Mental disorders are patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life.
These disorders create distress for the person experiencing the symptoms.
The DSM-5-TR lists hundreds of distinct conditions.
Anxietyand depressionare among the most common types of mental health conditions that people experience.
The DSM is one of the most widely used systems for classifying mental disorders and provides standardized diagnostic criteria.
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Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Neurodevelopmental disorders are those that are typically diagnosed during infancy, childhood, or adolescence.
Adaptive behaviors are those that involve practical, everyday skills such asself-care, social interaction, and living skills.
Such delays relate tocognition, social functioning, speech, language, and motor skills.
The disorder often involves experiencing shifts between elevated moods and periods of depression.
Such elevated moods can be pronounced and are referred to either as mania orhypomania.
Periods ofmaniaare sometimes marked by feelings of distraction, irritability, and excessive confidence.
Hypomanic episodes are characterized by elevated, expansive, or irritable moods like manic episodes.
However, hypomania is less severe and generally shorter in duration than mania.
They may also involve feelings ofguilt,fatigue, andirritability.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Anxiety involves the anticipation that a future threat may arise.
Specific Phobias
Thesephobiasinvolve an extreme fear of a specific object or situation in the environment.
Some examples of common specific phobias include fear of spiders, fear of heights, or fear of snakes.
Because of this, people withpanic disorderoften experience anxiety and preoccupation over the possibility of having another panic attack.
Some examples of traumatic events includenatural disasters,war, accidents, and witnessing a death.
Other symptoms can include reduced emotional responsiveness, distressing memories of the trauma, and difficulty experiencing positiveemotions.
Dissociative amnesia is much more than simpleforgetfulness.
Each of these personalities has its own way of perceiving and interacting with the environment.
People with this disorder experience changes in behavior, memory, perception, emotional response, and consciousness.
This preoccupation with symptoms results in emotional distress and difficulty coping with daily life.
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Illness anxiety disorderis characterized by excessive concern about having an undiagnosed medical condition.
The preoccupation with illness causes significant anxiety and distress.
Conversion Disorder
Conversion disorderinvolves experiencing motor or sensory symptoms that lack a compatible neurological or medical explanation.
Some people with anorexia are underweight,while others may be of average or above-average weight.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosainvolves binge eating and then taking extreme steps to compensate for these binges.
These compensatory behaviors might include self-induced vomiting, the abuse of laxatives or diuretics, orexcessive exercise.
Rumination disorder can occur in infants, children, teens, and adults.
It’s also more common in people who have anxiety, depression, or another psychiatric disorder.
Additional problems that can result from this behavior include dental decay, esophageal ulcers, and malnutrition.
Pica
Pica involves craving and consuming non-food substances such as dirt, paint, or soap.
Pica is more common among young children than adults, but it is also known to occur during pregnancy.
A lack of nutrients may also trigger non-food cravings in some instances.
People with binge-eating disorder often feel they have no control over their eating.
People with narcolepsy may experience a sudden loss of muscle tone, also known as cataplexy.
Insomnia Disorder
Insomnia disorder involves being unable to get enough sleep to feel rested.
Hypersomnolence
Hypersomnolencedisorder is characterized by excessive sleepiness despite an adequate main sleep period.
People with this condition may fall asleep during the day at inappropriate times such as at work and school.
Parasomnias
Parasomniais a term that describes sleep disorders that feature unusual behaviors.
Such disorders include sleepwalking,sleep terrors, sleep talking, and sleep eating.
These disorders include:
Kleptomania
Kleptomaniainvolves an inability to control the impulse to steal.
Those with this condition experience escalating tension prior to committing a theft and feel relief and gratification afterwards.
People who struggle withpyromaniapurposefully and deliberately have set fires more than one time.
They also experience tension and emotional arousal before setting a fire.
People with this disorder may erupt into angry outbursts or violent actions in response to everyday annoyances or disappointments.
These behaviors result in significant problems in a child’s academic or social functioning.
Depressive Disorders
The category of depressive disorders includes a number of conditions.
They differ in terms of duration, timing, and causes.
The diagnostic criteria vary for each specific condition.
One of these symptoms must include either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyed activities.
Other symptoms can include:
Treatments for depressive disorders often involve a combination of psychotherapy and medications.
Examples of substance-related disorders include:
Gambling Disorder
The DSM-5 also includes gambling disorder under this classification.
Types of cognitive disorders include:
Delirium
Deliriumis also known as acute confusional state.
It is a complex, long-term condition that affects less than 1% of people in the United States.
Treatments usually incorporate antipsychotic medications, psychotherapy, self-management, education, and social support.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Avoidant personality disorderinvolves severe social inhibition and sensitivity to rejection.
Such feelings of insecurity lead to significant problems with the individual’s daily life and functioning.
People with this disorder will often engage in behaviors that are designed to produce care-giving actions in others.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Histrionic personality disorderis associated with patterns of extreme emotionality and attention-seeking behaviors.
People with this condition tend to be more interested in themselves than in others.
This is a different condition than obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
People with this disorder perceive others' intentions as malevolent, even without any evidence or justification.
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizoid personality disorderinvolves symptoms that include being detached from social relationships.
People with this disorder are directed toward their inner lives and are often indifferent to relationships.
They generally display a lack of emotional expression and can appear cold and aloof.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Schizotypal personality disorderfeatures eccentricities in speech, behaviors, appearance, and thought.
People with this condition may experience odd beliefs ormagical thinkingas well as difficulty forming relationships.
Factors such as social support and coping skills can have protective effects.
Some conditions are short-term, while others may be lifelong.
Conditions can also change over time.
Psychological disorders can cause disruptions in daily functioning, relationships, work, school, and other important domains.
National Institute of Mental Health.Any anxiety disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.
U.S. National Library of Medicine.Pica.
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National Alliance on Mental Illness.Mental health by the numbers.
American Psychiatry Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(5th ed.).
National Institute of Mental Health.Panic disorder: When fear overwhelms.
National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.
