Mental health problems summary

Modified on Tue, Feb 28, 2023 at 2:59 PM

Psychiatric Disorder	Symptoms	DSM Criteria for Diagnosis	Treatment Examples
Depression	persistent sadness, loss of interest, changes in appetite or sleep, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating	Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, plus other symptoms that cause significant impairment in daily life	Antidepressant medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy), and lifestyle changes (such as exercise, diet, and stress reduction)
Anxiety	Excessive worry, fear, or panic; avoidance of certain situations or activities; physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat or sweating	Intense, persistent fear or anxiety about specific situations or objects, or more general anxiety that is difficult to control and causes significant distress or impairment	Anxiolytic medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or exposure therapy), relaxation techniques (such as deep breathing or meditation)
Bipolar disorder	Cycles of mania (elevated or irritable mood, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, impulsive behavior) and depression (persistent sadness, loss of interest, changes in appetite or sleep, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt)	At least one manic or hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode, plus other criteria that distinguish bipolar disorder from other mood disorders,	Mood stabilizer medications, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or family-focused therapy), and lifestyle changes (such as regular sleep patterns and stress reduction)
Schizophrenia	Delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there), disordered thinking or speech, social withdrawal	two or more of the following symptoms, each lasting at least a month: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and negative symptoms (such as lack of emotion or motivation)	Antipsychotic medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy for psychosis), and social skills training
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)	Intrusive, unwanted thoughts or images (obsessions) that cause anxiety or distress and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that are performed to reduce anxiety or prevent harm	The presence of obsessions and/or compulsions that take up a significant amount of time or cause significant distress or impairment	Antidepressant medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention), and lifestyle changes (such as stress reduction)

Psychiatric Disorder	Symptoms	DSM Criteria for Diagnosis	Treatment Examples
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)	Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity	Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development, with onset before age 12	Stimulant medication (such as Ritalin or Adderall), behavioral therapy (such as parent training or classroom interventions), accommodations, and support at school or work
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)	Intrusive, distressing memories or nightmares of a traumatic event; avoidance of reminders of the trauma; hyperarousal (such as difficulty sleeping or being easily startled)	Exposure to a traumatic event plus symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance, negative alterations in mood or cognition, and increased arousal and reactivity	Antidepressant medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure therapy), stress reduction techniques (such as mindfulness or yoga)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)	Intense and unstable relationships, self-image, and emotions, and impulsive behavior (such as self-harm or substance abuse)	A pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, plus impulsivity, and at least five other criteria	Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), medication (such as mood stabilizers or antipsychotics), and psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapy)
Substance use disorder (SUD)	Compulsive use of alcohol or drugs, despite negative consequences, results in withdrawal symptoms.	Impaired control over use, social impairment, risky use, pharmacological criteria, and other criteria that distinguish mild, moderate, and severe SUDs	Behavioral therapies (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or contingency management), medication-assisted treatment (such as methadone or buprenorphine for opioid addiction), and support groups (such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous)
Eating disorders (such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders)	Distorted body image, obsessive thoughts about food and weight, purging behaviors (such as vomiting or laxative use), and binge eating	Specific criteria vary depending on the disorder but typically involve a persistent pattern of abnormal eating behaviors that interfere with physical and psychological health.	Nutrition counseling, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or family-based therapy), and medication (such as antidepressants or antipsychotics)

Psychiatric Disorder	Symptoms	DSM Criteria for Diagnosis	Treatment Examples
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)	Excessive and uncontrollable worry, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances	Excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of everyday problems or events, plus other symptoms that cause significant distress or impairment	Antidepressant medication, benzodiazepines (short-term), psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction)
Panic disorder	Sudden and repeated panic attacks (intense fear or discomfort with physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat or sweating)	Recurrent unexpected panic attacks plus persistent concern about having more attacks or changes in behavior related to the attacks	Antidepressant medication, benzodiazepines (short-term), and psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)	Impaired social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests	Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts, plus restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities	Behavioral interventions (such as applied behavior analysis or social skills training), educational support (such as individualized education plans), and medication (such as antipsychotics or stimulants for co-occurring conditions)
Personality disorders (such as antisocial, narcissistic, or avoidant personality disorders)	Patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that deviate from cultural norms and cause significant distress or impairment	Specific criteria vary depending on the disorder but typically involve enduring patterns of behavior that are inflexible and maladaptive and cause problems in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.	Psychotherapy (such as dialectical behavior therapy, transference-focused therapy, or mentalization-based therapy), and medication (such as mood stabilizers or antipsychotics for co-occurring conditions)
Schizoaffective disorder	Symptoms of both schizophrenia (delusions, hallucinations, disordered thinking) and a mood disorder (depression or mania)	The presence of both schizophrenia and mood disorder symptoms, with periods of mood disorder symptoms without psychotic symptoms	Antipsychotic medication, mood stabilizer or antidepressant medication, psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or family-focused therapy)

Psychiatric Disorder	Symptoms	DSM Criteria for Diagnosis	Treatment Examples
Insomnia disorder	Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, plus daytime impairment	Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep, at least three nights per week for at least three months, plus daytime distress or impairment	Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), medication (such as hypnotics or antidepressants), and sleep hygiene education
Hoarding disorder	Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value, plus clutter that interferes with the use of living spaces	Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save them or fear of losing them, plus other criteria that distinguish hoarding disorder from other disorders,	Cognitive-behavioral therapy (such as exposure and response prevention or cognitive restructuring), medication (such as antidepressants or antipsychotics for co-occurring conditions), organization and decluttering support
Substance-induced disorders (such as alcohol-induced depressive disorder or cocaine-induced anxiety disorder)	Mental health symptoms that are caused or exacerbated by substance use	Mental health symptoms that are temporarily related to substance use and cannot be better explained by another disorder	Cessation or reduction of substance use, treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders, supportive care
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)	The presence of two or more distinct personality states with recurrent gaps in recall of everyday events or traumatic experiences	Disruption of identity is characterized by two or more distinct personality states, recurrent gaps in recall, and other symptoms that cause significant distress or impairment.	Psychotherapy (such as specialized trauma-focused therapy or hypnotherapy), medication (such as antidepressants or antipsychotics for co-occurring conditions), and supportive care
Conduct disorder	persistent patterns of behavior that violate the rights of others or major societal norms, such as aggression, theft, or destruction of property	repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates the basic rights of others or age-appropriate societal norms, with at least three of 15 specific criteria present within the past 12 months	Behavioral interventions (such as parent training or multisystemic therapy), medication (such as mood stabilizers or antipsychotics for co-occurring conditions), school or legal interventions

Again, the treatment options may differ based on the patient and the severity of the disorder, and this table is neither exhaustive nor diagnostic. It's crucial to collaborate with a mental health expert to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and a suitable treatment strategy.