Mental Disorder Research Paper

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines mental disorder as follows: a mental or bodily condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological functioning of the individual. A mental illness, also called a mental disorder, is a condition that impacts a person’s thinking, mood or feeling, and even ability to function. Each person will react differently to certain illnesses, even with the same diagnosis.

Examples are often used to define mental illness, even though they are all different in their own ways. The most popular mental illnesses people hear of are depression and anxiety, because they’re both common in teens and adults. Depression is a mood disorder that causes

There are personality disorders, eating disorders, impulse control disorders, and so on. There are certain disorders that are a bit different than others, and can lead to other disorders. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) stand on their own, and can lead to other mental and physical illnesses. “People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes his or her hands.” Survivors of PTSD often suffer from an anxiety disorder, which can then lead to a more physical aspect. When a survivor of PTSD is triggered by something, they are often sent into a panic attack or a flashback of the traumatic event that gave them the disorder in the first place. This trigger could be anything. It could be the way something smelled, a noise, or even one word. This trigger can be crippling for them, and they may not be able to talk or move until they have come out of that panicked

Sometimes it comes from genes, and other times it’s caused by something happening in their life. Mental illness can even be caused by your environment. In cases like depression, many times someone inherits it from a parent. It is often said that depression is most commonly caused by a chemical imbalance, but that doesn’t explain exactly how complex the disorder is. As posted in the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, “Sadness touches all of our lives at different times, but depression can have enormous depth and staying power. It is more than a passing bout of sadness or dejection, or feeling down in the dumps. It can leave you feeling continuously burdened and can sap the joy out of once-pleasurable activities.”

Another type of mental disorder is a dissociative disorder. People with these disorders suffer severe disturbances or changes in memory, consciousness, identity, and general awareness of themselves and their surroundings. These disorders usually are associated with overwhelming stress, which may be the result of traumatic events, accidents, or disasters that may be experienced or witnessed by the individual. Dissociative identity disorder, formerly called multiple personality disorder, or "split personality," and depersonalization disorder are examples of dissociative