Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionPrevalenceTypesSigns and SymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment

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Table of Contents

Definition

Prevalence

Types

Signs and Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

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A mental health diagnosis can encompass a wide range of symptoms and conditions. Mental health conditions are disturbances in a person’s thinking, feeling, or behavior (or a combination of these) that reflect a problem in mental function.

If you have a mental health diagnosis, it can cause distress or disability in social, work, or family activities. Just as the phrase “physical illness” is used to describe a range of physical health problems, the term “mental illness” encompasses a variety of mental health conditions.

Is Mental Illness Genetic? What the Research Says

What Is Mental Illness?

The American Psychiatric Association defines mental illness as a health condition that involves “changes in emotion, thinking, or behavior—or a combination of these.”

It is important to note that mental health and mental illness are different. Mental health refers to your ability to function effectively in your daily life, including having healthy relationships, engaging in daily activities, and coping with the problems you face effectively.

By contrast, mental illness refers to diagnosable mental health conditions that create significant changes in how you think, feel, and act. These changes make it difficult to function and create significant distress.

If left untreated, mental health diagnosis can have a huge impact on daily living, including your ability to work, care for family, and relate and interact with others.

Similar to having other medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease, there is no shame in having a mental illness, and support and treatment are available.

Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions

Mental illnesses are incredibly common in the United States. Each year:

Types of Mental Health Conditions

There are hundreds of mental illnesses listed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual. The DSM-5 puts illnesses into categories based on their diagnostic criteria.

The most recent version of the manual, theDSM-5-TR (text revision), features some significant changes, including the addition of prolonged grief disorder, updated language regarding sex and gender, and changes to the diagnostic criteria for more than 75 conditions.

Anxiety Disorders

Three major anxiety disorders are:

There are three broad types of bipolar disorder:

How Mania Varies Between the Bipolar Types

Depressive Disorders

Examples include major depressive disorder andpremenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders

A group of psychiatric conditions that involve problems with the self-control of emotions and behaviors.

Disorders in this group include:

Dissociative Disorders

Elimination Disorders

Children with elimination disorders repeatedly void urine or feces at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places, whether the action is involuntary or not.

Feeding and Eating Disorders

Three major eating disorders include:

Gender Dysphoria

Formerly known as gender identity disorder,gender dysphoriaoccurs when a person feels extreme discomfort or distress because their gender identity is at odds with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Neurocognitive Disorders

Medication or Substance-Induced Neurocognitive Disorder

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Examples of neurodevelopmental disorders include:

Examples obsessive-compulsive and related disorders include:

Paraphilic Disorders

Describes intense or persistent sexual interests that cause distress or impairment. These may involve recurrent fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving atypical sexual interests.

Personality Disorders

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Sexual Dysfunctions

Some of the most common sexual dysfunctions include:

Sleep-Wake Disorders

There are several different types of sleep-wake disorders, and all involve problems falling asleep or staying awake at desired or socially appropriate times.

People with these disorders feel extreme, exaggerated anxiety about physical symptoms—such as pain, weakness, or shortness of breath. This preoccupation is so intense that it disrupts the person’s daily life.

This group includes disorders that were related to exposure to a traumatic or stressful event. The most common ispost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Signs and Symptoms of Mental Disorders

Everyone experiences peaks and valleys in their mental health. A stressful experience, such as the loss of a loved one, might temporarily diminish your psychological well-being.

In general, in order to meet the criteria for a mental health diagnosis, your symptoms must cause significant distress or interfere with your social, occupational, or educational functioning and last for a defined period of time.

Each disorder has its own set of symptoms that can vary significantly in severity, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include:

It’s important to note that the presence of one or two of these signs alone doesn’t mean that you have a mental illness. But it does indicate that you may need further evaluation.

If you’re experiencing several of these symptoms at one time and they’re preventing you from going about your daily life, you should contact a physician or mental health professional.

Causes of Mental Illness

There is no single cause of mental illness. Instead, it’s thought that they stem from a wide range of factors (sometimes in combination). The following are some factors that may influence whether someone develops a mental illness:

Getting a Mental Health Diagnosis

Diagnosis of a mental illness is a multi-step process that may include more than one healthcare provider, often starting with your primary care physician.

Physical Exam

Before a diagnosis is made, you may need to undergo a physical exam torule out a physical condition. Some mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, can have physical causes.

Thyroid problems and other physical diseases can also sometimes be misdiagnosed as mental health disorders due to overlapping or similar symptoms; this is why a thorough physical exam is essential.

Your doctor will take a lengthy history and may order lab tests to rule out physical issues that could be causing your symptoms. If your doctor doesn’t find a physical cause for your symptoms, you’ll likely be referred to a mental health professional to evaluate you for a mental health diagnosis.

Is There a Blood Test for Depression?

Psychological Evaluation

A mental health professional, such as apsychiatrist or psychologist, will ask you a series of questions related to your symptoms and family history. They may even ask one of your family members to participate in the interview so they can describe the symptoms they see.

Sometimes, the mental health professional willadminister tests and other psychological evaluation toolsto pinpoint your exact diagnosis or help determine the severity of your illness.

Most psychiatrists and psychologists use the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to diagnose mental health conditions.

This manual contains descriptions and symptoms for all of the different mental illnesses. It also lists criteria like what symptoms must be present, how many, and for how long (along with conditions that should not be present) in order to qualify for a particular diagnosis. This is known as the diagnostic criteria.

It’s not uncommon to be diagnosed withmore than one mental illness. Some conditions increase the risk of other disorders. For instance, sometimes an anxiety disorder can develop into a depressive disorder.

The Difference Between Provisional and Differential Diagnoses

Treatment for a Mental Health Diagnosis

Most mental illnesses aren’t considered “curable,” but they are definitely treatable. Treatment for mental health disorders varies greatly depending on your individual diagnosis and the severity of your symptoms, and results can vary greatly on the individual level.

Some mental illnesses respond well tomedications. Other conditions respond best to talk therapy. Many conditions benefit from a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

Some research also supports using complementary and alternative therapies for certain conditions. Treatment plans often include a combination of treatment options and require some trial and error before finding what works best for you.

Living with mental illness, whether it affects you or a loved one, can be very hard—but help is available. If you suspect that you or someone you love may have a mental health diagnosis, talk to your doctor, who may refer you to a mental health professional for further assessment, evaluation, and treatment. You can alsoreach out directly to a psychotherapist.

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

How to Choose the Right Therapist for You

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Associations.What Is mental illness?Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health(HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.National Institute of Mental Health.Mental illness.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association.Warning signs of mental illness.Uher R, Zwicker A.Etiology in psychiatry: Embracing the reality of poly-gene-environmental causation of mental illness.World Psychiatry. 2017;16(2):121-129. doi:10.1002/wps.20436

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Associations.What Is mental illness?Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health(HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.National Institute of Mental Health.Mental illness.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association.Warning signs of mental illness.Uher R, Zwicker A.Etiology in psychiatry: Embracing the reality of poly-gene-environmental causation of mental illness.World Psychiatry. 2017;16(2):121-129. doi:10.1002/wps.20436

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychiatric Associations.What Is mental illness?Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health(HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.National Institute of Mental Health.Mental illness.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association.Warning signs of mental illness.Uher R, Zwicker A.Etiology in psychiatry: Embracing the reality of poly-gene-environmental causation of mental illness.World Psychiatry. 2017;16(2):121-129. doi:10.1002/wps.20436

American Psychiatric Associations.What Is mental illness?

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health(HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

National Institute of Mental Health.Mental illness.

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.

American Psychiatric Association.Warning signs of mental illness.

Uher R, Zwicker A.Etiology in psychiatry: Embracing the reality of poly-gene-environmental causation of mental illness.World Psychiatry. 2017;16(2):121-129. doi:10.1002/wps.20436

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