to major depression.
Therefore, it goes beyond simple mood changes, that is, emotional instability: in fact, it affects many areas of life, and in addition to being one of the most common disorders, it frequently occurs together with obesity. . The cycles of bipolar disorder last days, weeks or months, and seriously harm the work and social relationships of the person who suffers from it.
Bipolar disorder can rarely be treated without medication, as it is necessary to stabilize the patient’s mood. During manic episodes, the person may even quit their job, increase their debts, and feel full of energy despite only sleeping two hours a day. During depressive episodes, the same person may not even get out of bed. There are different types of bipolar disorder, and there is also a mild version of this disorder, called cyclothymia.
2.2. Depressive Disorder
Many people feel depressed at some point in their lives. Feelings of discouragement, frustration, and even despair are normal in the face of disappointment and can last for several days before gradually disappearing. Now, for some people, These feelings can last for months and years, causing serious problems in your daily life.
The depression It is a serious and debilitating psychopathology, and it affects how an individual feels, thinks and acts. It can cause both physical and psychological symptoms. For example: intake problems, sleep problems, discomfort, fatigue, etc.
To learn more about the types of depression you can visit our article:
3. Eating Disorders
There are different types of eating disorders. The most common are the following:
3.1. Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is characterized by an obsession with controlling the amount of food consumed. One of its most characteristic symptoms is distortion of body image.
People who suffer from anorexia restrict their food intake by dieting, fasting, and even excessive physical exercise. They hardly eat, and the little they eat causes an intense feeling of discomfort.
3.2. Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia is an eating disorder that is characterized by abnormal eating patterns, with episodes of massive food intake followed by maneuvers that seek to eliminate those calories (inducing vomiting, consuming laxatives, etc.). After these episodes, the subject usually feels sad, in a bad mood and has feelings of self-pity.
Bulimia nervosa, in addition to being one of the most common disorders, is associated with alterations in the brain. Among them is the degradation of the white matter (which is where the thick sets of neuronal axons pass) in the corona radiata, which is related, among other things, to the processing of flavors.
3.3. Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder is a serious disorder in which The individual who suffers from it frequently consumes large amounts of food and you feel like you have lost control during the binge. After overeating, severe anxiety or concern about weight often appears.
The psychotic disorders They are serious psychopathologies in which people lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are false beliefs, such as the idea that someone is following you. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing, or feeling something that does not exist.
Unlike delusions, which are erroneous beliefs about reality about an existing fact or object, that is, a distortion of an external stimulus, hallucinations are completely invented by the mind and are not the product of the distortion of any present object something is perceived without taking into account external stimuli. For example, hearing voices coming from a socket. The most common psychotic disorders are:
4.1. delusional disorder
He delusional disorder either paranoia It is a psychotic disorder characterized by one or more delusional ideas. That is to say, these people are totally convinced of things that are not true. For example, someone is chasing them to hurt them.
4.2. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is another psychotic disorder, but, in this case,the person suffers hallucinations and disturbing thoughts that isolate them from social activity. Schizophrenia is a very serious pathology, and although there is no cure, there are effective treatments so that patients with this disorder can enjoy their lives.
5. Personality disorders
A personality disorder It is a rigid and permanent pattern in the behavior of a person that causes discomfort or difficulties in their relationships and environment. Personality disorders have their onset in adolescence or early adulthood. The most frequent are:
5.1. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline personality disorder or borderline It is characterized because the people who suffer from it They have a weak and changeable personality, and they doubt everything. Moments of calm can turn, instantly and without warning, into moments of anger, anxiety or despair. These individuals live their emotions to the fullest, and love relationships are intense, as they tend to idolize the other person to the extreme.
Some of its symptoms are: intense anger and inability to control it, frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, real or imagined, alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation in interpersonal relationships, markedly unstable self-image, and chronic feelings of emptiness.
5.2. Antisocial disorder (ASD)
The individual who suffers from this disorder (misknown with labels such as psychopathy or sociopathy) is characterized by his tendency not to interact in society, avoiding any interaction. The different symptoms and behaviors that characterize TASP include: theft, aggression, tendency towards loneliness, violence, lies…
Additionally, people affected by TASP tend to be shy, depressed, and have social anxiety. This last point is due to their fear of being rejected. Despite this, psychological therapy is very effective when it comes to managing the problems of antisocial disorder.
