Patient Education
Understanding common mental health conditions
PATIENT EDUCATION
Understanding common mental health conditions
A clear starting point for recognizing what you or someone you love may be experiencing — organized by category, with the detail needed to understand where to go next.
Categories at a glance
- Mood disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Trauma & stressor-related
- OCD & related
- Psychotic disorders
- Eating disorders
- Personality disorders
- Neurodevelopmental
- Substance use disorders
Mood Disorders
Major depressive disorder:
Persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities, changes in sleep and appetite, low energy, and difficulty concentrating, lasting two weeks or longer.
Persistent depressive disorder:
A chronic, lower-grade form of depression lasting two years or more — less intense moment to moment, but long-lasting.
Bipolar I disorder:
Alternating episodes of mania — elevated mood, high energy, impulsivity, reduced need for sleep — and depression.
Bipolar II disorder:
Alternates between hypomania, a milder form of mania, and depressive episodes, which are often the more disruptive phase.
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder:
Excessive, hard-to-control worry about everyday matters, lasting six months or more, with restlessness and sleep issues.
Panic Disorder:
Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks with racing heart, shortness of breath, and dizziness that peak within minutes.
Social anxiety Disorder:
Intense fear of social or performance situations due to fear of judgment, often limiting daily life.
Specific Phobias:
Intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation, leading to avoidance.
Trauma & stressor-related
Post-traumatic stress disorder:
Develops after trauma exposure. Includes intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, and hypervigilance.
Acute stress disorder:
Symptoms similar to PTSD occurring within the first month after a traumatic event.
OCD & related disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts paired with repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce distress.
Body dysmorphic disorder:
Preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance, often unnoticeable to others, leading to distress or repetitive checking.
Psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia:
Involves hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and reduced motivation or emotional expression.
Schizoaffective disorder:
Combines symptoms of schizophrenia with episodes of depression or mania.
Eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa:
Restriction of food intake leading to significantly low body weight and a distorted body image.
Bulimia nervosa:
Cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise.
Binge eating disorder:
Recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control.
Personality disorders
Borderline personality disorder:
Instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions, with impulsivity and fear of abandonment.
Narcissistic personality disorder:
Grandiosity and a need for admiration, often masking a fragile sense of self-worth.
Antisocial personality disorder:
A persistent pattern of disregard for others’ rights, lack of remorse, and manipulative behavior.
Neurodevelopmental conditions
ADHD:
Inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity that interferes with functioning, often persisting into adulthood.
Autism spectrum disorder:
Differences in social communication and interaction, along with repetitive behaviors or restricted interests.
Substance-related disorders
Substance use disorder:
A pattern of substance use leading to significant impairment, including tolerance, withdrawal, and continued use despite negative consequences.
A note on diagnosis
Many of these conditions frequently occur together — anxiety and depression, for example, are commonly seen side by side. Severity and presentation vary widely from person to person, even within the same diagnosis. This page is for general education only; an accurate diagnosis requires a full evaluation with a licensed mental health professional.
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room.