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Mountain Lake View

Mental health is one aspect of health that contributes to your overall well-being

Mental illness refers to a wide range of health conditions that affect a person’s thinking, emotions, behavior, and ability to function in daily life. These conditions can be mild to severe and may be short-term or long-lasting.

The term “mental health” is often used as if it is distinct or different, but the truth is

– just like everyone has physical and emotional health – everyone has mental health.

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Mental Health  

To put it simply, the term “mental health” refers to “how you are feeling” or the status of your emotional and psychological well-being. Just like we have physical health, you can think about mental health, like taking stock of how mentally healthy you are and how well (or not) you are coping with all of the various things in life that affect your happiness.

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“Mental health” is different from mental illness and mental health conditions. Even though we sometimes use the words interchangeably, they are different.

A physical illness affects your physical health in a negative way, just as a mental illness or condition can have a negative impact on your mental health.

 

Everyone has mental health regardless of whether they have a mental health condition, and our mental health exists on a spectrum. (Loveyourmindtoday.org)

Mental Illness

Common Types

of Mental Illness

Mood Disorders

  • Depression

  • Major Depressive Disorder

  • Bipolar disorder
    Affect emotional state, energy, and motivation.

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Anxiety Disorders

  • Generalized anxiety

  • Panic disorder

  • Social anxiety
    Involve excessive fear, worry, or physical tension.

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Personality Disorders

  • Borderline Personality Disorder
    Patterns of thinking and relating that cause long-term difficulties.

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Psychotic Disorders

  • Schizophrenia
    Affect perception of reality, including hallucinations or delusions.

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Trauma- and Stress-Related Disorders

  • PTSD

  • Complex Trauma
    Triggered by distressing or traumatic experiences.

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Eating Disorders

  • Anorexia

  • Bulimia

  • Binge eating disorder
    Involve unhealthy relationships with food, weight, or body image.

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Neurodevelopmental Disorders

  • ADHD

  • Autism spectrum disorder
    Affect development, attention, behavior, or communication.

Depression

Depression is a mental health condition marked by persistent sadness and loss of interest or pleasure in activities. It affects how a person feels, thinks, and functions in daily life.

Common features include:

  • Ongoing low mood

  • Loss of enjoyment or motivation

  • Changes in sleep or appetite

  • Fatigue

  • Trouble concentrating

  • Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness

It’s more than normal sadness—it's a lasting state that interferes with daily functioning.

Bipolar Disorder 

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes strong shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. A person experiences periods of:

  • Mania or hypomania — unusually high energy, elevated or irritable mood, racing thoughts, and sometimes impulsive behavior.

  • Depression — low energy, sadness, loss of interest, and difficulty functioning.

These mood episodes are more intense and longer-lasting than normal ups and downs, and they affect daily life, relationships, and functioning.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or fear that is strong enough to affect daily life. It often shows up as:

  • Persistent, hard-to-control worry

  • A sense of tension or unease

  • Physical symptoms like a racing heart, restlessness, or trouble sleeping

While occasional anxiety is normal, anxiety disorders involve worry or fear that is intense, frequent, and difficult to manage.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by intense and unstable emotions, relationships, and self-image. People with BPD may experience:

  • Strong, rapidly shifting emotions

  • Fear of abandonment

  • Unstable or intense relationships

  • Impulsive or risky behaviors

  • Difficulty knowing who they are (unstable self-image)

  • Chronic feelings of emptiness

  • Intense anger or difficulty controlling anger

  • Periods of stress-related paranoia or feeling “disconnected”

These patterns are long-lasting and affect daily life and relationships.

Panic disorder

Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by sudden and repeated episodes of intense fear or discomfort, called panic attacks.

  • Panic attacks come on suddenly, often without a clear trigger.

  • Symptoms can include:

    • Rapid heartbeat or palpitations

    • Shortness of breath

    • Chest pain or tightness

    • Dizziness or feeling faint

    • Trembling or shaking

    • Chills, hot flashes, or sweating

    • Fear of losing control or “going crazy”

    • Feeling detached from reality

  • Panic disorder involves persistent worry about having more attacks or their consequences, which can interfere with daily life and routines.

It’s treatable through therapy, lifestyle changes, and sometimes medication.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, such as violence, abuse, accidents, or natural disasters.

  • Intrusive memories or flashbacks of the trauma

  • Nightmares related to the event

  • Avoidance of people, places, or situations that trigger memories

  • Negative changes in thoughts and mood, such as guilt, shame, or emotional numbness

  • Heightened arousal or reactivity, including irritability, trouble sleeping, or being easily startled

PTSD can interfere with daily life, relationships, and work, but it is treatable through therapy, support, and sometimes medication.

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety (or social anxiety disorder) is a mental health condition characterized by intense fear or worry about social situations where a person might be judged, embarrassed, or scrutinized by others.

  • Fear of speaking, eating, or performing in front of others

  • Avoiding social situations or enduring them with extreme discomfort

  • Physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, blushing, or rapid heartbeat

  • Persistent worry about being criticized or humiliated

Social anxiety is more than shyness—it can interfere with work, school, relationships, and daily life.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are mental health conditions characterized by unhealthy relationships with food, body weight, and self-image. They involve extreme behaviors and thoughts around eating that can harm physical and emotional health.

  • Anorexia nervosa – severely restricting food intake, often due to fear of gaining weight.

  • Bulimia nervosa – cycles of binge eating followed by purging (vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxatives).

  • Binge-eating disorder – recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food without purging, often accompanied by guilt or shame.

  • Preoccupation with weight, body shape, or food

  • Distorted self-image

  • Compulsive or secretive eating behaviors

  • Emotional distress such as anxiety, guilt, or shame

Eating disorders are serious but treatable with therapy, nutrition counseling, medical care, and support.

Calm Ocean View

Looking for more information?

Our intent is to provide educational material and resources to re-frame attitudes and stigma around mental health illnesses and conditions.

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It's important to learn the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and it's important to seek help. 

 

We encourage you to check-in with yourself and reach out to resources within this site to take care of yourself and others.

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