Mental Health Disorders

The National Institutes of Health reports that more than one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year, but only about one in 17 will experience a disorder severe enough to require immediate intervention or care. Knowing the characteristics of the most common mental health disorders will help you decipher if you or someone you know may need help.

Mood

• According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 21 million American adults suffer from mood disorders, which include forms of depression and bipolar disorder. Both have a strong association with suicide.

  Depression takes many forms that range from mild and short-term to severe and chronic. However, most cases of depression are marked by a combination of persistent dark feelings, hopelessness, lack of pleasure and a feeling of helplessness in improving your situation.

  Bipolar disorder sufferers experience cycles of depression and mania, with manic activities like excessive gambling, shopping, or drug use often being the more destructive of the two.

ADHD

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a mental health disorders that will commonly show symptoms at an early age. Despite being linked with childhood, ADHD also affects more than 4 percent of adults in a given year, according to the National Institutes of Health. ADHD is characterized by a combination of symptoms including high levels of impulsiveness, inattention and hyperactivity.

Anxiety

• Anxiety disorders are one of the most common forms of mental health disorder, affecting more than 40 million American adults in the latest estimate from the National Institutes of Health. Anxiety disorders include obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder.

  Anxiety disorders take root when your body's natural reaction to stress---anxiety---becomes irrationally linked to everyday situations, making it impossible to handle normal tasks in a constructive fashion.

Schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting more than 1 percent, or 2.4 million Americans in a given year, according to the most recent data from the National Institutes of Health. Signs of this mental health disorder are divided into positive and negative symptoms.

  Positive symptoms are behaviors and experiences that do not occur in people without schizophrenia. These include hallucinations (usually auditory), delusional beliefs, disorganized thinking, repetitive movements and catatonia.

  Negative symptoms, on the other hand, are breaks or changes in normal behavior that are often not as easy to identify, and may lead to misdiagnosis. Negative symptoms generally involve a withdrawal from social situations, marked by speaking little; an inability to plan activities; or neglecting personal care.

Autism

• Autism is one of the more common serious mental health disorders, affecting approximately three to six children out of every 1,000, with boys four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Common characteristics of autism include difficulties in social interaction, all types of interpersonal communication, repetitive behaviors, and narrowly focused interests.

  Parents are often the first to recognize signs of autism, as even infants can exhibit autistic behaviors such as the lack of interpersonal connection, and incredibly narrow focus. The Center for Disease Control reports that the median age of diagnosis is 4.5 to 5.5 years old, but that concerns over behavior are usually noticed around age 3.

Alzheimer's

• According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease is a mental health disorder that affects up to 5.3 million Americans a year, and is the most common form of dementia. Unlike the disorders above, Alzheimer's is fatal in and of itself, and is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

  Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, meaning that it begins with very mild symptoms and becomes worse over time. Most Alzheimer's patients are over 65 years old, but it can develop as early as age 30 in rare cases. Early stages may include short-term memory problems and trouble organizing or planning activities. Later stages generally see major cognitive problems and memory loss, physical weakness and complete dependence on caregivers.