People can experience different types of mental health problems. These problems can affect your thinking, mood, and behavior. Many symptoms of mental health disorders are common. The symptoms can add up to the level of a disorder if these symptoms are more severe and/or long-lasting and affect your functioning. Only a medical or behavioral health provider can diagnose someone. To access help for an assessment or treatment, refer to How to Get Help.
Below are examples of common mental health diagnoses. Want to learn more about other types of mental health conditions? Visit the “Mental Health and Behavior” section on MedlinePlus.
Anxiety Disorders
People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread. Anxiety disorders can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorders, and phobias.
Behavioral Disorders
Behavioral disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors in children that last for at least 6 months and cause problems in school, at home and in social situations. Examples of behavioral disorders include Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, and Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD).
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. Eating disorders can include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating.
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Mental health problems and substance abuse disorders sometimes occur together.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuating between extreme happiness and extreme sadness. Mood disorders can include depression, bipolar disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and self-harm.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
If you have OCD, you have repeated, upsetting thoughts called obsessions. You do the same thing over and over again to try to make the thoughts go away. Those repeated actions are called compulsions.
Personality Disorders
People with personality disorders have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and may cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. Personality disorders can include antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Psychotic Disorders
People with psychotic disorders experience a range of symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions. An example of a psychotic disorder is schizophrenia.
Suicidal Behavior
Suicide causes immeasurable pain, suffering, and loss to individuals, families, and communities nationwide.
Trauma and Stress Related Disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, a hurricane, rape, physical abuse or a bad accident. PTSD makes you feel stressed and afraid after the danger is over.
