Mental Health Disorders: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Options

02/19/2026

What are mental health disorders?

Mental disorders, medically known as mental illnesses or psychotic disorders, are conditions that affect many aspects of your life, ranging from mood to emotion, behaviour, and thoughts. These mental health conditions may occur over a short period of time (acute) or may come and go, depending on the underlying cause. On the other hand, some mental disorders can be chronic, lasting for an extended duration. Living with any of the mental disorders can interfere with your mental, physical, emotional, and sexual well-being. 

A mental health disorder can sometimes be the reason for being unable to perform our best at school, work, or home. They are prevalent worldwide and affect people of all ages. Approximately 1 in 8 people across the world have one of the mental disorders, staggering, isn’t it? No matter how severe the disorder is, medical help is available. If left untreated, it can induce serious and irreversible consequences. Therefore, if you are struggling mentally, reach out to a medical professional at the earliest. 

Severity of symptoms and the primary cause may vary from one person to another. There are several factors that can result in mental disorders, ranging from medical history to heredity, life experiences, and brain chemistry and function. Having stable mental health can help you lead a happy and healthy life and face life’s adversities.

Mental health statistics: Unveiling the prevalence of these disorders

Mental health issues are more common in the United States than you think. As per reports, about 1 in 5 American adults experiences at least go through 1 mental illness each year, with anxiety being the most common. On the other hand, around one in 5 five people aged between 13 and 18 experience a mental disorder at some point in their lives.

Mental health disorders are prevalent, but severity may vary among sufferers. On a suffering scale, approximately 1 in 25 adults experiences a serious mental health disorder every year. This severe mental health disorder can affect your ability to even carry out day-to-day tasks. 

As per the data shared by the National Institute of Mental Health, women are more prone to experiencing serious mental illness than men, especially women aged between 18 and 25. It might be shocking, but people with mixed race backgrounds are more likely to experience a serious mental illness than people of other races.

Common symptoms of mental health disorders:

Symptoms may vary among people with mental health disorders, ranging from racing thoughts to experiencing voices in the head. However, there are plenty of mental health illnesses that share the same symptoms. Some common symptoms that can be observed in every mental health condition are: 

• Overeating or not eating enough

• Unable to sleep or sleeping too much

• Withdrawal from social life

• Feeling lethargic even after enough sleep

• Lacking empathy or feeling numb

• Feeling unexplained itching or body pain

• Fighting with family or other close people

• Feeling lost, confused, or hopeless

• Increased smoking or drinking habits

• Often feeling anxious, sad, and irritated

• Encountering serious mood swings

• Constant flashbacks or thoughts you can’t get rid of.

• Hearing voices in your head that you are unable to stop.

• Thoughts of self-harm

• Experiencing troubles in conducting day-to-day tasks

You may even experience the aforementioned symptoms during an episode of severe stress or emotional distress. These symptoms may affect your ability to maintain optimal behaviour at school, work, and home. Going through this period is also referred to as a nervous or mental breakdown. If these symptoms are strong enough and persist longer than usual, kindly seek medical attention. Leaving them unattended may worsen the underlying problem and lead to other complications as well. 

Causes of mental health disorders:

A vast range of factors can result in mental health disorders, and the primary reason may vary from one person to another. If you are experiencing any mental health-related problems, talk about it with your family or a close friend. Delaying medical attention can aggravate the condition and make the underlying cause harder to address. The following are the common causes of mental health disorders:

Genetics:

Your chances of developing a mental health disorder are higher if it runs in your family. You may inherit genes that augment your risk of developing mental health-related problems. In addition, passing down of these from one generation to another doesn’t mean you will develop the disorders your family had.

Brain chemistry and function:

This is one of the major factors influencing your mental well-being. Your brain uses neurotransmitters to regulate mood, behaviour, and thoughts. Imbalance in these neurotransmitters can induce the development of many mental illnesses. 

Environment and life experiences:

Experiencing stressful or life-changing events at an early age increases your risk of experiencing mental health disorders. Factors such as substance, no emotional support, and living with chronic conditions put you at an increased risk.

Popular treatment for mental health disorders:

The suitable treatment for your mental health disorder will be determined by your medic based on a wide range of factors such as age, medical history, and severity of the disorder. The treatment for mental health disorders aims to reduce the severity of symptoms, address underlying causes, and help you lead a normal life. There is no one-size-fits-all.

You and your medic will work together to find the appropriate treatment based on your needs. It may be a combination treatment or an individual one, depending on your unique needs. Some popular treatments are the following:

Medications: 

There are mainly four types of categories that are prescribed to manage a broad range of mental health conditions. These four categories are anti-anxiety medication, anti-depressants, antipsychotic medication, and mood stabilizing medication. Your doctor will determine the right category based on your symptoms and other factors.

Psychotherapy:

Psychotherapy or talk therapy is an approach wherein you speak about your thoughts, feelings, and problems that you experience daily with a mental health professional. Based on your feelings and thoughts, the medical professional will suggest coping techniques. 

Lifestyle changes and home remedies:

Lifestyle changes and home remedies might be suggested in conjunction with a primary treatment to improve your condition faster, enabling you live a fulfilling life ahead. Using these treatments in addition to the main treatment can help you alleviate your symptoms and take control over your thoughts, mood, and feelings in a realistic way.

You might also be suggested to make lifestyle changes such as avoiding alcohol and drugs, eating a healthy diet, and taking supplements that nourish mental health.

The takeaway:

Living with a mental health condition is not taboo and doesn’t make you less of a human. On a global level, millions of people are diagnosed with different mental health conditions every year, but continue with their normal lives without any obstacle through available treatments. If mental health is left unattended, it can affect other aspects of your life and may induce a wide range of complications. You should get in touch with a medical provider if you are struggling mentally. Many treatments are available, allowing you to live your life to the fullest. Mental health issues are common in all ages and can be treated with available treatments, only if you seek the treatment at the right moment. Nobody is going to judge you for suffering mentally; it’s just you in your head. Don’t let the fear of being judged ruin the coming years of your life. You are STRONG and COURAGEOUS.