What is Mental Illness or Mental Health Condition?
What exactly is a psychological disorder? How is a psychological disorder diagnosed?
A psychiatric disorder is a mental illness diagnosed by a mental health professional that greatly disturbs your thinking, moods, and/or behavior and seriously increases your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom. In addition, your symptoms must be more severe than the expected response to an upsetting event, such as normal grief after the loss of a loved one.
Diagnosing a mental health disorder is a multi-step process. During a first appointment, your doctor may perform a physical exam to look for signs of physical issues that could be contributing to your symptoms. Some doctors may order a series of laboratory tests to screen for underlying or less obvious possible causes.
Your doctor may ask you to fill out a mental health questionnaire. You may also undergo a psychological evaluation. You might not have a diagnosis after your first appointment. Your doctor may refer you to a mental health expert. Because mental health can be complex and symptoms may vary from person to person, it may take a few appointments for you to get a full diagnosis.
Symptoms
Examples of ongoing signs and symptoms of mental disorders include:
Confused thinking
Inability to concentrate and to perform daily tasks
Deep, ongoing sadness, or feeling “down”
Inability to manage day-to-day stress
Trouble understanding situations and other people
Withdrawal from others and from activities you used to enjoy
Extreme tiredness or sleeping problems
Having low or no energy
Strong feelings of fear, worry, or guilt
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Extreme mood changes, from highs to lows, often shifting very quickly
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
Believing things that are not true (delusions), paranoia (the belief that others are “out to get you,”) or hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t there)
Significant changes in eating habits
A change in sex drive
Using drug or alcohol more than usual
Excessive anger, hostility, and/or violence
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Having unexplained aches and pains
A psychiatric disorder may also cause physical symptoms, such as a headache, back pain, or stomach pain. If you’re being evaluated for a psychiatric disorder, tell your doctor about any physical symptoms you’re having, including unexplained aches and pains.
When Does a Mental Health Concern Become a Psychiatric Disorder?
If you're like most people, you’ve probably had a mental health concern from time to time, such as depression following the loss of a job. These concerns are typically time-limited, and eventually, you start to feel better.
That’s not true of a psychiatric disorder, in which your symptoms are ongoing and frequently upsetting to you and the people around you.
A psychiatric disorder also interferes with your ability to do day-to-day tasks. When the stress of trying to cope with your symptoms becomes more than you can handle, treatment typically involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy (also called talk therapy)