Health Information

Mental Health Disorders

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder

    A person with generalized anxiety disorder often worries excessively about health, money, family, or work, and continually anticipates disaster.

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

    OCD is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an unreasonable thought, fear, or worry that he or she tries to manage through a ritualized activity to reduce the anxiety.

  • Panic Disorder

    Panic disorder is marked by chronic, repeated, and unexpected panic attacks—bouts of overwhelming fear of being in danger when there is no specific cause for the fear.

  • Phobias

    A phobia is an uncontrollable, irrational, and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. The fear experienced by people with phobias can be so great that some go to extreme lengths to avoid the source of their fear.

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    PTSD is a condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event—causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories of the ordeal.

  • Anxiety Disorders

    Detailed information on the most common types of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias

  • Manic Depression/Bipolar Disorder

    Manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder, is a type of affective disorder that goes beyond the day's ordinary ups and downs. It is becoming an important health concern in this country.

  • Mood Disorders

    Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide

  • Major Depression

    You may have depression if you have a persistent sad or "empty" mood, or if you find it difficult to concentrate or make decisions.

  • Dysthymia

    Dysthymia is a mood disorder similar to major depression. It has less severe symptoms than depression, but the symptoms linger for several years.

  • Eating Disorders

    Detailed information on the most common types of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder

  • Binge Eating Disorder

    Binge eating disorder is an illness that resembles bulimia nervosa and is characterized by episodes of uncontrolled eating or bingeing. It differs from bulimia because its sufferers do not purge their bodies of the excess food.

  • Bulimia Nervosa

    Bulimia nervosa is defined as uncontrolled episodes of overeating (bingeing) usually followed by self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, enemas, or medications in an attempt to control weight.

  • Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation

    A psychiatric evaluation will look at symptoms and when they occur, as well as what impact they have on family and work relationships.

  • Mental Health Disorder Statistics

    Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In particular, depressive illnesses tend to occur along with substance abuse and anxiety disorders.

  • Glossary - Mental Health Disorders

    Glossary of terms relating to mental health

  • Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Seasonal affective disorder, a type of mood disorder, can occur in late fall to early winter or late spring to early summer.

  • Home Page - Mental Health Disorders

    Detailed information on mental health disorders, including the psychiatric evaluation, the psychiatric treatment team, seeking mental health treatment, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, substance ab

  • Online Resources - Mental Health Disorders

    List of online resources to find additional information on mental health

  • Overview of Mood Disorders

    Mood disorders refer to a category of mental health problems that include all types of depression and bipolar disorder. Mood disorders are sometimes called affective disorders.

  • Personality Disorders

    Detailed information on the most common types of personality disorders, including paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, narcissisti

  • Substance Abuse/Chemical Dependency

    Substance abuse is a pattern of drug use that leads to significant problems such as failure to attend work or school, driving a vehicle while "high," or difficulties with friendships and or family relationships.

  • Schizophrenia

    Detailed information on schizophrenia, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

  • Topic Index - Mental Health Disorders

    Detailed information on mental health disorders, including the psychiatric evaluation, the psychiatric treatment team, seeking mental health treatment, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, substance ab

  • Depression and Suicide

    More than 90 percent of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder—most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.

  • Mental Health Disorders in Children and Teens

    Detailed information on the most common mental health disorders in children and teens

  • Knowing When to Seek Treatment

    Families, spouses, or friends are often the first to suspect that their loved one is challenged by feelings, behaviors, and/or environmental conditions that cause them to act disruptive, rebellious, or sad.

  • Adjustment Disorders

    Adjustment disorders are quite common in children and teens. They are characterized by an excessive reaction to stress.

  • Behavior Disorders

    Detailed information on behavior problems in adolescents, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder

  • Tourette's Disorder

    A person with Tourette's disorder develops multiple repeated tics. The tics are abrupt, purposeless, and involuntary vocal sounds or muscular jerks.

  • Conduct Disorder

    A child with a conduct disorder has antisocial behaviors that violate the rights of others and age-appropriate social standards and rules.

  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder

    This behavior disorder is characterized by uncooperative, defiant, negativistic, irritable, and annoying behaviors toward parents, peers, teachers, and other authority figures.

  • Psychiatric Treatment Team

    Team members may include a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker, and a psychiatric nurse.

  • Teen Suicide

    Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15- to 24-year-olds. The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, substance abuse, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors.

  • Anorexia Nervosa

    Anorexia nervosa (or simply anorexia) is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and food.