Have you ever heard of the mental health crisis? Unfortunately more than 30% of the UK population have one, or more, long-term mental disorders. 

Though, contrary to popular belief, you could experience a mental health crisis with any mental health issue. It’s not specific to just one, and anyone can experience the feeling of being at breaking point at any point in their lives. 

It’s having an understanding of the different types of mental health conditions that can help you pinpoint when to speak to a doctor, or when to seek help.

So, let’s take a look at the 10 common mental health disorders to get you up to speed. 

1. Bipolar Disorder 

This condition is a mood disorder, and can occur at any age. However, it commonly develops between the ages 15 and 19, and once in a while emerges after 40. 

An individual with bipolar disorder can experience one extreme feeling to the other – to the point where these episodes affect daily life as they can go on for days, weeks, or even months. These episodes are often either mania (feeling high and overactive) or depression

2. Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a common mental illness that affects individuals aged 16-40 years old. Having said this however, eating disorders can develop at any age, with the youngest being a child at 6 years old. 

An eating disorder can be characterised as a behavioural condition. It’s the severe and persistent disturbance in how individuals eat, and it’s also associated with upsetting thoughts and emotions. They can be so severe that they affect social, physical, and mental function. 

Types of eating disorders include; 

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Binge eating disorder
• Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder 
• Pica
• Rumination disorder 

3. Anxiety Disorders 

Anxiety is also a common mental illness. It is reported that over 8 million people in the UK experience an anxiety disorder at any given time.

It’s natural to experience anxiety from time to time. However, when individuals have an anxiety disorder, they frequently have persistent, or excessive worry and fear about things in their daily life. 

For example, someone may experience workplace anxiety and not have an anxiety disorder. 

Anxiety disorders can create episodes of sudden feelings of intense fear or terror, and anxiety. These feelings are difficult to control, and can be unrealistic, but they can lead to panic attacks within minutes, and anxiety attacks can last for days in some cases. 

4. Depression

Depression is a common mental illness that can affect your mood, physical health, behaviour, and thoughts. It often occurs when you feel sad or hopeless for longer than a few days. 

Due to the different types of depression, and the varying range of symptoms, depression can have different levels of severity. This mood disorder is different from normal mood fluctuations, and it’s not something that will just go away on its own.

5. OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is common and often misunderstood. This mental health condition can affect individuals of all ages, from children to adults. 

OCD can cause individuals to have fears and obsessions that don’t align with reality. Because of this, people with OCD can experience persistent, unwanted thoughts and fears. These thoughts and fears are typically controlled or managed by repeating certain rituals or by doing other behaviours. 

6. Paranoia 

Paranoia is a mental disorder that causes you to have a distorted view of the world around you, including extreme distrust of others. Though it can also present itself in delusions and paranoid thoughts. Paranoia is more common among men than women, but anyone can develop it at any age. 

However, no matter what your gender may be, paranoia can be caused by a variety of things including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, drug use and alcohol abuse

Paranoid symptoms are extremely common in schizophrenia, and also occur in bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizoid personality disorder.

7. Dissociation and dissociative disorder

Dissociation is a mental process of “disconnecting” from one’s self and surroundings. It is a mental disorder that creates a disruption or breakdown of memory, awareness, identity, or perception. 

Some people dissociate in response to trauma while others may dissociate during times of stress, as a coping mechanism. 

Due to this, people with dissociative disorders may feel detached or disconnected from their own bodies, have trouble recalling certain information or situations, or believe they are someone else.

8. PTSD

PTSD is also commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a mental disorder that can develop after an individual experiences a traumatic event such as a road accident, any violent assault, serious health issues, war or torture, and even childbirth. 

Individuals suffering from this condition may have negative impacts on their daily lives as their symptoms are often severe and persistent. For example, they might; be unable to concentrate, develop sleeping problems like insomnia, or experience flashbacks

9. Schizophrenia

This long-term mental health condition can interfere with an individual’s thoughts and emotions and it can cause people to have an abnormal view of reality. 

Although the exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown, the symptoms can vary from person to person. Though, they typically include hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that don’t exist), muddled thoughts, a change in motivation or sleeping habits, and a change in behaviour

10. Dementia

While it may not be a specific disease, dementia is the generalised terminology for the decreased ability to think, remember, or make decisions that negatively impacts daily activities. 

Dementia is a common mental illness that can also affect an individual’s personality and reasoning skills. It is estimated that in the UK, the number of people suffering with dementia is around 850,000.

We hope you have found this list useful, please remember to look after your mental health and do not hesitate to get in touch with your GP or seek professional help if you are struggling with any symptom

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