The Fight Within: The Battle for Mental Health (2023)

FAQs

What is the hardest mental illness to live with? ›

Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.

By all accounts, serious mental illnesses include “schizophrenia-spectrum disorders,” “severe bipolar disorder,” and “severe major depression” as specifically and narrowly defined in DSM. People with those disorders comprise the bulk of those with serious mental illness.

“Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health.” Lauren Fogel Mersy, n.d. “All stress, anxiety, depression, is caused when we ignore who we are, and start living to please others.” To maintain wellbeing, individuals need to recognize their inner strengths.

Personality disorders that are susceptible to worsening with age include paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, obsessive compulsive, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, and dependent, Dr.

Anxiety disorder is the most treatable of all mental illnesses. Anxiety disorder produces unrealistic fears, excessive worry, flashbacks from past trauma leading to easy startling, changes in sleep patterns, intense tension and ritualistic behavior.

Depression. Impacting an estimated 300 million people, depression is the most-common mental disorder and generally affects women more often than men.

Schizophrenia. The complexity of schizophrenia may be part of why the disorder is so misunderstood. The disorder affects thinking, emotions, and behavior, but it doesn't always look like what you might think it does.

Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.

feel overwhelmed — unable to concentrate or make decisions. be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying. feel depersonalised — not feeling like themselves or feeling detached from situations.

Where in the Bible does it talk about mental health? ›

We see this in God's creative acts of making humans in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), of giving them each other as companions (1:27–28), and of giving them a mandate to steward the earth (1:28–30). Regarding mental health specifically, the Bible contains no one word for mental illness.

“If you feel life is sinking, try positive thinking.” “Mental health isn't a choice; recovery is.” “A healthy mind is the greatest treasure.” “Taking a step today will help you lead a better tomorrow.” “You're not alone—you have a community of people who support you.”

Of those, the three most common diagnoses are anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These three conditions make up around 30 percent of all diagnoses of mental illness in America.

Although there is no official classification for end stage bipolar disorder, mild structural changes in the brain that lead to cognitive dysfunction can severely reduce someone's quality of life, especially toward the end of life.

Bipolar disorder can occur at any age, although it often develops between the ages of 15 and 19 and rarely develops after 40. Men and women from all backgrounds are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder. The pattern of mood swings in bipolar disorder varies widely between people.

While bipolar disorder cannot develop into schizophrenia, it's possible to experience symptoms of both. Before you consult a mental health professional, here are a few things you should know about the two conditions.

Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.

What is considered a serious mental illness? ›

Serious Mental Illness (SMI) – SMI is a smaller and more severe subset of mental illnesses; SMI is defined as one or more mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder(s) resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities (NIMH).

If you have schizoid personality disorder, you may be seen as keeping to yourself or rejecting others. You may not be interested in or able to form close friendships or romantic relationships. Because you do not tend to show emotion, it may appear that you do not care about others or what's going on around you.

There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.

Clinicians can be reluctant to make a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). One reason is that BPD is a complex syndrome with symptoms that overlap many Axis I disorders. This paper will examine interfaces between BPD and depression, between BPD and bipolar disorder, and between BPD and psychoses.

By contrast, teens suffering from phobias or anxiety disorders were the least likely to be treated.

A genetic event 550 million years ago appears to have set the stage for our mental illnesses today.

It is possible to recover from mental health problems, and many people do – especially after accessing support. Your symptoms may return from time to time, but when you've discovered which self-care techniques and treatments work best for you, you're more likely to feel confident in managing them.

Long-term stress can lead to structural changes in the brain, which can affect your memory and lead to difficulty concentrating. In extreme cases, too much cortisol can even lead to memory loss. For some people, excessive stress may cause insomnia, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

A nervous breakdown is ultimately caused by an inability to cope with large amounts of stress, but how that manifests exactly varies by individual. Work stress, mental illness, family responsibilities, and poor coping strategies are all things that can lead to a nervous breakdown and the inability to function normally.

What losing your mind feels like? ›

Losing your mind may be experienced as extreme confusion, distress and/or dissociation from oneself. It may be so overwhelming that it leads to anxiety and panic attacks. You are not alone in feeling this way, and to answer the question again; it is highly unlikely that you're losing your mind.

One of the ways that God shows us that he cares for our mental health is by providing us with the things we need - a great therapist, access to medication, time with Him, a good support system, or all of the above. Loving God with our minds can mean utilizing some of these things he provides.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you to ask for the restoration and healing of my mind. Thank you that you became fully human and walked amongst us, so you understand the complexities of the human brain. So I lay this mental illness before the cross.

Maintain positive relationships with other people. Feel they can contribute to the community they live in and live and work productively. Cope with the stresses of daily life and manage times of change and uncertainty.

Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." -- Helen Keller. "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -- Thomas Jefferson.

You could say something like 'its okay to feel like that' or, 'what you're going through sounds really tough'. Sometimes when you are struggling with your mental health, it can feel very lonely. By letting them know how they feel is valid, you are letting them know that they are not alone.

Walking corpse syndrome (also called Cotard's syndrome or Cotard's delusion) is a rare neuropsychiatric condition in which patients believe parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don't exist.

Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondria) is extremely rare. It affects about 0.1% of Americans. It typically appears during early adulthood. Illness anxiety disorder can affect all ages and genders.

Which is worse bipolar or BPD? ›

While people with bipolar disorder usually experience distinct periods (lasting days or weeks) of high and low moods over time, people with BPD often have rapidly changing moods. BPD mood changes may be more brief, but they can also be very intense. They make a person's mood more unstable.

Anxiety disorders are considered the most common type of psychiatric disorders in the general population.

The anorexia death rate is the highest of all mental illnesses as it is a very complex and complicated disorder. It requires early diagnosis and access to care with close follow-up and often long-term treatment. Each patient's risk must be evaluated individually.

While people with bipolar disorder usually experience distinct periods (lasting days or weeks) of high and low moods over time, people with BPD often have rapidly changing moods. BPD mood changes may be more brief, but they can also be very intense. They make a person's mood more unstable.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms of this disorder overlap with many other conditions, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders.

Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.

People experiencing a nervous breakdown may dissociate or have suicidal thoughts. Unable to perform the activities of everyday life, they usually require treatment from a mental health professional. A nervous breakdown may last for days, weeks, months—even years.

It's rare for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia to occur together, but it is possible.

For someone with this type of BPD relationship, a “favorite person” is someone they rely on for comfort, happiness, and validation. The relationship with a BPD favorite person may start healthy, but it can often turn into a toxic love-hate cycle known as idealization and devaluation.

Things that can indicate an episode is occurring: Intense angry outbursts. Suicidal thoughts and self-harm behavior. Going to great lengths to feel something, then becoming increasingly avoidant and withdrawn.

What is the best job for someone with BPD? ›

Many people with BPD feel emotions deeply and find working in a caring role fulfilling. If you are an empathetic person, consider jobs such as teaching, childcare, nursing and animal care.

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is associated with an assortment of characteristics that undermine interpersonal functioning. A lack of empathy is often cited as the primary distinguishing feature of NPD.

People with BPD often experience intense fears of abandonment and instability. To cope with these fears, they might use splitting as a defense mechanism. This means they might cleanly separate positive and negative feelings about: themselves.