Mental Disorders In America

Mental disorders affect 42.5 million Americans; this equals out to be one in five people. While the effects and intensity of mental disorders vary from person to person, each one alters a person’s mood or behavior in some way. Most mental disorders are treatable through therapy or the use of prescription medications. The causes of these disorders differ as well, but most are a mixture of environmental causes, heredity and biological factors such as chemical imbalances in the brain. Some of the most common disorders people suffer from are Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Insomnia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Schizophrenia.
Major Depressive Disorder: Major Depressive Disorder is a condition that affects almost

The person develops rituals or obsessions that they need to complete before they move on with their day. In most cases, the person does not enjoy their obsessions but relieves the anxiety that would come with not doing it. For example, a person may become obsessed with turning on and off a light switch five times before they leave the house. The person knows it is a waste of time, but they cannot stop themselves from doing it without feeling immense anxiety. By switching the lights five times, the person will be sure that they did it and it relieves the fear of leaving the light on. While symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will vary from person to person depending on their obsession, common signs are constant, unwanted thoughts and same doing the same rituals repeatedly to calm themselves down. Research believes that OCD can run in families, and is mostly detected in childhood or teenage years. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be treated the same way as most mental illnesses: therapy or medication. A common therapy technique is called Exposure and Response Prevention. In this technique, a person is exposed to their fear or obsession, and then is not allowed to complete the action they normally would with it. This successfully shows the person that nothing bad will happen if they do not give into their obsessions. People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder may also be prescribed anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants to relieve the stress and anxiety that comes with living with