According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Also, an estimated 45 percent of those diagnosed with a mental disorder also meet the criteria for two or more disorders. In fact, mental illness is so widespread throughout the United States that it is the leading cause of disability among Americans ages 15 to 44.
Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by sadness, lethargy and loss of interest. According to the American Psychological Association, it is the most common mental disorder. Periods of depression often result from a devastating occurrence such as being fired or losing a loved one. Depression is an emotion experienced by everyone at one time or another, but when it interferes with the ability to function on a day-to-day basis and lasts for more than two weeks medical attention may be required. Recommended treatment for depression is either therapy, medication or a combination of both.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the experience of nervousness and worry. It is triggered by stress and can be situational or generalized. Situational anxiety involves the experience of apprehension that results when thinking about or engaging in a particular situation. Generalized anxiety is uncontrollable worry about a number of activities. According to the Mayo Clinic, anxiety can result in a number of adverse physical conditions such as headaches, teeth grinding and digestive or bowel problems.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse involves the use of drugs, alcohol or toxins despite their negative impact on the body. Recurrent substance abuse can disrupt interpersonal and occupational functioning as well as legal problems. Continued use of a substance despite adverse consequences suggests the presence of an addiction and requires intervention by a friend, family member or therapist. The inability or refusal of a substance abuser to see the causal link between the use of a drug and its negative outcomes is often the hardest step to take.
Eating Disorders
Disturbances in eating behavior are suggestive of eating disorders. Common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia involves the avoidance of eating due to the refusal to maintain a normal body weight. Sufferers of anorexia have a distorted body image and fear gaining weight. Sufferers of bulimia also fear gaining weight; however, they do not abstain from eating. Bulimics engage in binge eating, which involves secretly eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time. Binges are followed by the purging of the ingested food through vomiting or excessive use of laxatives.
