Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder—the most
chronic and disabling of the severe mental illnesses. People
with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal
voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds,
controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These symptoms may leave them
fearful and withdrawn.
Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness,
is a serious medical illness that causes shifts in a person's
mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that
everyone goes through,
the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe.
(Obsessive
Compulsive, Panic, Post Traumatic Stress, Social Phobia)
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps
one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam,
keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But
when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations,
it has become a disabling disorder.
Depression is a serious medical illness; it’s not something
that you have made up in your head. It’s more than just feeling "down
in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. It’s feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for
weeks at a time.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental
illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships,
self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term
planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at
the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of
emotion regulation.
Anxiety Disorders