The 16 most common mental disorders

The mental disorders are diagnosed routinely today, and everyone knows to a lesser or greater extent what depression, anxiety disorder, bulimia means, etc. However, some are more prevalent than others, which makes 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 life.

Mental disorders that affect more people

But what are the most common disorders? What are those disorders that affect a greater number of people?

Next I present you a brief explanation of the most common mental disorders.

1. Anxiety disorders

The anxiety It is a normal reaction of people to situations of stress and uncertainty. Now a anxiety disorderis diagnosed when various anxiety symptoms cause distress or some degree of functional impairment in the life of the individual who suffers it.

It can be difficult for a person with an anxiety disorder 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 it is the intense and sudden appearance of fear or terror, often associated with feelings of imminent death. Symptoms include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, and discomfort.

1.2. Phobic disorders

Many people admit that they are afraid of snakes or spiders, but they can tolerate that afraid. Individuals with a phobia, on the other hand, are unable to tolerate that fear. They experience an irrational fear when they are in front of the phobic stimulus, be it an object, an animal or a situation, and this usually ends in an 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

The social phobia is a very common anxiety disorder, and should not be confused with shyness. It is a strong irrational fear towards situations of social interaction, since the person suffering from this disorder feels extreme anxiety when being judged by others, by being the center of attention, by the idea of ​​being criticized or humiliated by other individuals and, even, when talking on the phone with other people.

Therefore, he is unable to make presentations in public, eat in restaurants or in front of someone, go to social events, meet new people ...

1.2.2. Agoraphobia

The agoraphobia, in a habitual way, irrational fear of open spaces, such as large avenues, parks or natural environments, is usually defined. But this definition is not entirely true.

The phobic stimulus is not the parks or the great avenues, but the situation of having an attack of anxiety 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)

The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder it shows 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 times, the person will try to avoid situations or activities that bring back memories of the event that triggered the trauma.

1.4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The 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 stress continued in such a way that it is a problem for the day to day and negatively affects the quality of life of the person.

The 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 (for example, Have I turned off the gas?), thoughts of hurting someone, thoughts that go against the person's religious beliefs, among others. Compulsions include: checking, counting, washing, repeatedly organizing things, and so on.

1.5. Generalized anxiety disorder

Worrying from time to time is normal behavior, but when worrying and feeling anxiety on an ongoing basis affects and interferes with the normalcy of an individual's life it is possible that that person suffers the 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 the relationship, having an accident when leaving home, and so on. Some of the symptoms are: nausea, fatigue, muscle tension, concentration problems, sleeping problems, and more.

2. Mood disorders

There are different types of mood disorders or affective disorders and, as the name suggests, its main underlying feature would be an alteration of the individual's mood. The most common are the following:

2.1. Bipolar disorder

The Bipolar disorder It 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 swings, 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 damage the work and social relationships of the person who suffers from it.

Bipolar disorder can rarely be treated without medication, as the patient's mood needs to be stabilized. During episodes of mania, the person may even quit his job, increase his debt, and feel full of energy despite sleeping only 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 day-to-day 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, malaise, fatigue, etc.

To learn more about the types of depression you can visit our article:

• "Are there several types of depression?"

3. Eating disorder

There are different types of eating disorders. The most common are the following:

3.1. Nervous anorexia

The anorexy it is characterized by an obsession with controlling the amount of food eaten. One of its most characteristic symptoms is the distortion of the body image.

People with anorexia restrict their food intake through 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

The bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by abnormal eating patterns, with episodes of massive food intake followed by maneuvers that seek to eliminate those calories (induce vomiting, consume laxatives, etc.). After these episodes, it is usual for the subject to feel sad, in a bad mood and have 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 white matter (which is where the thick sets of neuronal axons) in the corona radiata, which is related among other things to the processing of flavors.

3.3. Binge eating disorder

The Binge eating disorder is a serious disorder in which the sufferer frequently consumes large amounts of food and feel like you've lost control during the binge. After overeating, severe distress or weight concern usually appears.

4. Psychotic disorders

The psychotic disorders 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 of reality about an existing fact or object, that is, a distortion of an external stimulus, hallucinations are totally 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 out of a socket. The most common psychotic disorders are:

4.1. Delusional disorder

The delusional disorder or paranoia is a psychotic disorder characterized by one or more delusions. That is, these people are totally convinced of things that are not true. For example, someone is chasing you to hurt you.

4.2. Schizophrenia

The schizophrenia is another psychotic disorder, but, in this case,the person suffers from hallucinations and disturbing thoughts that isolates him from social activity. Schizophrenia is a very serious pathology, and despite there being no cure, there are effective treatments so that patients with this disorder can enjoy their lives.

5. Personality disorders

A personality disorder is a rigid and permanent pattern in the behavior of a person that generates discomfort or difficulties in their relationships and in their environment. Personality disorders have their onset in adolescence or early adulthood. The most frequent are:

5.1. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

The Borderline personality disorder or borderline is characterized because the people who suffer it have a weak and changeable personality, and 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, alternation between extremes of idealization and devaluation in interpersonal relationships, markedly unstable self-image, and chronic feelings of empty.

5.2. Antisocial disorder (TASP)

The individual suffering from this disorder (poorly known with labels such as psychopathy or sociopathy) is characterized by its tendency not to relate in society, avoiding any interaction. The different symptoms and behaviors that characterize TASP include: theft, aggressiveness, tendency to 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, the psychological therapy it is very effective in managing the drawbacks of antisocial disorder.

Bibliographic references:

• Metter, L. (2013). White integrity matter is reduced in bulimia nervosa. The international journal of eating disorders, 46 (3), pp. 264 -273.
• Veale, D. (2014). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. British Medical Journal, 348, 348: g2183.
• Weeks, J. (2013). Gaze avoidance in social anxiety disorder. Depression and anxiety, 30 (8), pp. 749 -756.
• Zhao, Z. (2016). The potential association between obesity and bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 202, pp. 120 -123.