What is a mental disorder? It’s a question many adults, as well as children, have at one time or another in their lives. A disorder in any form affects your thoughts, feelings, behavior, and even emotions. They can be short-lived or chronic (chronic). They can effect your ability to function every day and relate to others. If you are having trouble with these questions and symptoms, see a doctor for help.

There are several types of mental health conditions. These include anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and specific phobias. Each one is broken down into its most severe form, which will affect your thoughts, behaviors, and relationships with others on a daily basis. In order to cope with them, you must first learn to identify them and learn how to cope with them. When you know what you are dealing with, it will be much easier to treat them and live with them.

About a million people in the United States alone suffer from a mental disorder or illness every single year. That’s four percent of the population, but it is certainly a staggering number. One of the more common mental illness or disorders in adolescents is depression. There are about two million adolescents who are depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. That number jumps to three million when they get the teen years added on.

Bipolar disorder is another major depression issue in adolescents. It is classified as a serious mental disorder that is characterized by cycles of mania and depression. When you get it, you will go through cycles of elation and abnormally low self-esteem, extreme highs, and lows. Usually, it lasts for a couple years, then the cycle changes and the person becomes unstable. About one percent of adolescents experience bipolar disorder. In adults, about one percent of people with a major depression episode go on to commit suicide within a year of the onset of the episode.

An additional fifteen percent of adolescents may have an addiction issue, which can be categorized as a form of a mental disorder in adolescents. The most common type of addiction is alcohol, but other drugs and substances use are also common, and some people use them medically. There are four major classifications of addiction: physical dependence, emotional dependence, social dependence, or psychological dependence. Diagnostic modules for addiction in adolescents include the Addiction Factor (ADD), the Physical Dependence Factor (PDF), the Behavioral Dependency Factor (BDF), and the Emotional Dependence Factor (EDF).

As a whole, the prevalence of mental disorder among adolescents has been fairly stable over the past ten or twenty years. When looking at the overall prevalence, you will find that males are more likely than females to have it, and the Hispanic/ Latino population is more likely than not to have it. In addition, the prevalence is highest in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and Eastern Europe. When you examine the prevalence of mental disorder by race/ ethnicity, the pattern is somewhat different. While the American population shows a steady, if slightly lower, prevalence, the prevalence of mental disorder is significantly higher in the Asian population, which includes the Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Pakistani populations.

In addition to looking at the overall prevalence of mental disorders in adolescence, it is important to look at the prevalence by type of mental illness. If you look at those who are diagnosed with each type of mental illness, you will see that there are significantly different rates of recovery for each type. For example, those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are much more likely to live happy, productive lives. On the other hand, those who are diagnosed with depression, anxiety, drug abuse, substance use disorders, and eating disorders are much more likely to live unhappy, short lived lives.

It is important to take a close look at your mental health when you are examining the prevalence of mental disorder. If you have multiple mood disorders, anxiety disorder, or substance use disorders, you are more likely to have a serious psychiatric illness. If you are having problems with self-esteem, relationships, academic performance, or suicidal thoughts and behaviors, you may be dealing with one or more of these types of disorders. If you suspect that you do indeed have an illness, please contact your physician or psychologist today.

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