- Anxiety disorders -- for example, post-traumatic stress disorder and adult panic-anxiety syndrome -- are mental disorders characterized by extreme levels of anxiety. Everyone feels stress and anxiety throughout their life, and sometimes isolated incidents can feel extreme. This feeling is entirely normal, a typical response to stressful situations. It is when you feel extreme anxiety over a mild stressor or a perceived stressor that there could be a serious problem. Anxiety disorders can be so severe that they hinder everyday life and can prevent you from functioning in society. They can also produce physical symptoms such as hyperventilation, heart palpitations and chest pains.
- Depressive disorders are a class of emotional disorders characterized by long periods of extreme sadness that can cause you to become listless, lose interest in nearly all activities, feel worthless or helpless and even have suicidal thoughts. The cause of depressive disorders is another case of nature versus nurture; in some cases, biological factors are to blame, while in other cases, environmental factors or stressful life changes are responsible. If you have symptoms of severe depression for longer than two weeks, then seek psychiatric help.
- Behavioral disorders are disorders that affect your behavior and emotional well-being. This type of disorder covers a wide range of mental illnesses, and is the leading reason why children are referred to a psychiatrist. One of the most common behavioral disorders is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder that appears in children and prevents them from concentrating on any one thing for extended periods of time. A variation of ADHD can appear in adults, but it is far more prevalent in children.
- Personality disorders are characterized by abnormal experiences, behaviors and patterns of thinking with regard to interpersonal relationships, impulse control and mood swings. People who suffer from personality disorders often do not conform to society's norms, and as a result, may find their life to be inordinately stressful. Examples of personality disorders include obsessive-compulsive disorder and avoidant personality disorder. Other serious personality disorders include antisocial personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, borderline personality disorder and conduct disorder.
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