What Are The Most Common Mental Disorders? (Causes And Types)

Sometimes we may experience significant disruption in this mental functioning. Therefore, there may be a mental disorder when patterns or changes in thinking, feelings, or behavior cause distress or alter the ability to function, according to says Mayo Clinic.

“Mental illnesses or disorders are conditions that impact our thinking, feelings, mood, and behavior. They can be occasional or long-lasting. They affect our ability to maintain personal relationships, to perform adequately at work or school, to participate in other activities,” explains psychologist Alejandro Gálvez.

According to the WHO, in 2019, one in eight people in the world suffered from a mental disorder. The most common are depression and anxiety. The latter include panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Separately, there are mood disorders, which include bipolar disorder and depressive disorder. Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.

What causes mental disorders

Several factors can cause a mental disorder, which is divided into genetic, social, and family, says clinical psychologist Daniela Ortiz.

Genetic factors are those derived from family medical history. That is, there is a biological burden when a family member has suffered from a mental disorder, such as depression, or anxiety, among others.

Exposure to adverse social, economic, and environmental circumstances, such as poverty, violence, inequality, and environmental degradation, also increases the risk of mental health conditions.

In many cases, psychological trauma in children occurs in the family environment. The WHO indicates that the risks of suffering from a mental disorder can manifest themselves at all stages of life, but those that occur during sensitive periods of development, especially in early childhood, are particularly harmful. For example, harsh parenting and punishment are detrimental to children’s health, and bullying is considered a risk factor.

Preventing mental disorders in adolescents

Assertive communication, which allows us to talk calmly and respectfully, expressing what we want to say, is one of the most effective tools for preventing mental disorders. “In childhood, we must teach that we can show our feelings by speaking. Children who already understand words should be encouraged to speak to understand and validate their feelings” says Ortiz.

During adolescence, it is vital to carry out extracurricular activities that allow young people to have more contact with people of their age. In addition, staying open when talking to their parents or guardians will help them express their feelings. “If we see that something is getting out of hand, that our children are very distant, they have a hard time expressing their emotions or they express them in very intense ways, such as shouting, the ideal thing is to seek professional help,” adds the psychologist.

All human beings suffer from some type of mental illness or disorder. If you are an adult and have had a troubled childhood or adolescence, you will surely have some trauma, so the recommendation is to go to a psychologist.

Other ways to take care of mental health include being compassionate with yourself and recognizing that you are imperfect, cultivating moments of happiness by doing activities that you enjoy and that are not related to work, maintaining social relationships, doing new things, exercising regularly, and expressing your emotions.

Most common mental disorders

Poor mental health can lead to suicidal thoughts in anyone. To mark World Suicide Prevention Day, celebrated on September 10, we have listed some of the most common mental disorders.

Anxiety disorders

Sometimes feeling anxious is normal, especially in stressful situations, such as before making an important decision or before an exam. However, anxiety can become a disorder when it causes constant fear and worry for undefined reasons and prevents you from functioning properly. It is characterized by feeling restless, irritable, and having difficulty concentrating.

Anxiety disorders include panic attacks, which are characterized by the sudden appearance of fear associated with feelings of death. There are also phobias, in which one feels a fear that cannot be tolerated or controlled towards certain events, objects, or animals.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

This disorder may develop after exposure to an extremely threatening or horrific event or series of events. It is characterized by re-experiencing the traumatic event in the present, such as in intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares; avoidance of thoughts or activities that remind one of the event; persistent perceptions of a heightened current threat.