Many mental disorders can affect your ability to lead a normal life. You may inherit a mental disorder or it may develop over time, sometimes due to trauma. According to the Mayo Clinic, mental illness is classified as such only if it interferes with your normal life, such as your ability to work or maintain relationships. A mental disorder also must cause you distress in your daily life in order to be defined as such. Mental illness can be treated with medications and therapy.
Depression
Depression is among the most common types of mental illness. It not only can affect how you think about your life, but also may have direct physical effects. Essentially, depression is a "down" feeling that lasts more than a few weeks. It may present itself as general unhappiness or sadness; a lowered libido; too much or too little sleep; a slowing of your speech, thinking and bodily motions; and indecisiveness. Other symptoms include fatigue, crying and physical ailments such as headaches or pain in your back for which there is no discernible cause. Along with psychotherapy, many medications are used to treat mental depression. These may include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram, or other types of medications such as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), tricyclics, atypical antidepressants or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). All of these medications may induce side effects.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is more commonly known as manic-depressive disorder. You may be bipolar if you have wild mood swings, from very hyper, "up" and happy, to lethargic, "down" and depressed. The manic phase may show symptoms such as speaking quickly, euphoria, being overly optimistic, aggressive or risky behavior, or a raised libido. The depressive phase may manifest with such symptoms as hopelessness, anxiety, irritability, feelings of guilt and unexplainable pain that is chronic. Medications used to treat bipolar disorder include lithium and antidepressants. Anticonvulsant medicines such as valproic acid, lamotrigine and divalproex may be prescribed, or your doctor may recommend antipsychotic drugs such as quetiapine, risperidone and olanzapine.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder typically occurs after you have been through a traumatic event. It most often has been associated with soldiers returning from active duty, but it also may be triggered by a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane. Treatment---recommended to begin as soon as possible---may include psychotherapy as well as medications. These may include antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and a medication called prazosin to help fight traumatic nightmares.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that can make you experience reality differently than most people do, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Common manifestations of the disease include abnormal behavior and thinking, delusions, and hallucinations. You also may be unmotivated, not keep up with your hygiene, lack external signs of emotions and have trouble with daily activities. This mental illness typically is treated with therapy as well as antipsychotic drugs, such as perhenazine, chlorpromazine and haloperidol, or atypical antipsychotics such as ziprasidone, aripiprazole and quetiapine.
