5 Common Psychiatric Problems Affecting Men and Women

Mental health disorders account for 30.8% of total disability according to the World Health Organization. [1*] Psychiatric disorders are usually caused by genes, biological factors, life experiences, and even exposure to harmful chemicals.

These disorders can affect your mood, behavior, ability to carry out your daily activities, and even your physical health.

However, you can always seek professional help and treatment to improve your mental health. While there are numerous mental health disorders, below are the most prominent psychiatric problems in adults.

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1. Clinical Depression

Depression is a mood disorder that affects at least 19 million teens and adults in the US. If you are like most people, you probably associate depression with feeling down, sadness, and lack of interest in activities that once made you happy.

While those are some of the symptoms, depression is more than just feeling down. It is also characterized by feelings of tiredness, anguish, anger, irritability, and hopelessness that won’t go away on their own.

In some cases, you also get:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Headaches
• Digestion problems

Depression is categorized depending on the severity, with major depression being the most severe followed by persistent depressive disorder.

Post-partum depression on the other hand usually affects new mothers while seasonal affective disorder occurs only during certain periods of the year.

While being sad is normal, if you feel that you are constantly sad and hopeless, you may be dealing with depression and you need to seek help.

2. Anxiety

Anxiety is the fear or worry about what is yet to come, and we all get anxious at some point in our lives. Whether you are starting a new job or taking a test, it is normal to get anxious before such stressful situations.

However, individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders usually experience intense fear, worry, and nervousness that are hard to control and interfere with daily living.

These feelings of fear may sometimes be accompanied by physical symptoms such as:

• High blood pressure
• Nausea
• Feelings of impending doom
• Sweating and trembling
• Inability to concentrate or sleep

When you suffer from an anxiety disorder, the symptoms may last longer and manifest disproportionately to the trigger.

Anxiety disorders come in different categories such as:

• Social anxiety
• Phobias
• Panic attacks
• Separation anxiety disorder

If you notice that your fear or apprehension doesn’t go away, you should see a doctor for early intervention.

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3. Bipolar Disorder

Also known as manic depression, bipolar disorder affects over 60 million people worldwide according to the World Health Organization. The disorder causes mood swings as a result of extreme changes in your energy levels, mood, and activity.

Your mood tends to swing from an emotional high (mania/hypomania) of being euphoric energetic and active to an emotional low (depression) of being sad and depressed. For instance, you can be happy and jovial one minute, then extremely sad, unenergetic, and even suicidal the next minute.

Other than the extreme mood swings and shifts in energy levels, you may also experience melancholy and psychosis as part of your bipolar symptoms.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder [2*] may possess a hereditary component since two-thirds of patients diagnosed with bipolar have a relative with the same illness, or unipolar major depression.

While bipolar disorder is not a curable condition, you can manage it with the help of treatment and counseling.

4. Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a psychotic condition that generally distorts your perception as well as reality. It is one of the most common psychiatric disorders and affects more than 20 million people globally.

Usually, signs of schizophrenia start developing in early adulthood in men (early to mid-20s), and in the late twenties in women.

The most common signs include hallucinations, delusions, as well as confused thinking and speech. Sometimes, memory loss and lack of comprehension may also occur.

You should note that treating schizophrenia can prove difficult due to the nature of the condition. This is because hallucinations and delusions always appear real to the people experiencing them, making it hard to convince the patient to take medication.

However, if you experience symptoms of schizophrenia, you can manage it and prevent future relapses through treatment which includes taking anti-psychotic drugs and undergoing counseling.

5. Dementia

Dementia is a term that generally describes the loss of cognitive abilities such as:

• Memory
• Thinking capacity
• Communication

If you suffer from dementia, you may lose total control of your emotions and experience a change in personality.

While it mostly affects the older population, it doesn’t mean that you will experience dementia when you grow older.

Unlike other mental disorders that have no specific cause, most dementia cases are a result of Alzheimer’s disease.

Some of the symptoms you should watch out for include:

• Forgetfulness
• Repetitiveness
• Confusion
• Difficulty in adapting to changes
• Poor sense of direction

Since dementia mostly occurs due to the death of brain cells, it cannot be reversed.

However, treatment to manage the symptoms depends on the underlying cause and includes medication and therapy.

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While psychiatric disorders can disrupt your normal life and create a dependency, treatments are available to help you manage the condition. If you suspect that you may be suffering from a psychiatric problem, the EZCare Clinic can help your lead a healthier life through personalized treatment plans.

Book an appointment with us today and begin your journey towards better mental health.