What is bipolar disorder? There are three main types of bipolar disorder – bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder. Bipolar disorder (also called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental condition that causes unusual and extreme shifts in mood. It is characterized by periods of deep, profound, and prolonged depression that alternate with...
What is schizophrenia? There are several different kinds of schizophrenia each with slightly differing symptoms. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder which is one of the most disabling mental conditions. Schizophrenia affects the person’s perception of reality, thoughts, emotions, actions and their interaction with others. Patients often have difficulty maintaining relationships and performing at...
What does anxiety mean? Anxiety disorders are characterized by irrational worry, fear and panic in response to mundane situations. Six types include panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety and others. We all get worried or scared in response to certain situations in our lives. On a clinical level, anxiety refers to the state of extreme...
What are the early warning signs of psychosis? Psychosis is a condition that affects the mind and alters a person’s perception of reality. Early psychosis symptoms include change in thinking, feeling, perception and behavior along with hallucinations and delusions. Psychosis happens over a period of time and describes when someone starts to lose contact with...
What is a phobia? Phobias are common treatable mental health disorders. A phobia is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A phobia is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity, or situation. Phobias are diagnosable mental disorders....
What can trigger schizophrenia? A person with disorganized-type schizophrenia will exhibit behaviors that are disorganized or speech that may be bizarre or difficult to understand. Schizophrenia usually shows its first signs in men in their late teens or early 20s and women in their early 20s and 30s. It’s rare before adolescence. Men and women are...
Mental illness is common, and one in every five people may be affected. Mental illness or mental health disorders are a wide range of conditions affecting mental health. Mental disorders affect mood, thinking, and behavior of individuals. Some common mental disorders include anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), and schizophrenia. Many mental disorders...
Introduction Psychotherapy is often the first form of treatment recommended for depression. Called “therapy” for short, the word psychotherapy actually involves a variety of treatment techniques. During psychotherapy, a person with depression talks to a licensed and trained mental health care professional who helps him or her identify and work through the factors that may...
Schizotypal personality disorder facts Share Your Story Schizotypal personality disorder is a personality disorder as well as a schizophrenia spectrum disorder that is characterized by a pattern of odd, eccentric feelings, behaviors, perceptions, and relating to others that markedly interferes with the person's ability to function. Like most other mental disorders, schizotypal personality disorder is...
What is schizophrenia? Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a type of mental illness in which the affected person cannot distinguish between real and imaginary things or situations. There are times when people can completely lose touch with reality. Most people with schizophrenia recover well, whereas some experience relapse or worsening of the condition....