Psychiatric disorder is a mental illness. It is a mental health professional that greatly disturbs your thinking, moods, or behavior and seriously increases your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom. Psychiatric disorder treatment plans vary depending on the exact diagnosis and the specific needs of the individual patient.
In addition, your symptoms must be more severe than expected in response to an upsetting event, such as normal grief after the loss of a loved one. This is a rather broad definition, essentially boiling psychiatric disorders down to problems that people experience with their minds and their moods. However, there are a number of specific diagnoses categorized under the larger umbrella of mental illness.
Different Types of Psychiatric Disorders
A large number of psychiatric disorders have been identified. There are over 200 classified types of psychiatric disorders, but some of the most frequently diagnosed ones are:
- Depression
- Personality disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Borderline personality disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Addictive disorders, including drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and behavioral addictions
- ADHD
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
- Trauma
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Paraphilic Disorders. Many sexual-interest disorders are included in this group. Examples include sexual sadism disorder, voyeuristic disorder, and pedophilic disorder.
- Other Mental Disorders. This group includes psychiatric disorders that are due to other medical conditions or that don’t meet all the requirements for any of the other psychiatric disorder groups.
It is possible to be diagnosed with one or more at the same time. For example, addictive disorders often co-occur with other mental health disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder.
Common Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders
Identifying mental illness can be challenging since it usually presents itself differently in different individuals. However, there are a few common warning signs to look out for.
- Confused thinking
- Difficulty concentrating
- Extreme sadness
- Excessive worry
- Severe changes in mood
- Difficulty discerning reality from delusion
- Isolation and avoidance of friends or social activities
- Sudden changes in sleeping habits, eating habits, or sex drive
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Suicidal thoughts
- Suicidal thinking
A psychiatric disorder may also cause physical symptoms, such as a headache, back pain, or stomach pain. If you’re being evaluated for a psychiatric disorder you must tell your doctor about any physical symptoms that you are experiencing including unexplained aches and pains.
Psychiatric Disorder Treatment
Treatment plans for psychiatric disorders vary depending on the exact diagnosis and the specific needs of the individual patient. Most reputable mental health hospitals will include some combination of the following in their course of Psychiatric Disorder Treatment:
- Aftercare – If you’re in residential treatment or a psychiatric hospital, an aftercare plan provides you with a road map for staying healthy when you’re back in the real world.
- Psychotherapy – Counseling sessions may take place either one-on-one or in a group setting with a licensed and trained mental health care professional. The goal of these sessions is to identify troublesome thoughts and behaviors, then develop strategies and coping mechanisms for handling them.
- Medication – Because psychiatric disorders are afflictions of the brain, many conditions may benefit from medication to relieve severe symptoms and help return thoughts and emotions to a manageable state.
When Does it Become a Psychiatric Disorder?
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably had a mental health concern from time to time, such as depression following the loss of a job.
That’s not true of a psychiatric disorder, in which your symptoms are ongoing and frequently upsetting to you and the people around you. A psychiatric disorder also interferes with your ability to do day-to-day tasks. When the stress of trying to cope with your symptoms becomes more than you can handle, treatment typically involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy also called talk therapy.
We Level Up Treatment understand the stigma and challenges associated with mental illness, and we are dedicated to helping our patients get the help they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. With both inpatient and outpatient mental health services, we develop customized treatment plans, complete with aftercare programs to ensure patient success over the long term.