the most common mental health disorders
What are the most common types of mental disorders?
Mental illness is a serious health issue in the United States, as a large number of Americans suffer from a wide range of mental disorders during any given year. Each year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors a national survey which examines the prevalence of mental illness during the previous year. In 2015, the survey showed that 18% of adults met the diagnostic criteria for at least one mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder in the past year, representing 43 million Americans age 18 or older. Among those individuals, 23% experienced a severe disorder which substantially interfered with one or more major life areas.
Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorder in the United States. Approximately 18% of adults suffer from an anxiety disorder during any given year. Many anxiety disorders develop in childhood and persist to adulthood, with an average age of onset at 11 years old.
Anxiety disorders range from specific phobias, such as the fear of heights, to more generalized anxiety about everyday life situations, such as health, finances, and work or school performance. Other anxiety disorders include Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Agoraphobia.
Specific Phobia is the most common type of anxiety disorder, which involves an intense fear of an object or situation and taking extreme measures to avoid the feared object or situation. Social Anxiety Disorder is the second most common type of anxiety disorder. Individuals with this disorder have an excessive fear of being scrutinized by others or embarrassing themselves in front of others, and they often avoid situations in which they might feel scrutinized or risk embarrassing themselves.
Depressive disorders are the second most common type of mental disorder in the United States. Approximately 7% of adults suffer from a depressive disorder during any given year, with individuals between 18 and 29 years old having a three times higher rate than individuals age 60 or older.
Major Depressive Disorder is the most prevalent depressive disorder. The main feature of a Major Depressive Disorder is a depressed mood most of the day or the loss of interest or pleasure in most activities. The person may also experience changes in appetite or sleep patterns, decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, excessive guilt, feelings of worthlessness, or recurrent thoughts of death, including suicide.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is less common than anxiety or depressive disorders, but is gaining increased attention due to the number of service members and veterans who are currently suffering from the disorder. Approximately 4% of civilian adults suffer from PTSD during any given year, but the disorder is more common among veterans. Approximately 11% to 30% of veterans suffer from PTSD, with rates depending on the era in which the person served and the type of trauma experienced while serving.
An individual with PTSD often has recurrent, distressing memories or dreams about the traumatic event, and they may sometimes feel or act as if they are re-experiencing the event in the present moment. They may avoid situations or conversations which remind them of the event, and they may demonstrate an inordinate amount of caution when faced with situations which they perceive as threatening. Other indicators might include a sense of detachment from others, a persistent inability to experience positive emotions, unprovoked outbursts of anger, an exaggerated startle response, or sleep disturbances.
In addition to the challenges of an anxiety, depressive, or trauma-related disorder, an individual diagnosed with one of these disorders is at risk for developing a substance use disorder, as well. Compared to the general population, individuals with anxiety or depressive disorders are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Similarly, about one-third of veterans with a substance use disorder also meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Researchers have proposed that individuals with mental disorders may attempt to alleviate their mental health symptoms by using alcohol or other mood-altering substances, which puts them at risk for a substance use disorder. There is also evidence that mental disorders and substance use disorders could be caused by shared risk factors, such as genetic susceptibility and environmental precipitants (e.g., childhood exposure to chronic stress or trauma). When an individual suffers from co-occurring disorders, it is important to treat both disorders at the same time in order to achieve sustained remission from both disorders.