4 Mental Illnesses You Need to Know

October 16, 2017

You might be one of the people who’s wondering if mental health issues are really a thing--well, they are. And this October, as we celebrate Mental Health Week, we listed four of the most common mental illnesses that you should be aware of.

1. Anxiety disorder

People with anxiety respond to situations or things with overwhelming worry or fear. It is often characterized by physical signs such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, or dizziness.

Although anxiety is a normal emotion, it is considered a disorder when it occurs at inappropriate times when there are no trigger factors such as threatening situations. This also may be triggered by alcohol, caffeine, some weight-loss products, and stimulants. If you already feel anxious, you might want to avoid these triggers to somehow lessen the occurrence of anxiety.

2. Eating disorders

People with eating disorders tend to either overeat or starve themselves. Two of the most common eating disorders are binge eating and anorexia.

Binge eating can lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease as the people who suffer from this disorder are usually overweight or obese. You may overeat from time to time, but binge eating is different--it is feeling out of control when doing so.

On the other hand, anorexia is another type of an eating disorder wherein a person is obsessed with becoming thin even though they are already underweight. This disorder can often lead to swelling or bloating, stomach pains, constipation and depression. Worst part is it can affect the chemical balance of the body which can cause severe heart problems and even death.

3. OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

According to research, OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent unwanted thoughts, urges, and/or by repetitive behaviors or acts that a person feels driven to do to try to lessen the anxiety that their obsessions cause.

This repetitive behaviors can progress to taking up hours of the person's day and interfering with their normal activities. It is claimed by the experts that a person with OCD may be aware that their obsessions are senseless or may be unrealistic, but they cannot stop them.

4. Depression

One of the most common yet serious mental illness is depression, wherein a person experiences extreme sadness or loss of interest in activities, even in their hobbies. Depression may be caused by heredity or a past experience that resulted to trauma. It also greatly affects a person how they feel, think, and act.

Nowadays, issues about depression has been discussed all over social media and this should be taken seriously as this illness often results in deaths. This fact is strengthened by science as suicide thoughts are one of the symptoms of depression.

Should you be one of the people who suffer from any kind of mental illness or you know someone who does, take note of the Philippine’s hotline for mental health assistance: 804-HOPE or 804-4673 and 0917-558-HOPE or 0917-558-4673.

Your Paramount Direct Family would like to remind you that you matter and you are not alone.

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