Journal of Preventive Medicine

Introduction

The signs and symptoms of mental illness might vary depending on the diagnosis, circumstances, and other factors. Emotions, attitudes, and behaviours can all be affected by mental disease symptoms.

Some examples of warning signs and symptoms are as follows:

• Excessive anxiety or worry, as well as strong feelings of guilt.

• Mood swings that are severe in both highs and lows.

• Friendships and pastimes are being snipped away.

• Significant tiredness, low energy, or trouble sleeping.

• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia, and hallucinations are examples of delusions.

• Stress or inability to deal with day-to-day concerns.

• Having trouble understanding and reacting to situations and people.

• Problems with alcohol or drugs.

• Dietary changes that are significant.

• Changes in sex motivation.

Types of Mental Illness

Anxiety disorders: Anxiety disorders are characterised by fear and dread in response to particular things or circumstances, as well as physical indicators of anxiety or panic, such as a racing heart and sweating. An anxiety disorder is diagnosed when a person's response is inappropriate for the scenario, they are unable to regulate their response, or their anxiety interferes with their ability to operate normally. Anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias [1].

Mood disorders: Chronic emotions of despair, moments of overwhelming happiness, or swings from tremendous happiness to terrible melancholy characterise mood disorders, also known as affective disorders.

Psychotic disorders: Depression, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymic disorder are the most prevalent mood disorders. Disorders of the mind: Psychotic disorders are characterised by altered consciousness and thought.

Impulse control and addiction disorders: People who suffer from impulse control problems are unable to resist temptations to do things that are potentially harmful to themselves or others. Pyromania (lighting flames), kleptomania (stealing), and excessive gambling are all examples of impulse control disorders. Addictions to alcohol and drugs are very frequent. People with these diseases frequently get so engrossed in their addictions that they neglect their obligations and relationships [2].

Personality disorders: Personality disorders are characterised by strong and rigid personality features that are stressful to the individual and/or cause issues at work, school, or in social interactions. Furthermore, the person's thought and behaviour patterns are markedly different from societal standards and are so inflexible that they interfere with the person's regular functioning [3]. Personality disorders include antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disease, histrionic personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): People who suffer from OCD are troubled by intrusive thoughts or concerns, which lead them to execute particular rituals or routines. Obsessions are the uncontrollable ideas, while compulsions are the rituals. A person with an irrational fear of germs who washes their hands all the time is an example [4].

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A traumatic and/or distressing experience, such as a sexual or physical attack, the untimely loss of a loved one, or a natural disaster, can result in PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD are often emotionally numb and have persistent and distressing thoughts and memories of the event.

Dissociative disorders: Memory, consciousness, identity, and general awareness of oneself and one's environment are all severely disrupted or altered in people with these conditions. Extreme stress, which may be the result of traumatic events, accidents, or disasters that the individual has experienced or witnessed, is usually associated to these disorders. Dissociative identity disorder, sometimes known as multiple personality disorder or "split personality," and depersonalization disorder are two types of dissociative illnesses [5].

Factitious disorders: Factitious disorders are situations in which a person deliberately and purposefully develops or complains of bodily and/or emotional symptoms in order to portray themselves as a sufferer or in need of assistance.

References

1. Fein R (1958) Economics of mental illness. Basic Books.
2. Thornicroft G (2007) Most people with mental illness are not treated. Lancet 370: 807-8.
3. Larry Davidson Volume 7 in the series Qualitative Studies in Psychology
4. Anthony WA (1993) Recovery from mental illness: The guiding vision of the mental health service system in the 1990s. Int J Psychosoc Rehabilitation 16: 11-23.
5. Bruce GL, Lawrence HY, Jo CP, Pamela YC (2004) Schizophrenia Bulletin 30: 511-41.