Common Mental health conditions

Depression is a mood disorder that affects how one feels, thinks, and acts. Symptoms can interfere with daily life activities. 

Signs and symptoms of depression include:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or low mood
• Irritability
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable 
• Fatigue or loss of energy most days of the week 
• Moving or talking more slowly than usual
• Feeling restless
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Major change in weight or appetite
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Not everyone experiencing depression will experience every symptom. Some people may experience many symptoms, while others may only experience  only a few symptoms. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms a person is experiencing must be present for at least two weeks.

Learn more about depression:

National Institute of Mental Health

Bipolar disorder is a condition in which individuals experience the extremes of mood polarity. These mood episodes can range from neutral, manic, or depressive.  There are three types of bipolar disorder (Bipolar I, Bipolar II and cyclothymic disorder).

Signs and symptoms of depressive episodes include:

• Withdrawal
• Insomnia
• loss of appetite 
• Sluggish thinking 
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Loss of interest 
• Fatigue 
• Decreased libido
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Signs and symptoms of Manic episodes include:

• Elevated mood
• Exaggerated self confidence 
• Racing thoughts 
• Insomnia, decreased need for sleep
• Excessive make up
• Increased libido 
• High energy
• Unusual talkativeness
• Distractibility 
• Poor decision making 

Not everyone with bipolar disorder will experience every symptom. Some people may experience many symptoms, while others may only experience  only a few symptoms. 

Learn more about Bipolar disorder:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry and tension about everyday issues such as money, health, family, work, or other issues. 

Signs and symptoms of GAD include:

• Restlessness or feeling on edge
• Being easily fatigued or feeling tired all the time
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty controlling worries about everyday things
• Not being able to relax
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Trembling or shaking
• Sweating or feeling light-headed
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach 

Not everyone experiencing GAD will experience every symptom. GAD often co-exists with depression.

Learn more about GAD and other anxiety disorders:

National Institute of Mental Health

Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.

Signs and symptoms of dementia include:

• Difficulty recalling recent events
• Difficulty concentrating, planning, or organizing tasks such as cooking a meal or paying bills
• Frequently losing or misplacing things
• Difficulty following conversations or trouble with finding the right words
• Confusion in the evening hours
• Losing track of the day or date
• Confusion about whereabouts
• Forgetting the names of close family members or friends
• Irritability or personality changes
• Seeing things that are not there (hallucinations) or believing things that are not true (delusions)

Not everyone with dementia will experience every symptoms. Symptoms may very depending on the type of dementia a person has. 

Learn more about dementia:

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html

Tobacco is one of the most widely abused substances in the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that tobacco causes up to 6 million deaths per year making it the leading cause of preventable death. 

Symptoms of smoking addiction in include:

• Inability to stop smoking or chewing despite attempts to quit
• Withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit such as unsteady hands, sweating, irritability, or fast heart rate
• Urge to smoke or chew after every meal or after long periods of time without using 
• Need tobacco products to feel normal 
• Avoids activities or events that don't allow tobacco use
• Continues to smoke despite health problems

Learn more about how to quit smoking :

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/quit-smoking/index.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/nicotine-craving/art-20045454

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep. Short term insomnia can be caused by increased stress or schedule changes and may last for a few days to weeks. Chronic insomnia occurs 3 or more nights a week, lasts longer than 3 months, and can not be explained by another medical condition or medication. 

Signs and symptoms of insomnia include:

• Having difficulty falling asleep at night
• Waking up throughout the night
• Waking up too early
• Headaches
• Not feeling well rested after a nights sleep
• Irritability, depression, or anxiety
• Having difficulty with memory and focus
• Increase in mistakes or accidents
• Worrying about sleep

Learn more about insomnia and other sleeping disorders:

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/sleep-disorders/what-are-sleep-disorders

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that some people develop after seeing or living through an event that caused or threatened serious harm or death. Symptoms generally begin within three months of the traumatic incident, but sometimes begin years after the incident.

Signs and symptoms of PTSD include:

• Flashbacks – reliving the trauma over and over
• Racing heart or sweating
• Nightmares
• Frightening thoughts or images
• Avoidance of places or events that are reminders of the trauma
• Having trouble remembering pieces of the traumatic event
• Being easily startled
• Feeling tense or on edge
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
• Distorted feelings of anger, sadness, guilt or shame
• Irritability or aggressive behavior

It is natural to experience these symptoms after a traumatic event. If symptoms last more than a month and affect one’s ability to function, they might have PTSD. 

Learn more about PTSD:

National Institute of Mental Health

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that is characterized by psychosis as the primary symptom. Psychosis is a condition in which there has been some loss of contact with reality. Someone who is experiencing psychosis may have trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is not as a result of delusions, hallucinations, or paranoia.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia fall in to three categories – positive, negative, and cognitive:

Positive Symptoms include psychotic behaviors:

• Hallucinations: hearing or seeing something that isn’t there
• Delusions: irrational or intense beliefs that a person believes to be true
• Paranoia or feelings of being watched
• Agitated body movements or unusual body positioning

Negative symptoms include disruptions to emotions and moods:

• Flat affect
• Feeling indifferent or numb
• Change in personality
• Change in personal hygiene and appearance
• Increasing withdrawal from social situations
• Irrational, angry, or fearful response to loved ones
• Inability to sleep or concentrate

Cognitive symptoms include changes in memory and thinking:

• Poor executive functioning: difficulty understanding information and making decisions
• Trouble focusing or paying attention
• Problems with working memory: having trouble using information immediately after learning it

Learn more about schizophrenia and psychosis:

National Institute of Mental Health