What is the Most Painful Mental Illness?

Many people with mental illness in themselves or someone close to them wonders what is the most painful mental illness. You may have heard of PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Many people with mental illnesses get relief through medication and psychotherapy. But sometimes, they need a hospital or residential treatment program to help them manage their symptoms.

Researchers have found that some mental health disorders, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD), are particularly painful. This is because they cause individuals to impulsively try to escape the pain through suicidal thoughts, self-harm, substance abuse and other destructive behaviors.

Depression

Depression is a serious medical illness that causes severe symptoms and affects your thoughts and feelings. It’s important to note that depression can make it difficult to get to sleep, concentrate, and perform well at work or school.

A person must have depressive symptoms most of the time for at least two weeks to be diagnosed with depression. These symptoms include a feeling of sadness or hopelessness, loss of interest in most activities, a change in appetite or weight, and sleep problems.

Most people with depression respond well to treatment. However, about half of them may not recover and will relapse. To help prevent relapse, continue with your doctor’s plan even after symptoms improve or go away.

Anxiety

Everyone experiences anxiety and fear at some point in their lives. These emotions can help us deal with danger, but it might be time to seek treatment if they become too intense or don’t go away.

A mental ailment, anxiety is characterized by excessive and unreasonable worry or panic attacks. They can interfere with your daily life and make it hard to enjoy your hobbies or relationships.

People with these disorders may also have physical symptoms, such as trembling, sweating, difficulty breathing or a fast heartbeat. They might also have trouble sleeping or feel restless.

Mental health counseling, medication, and behavioral modifications are all effective treatments for anxiety disorders. Psychotherapy often helps people identify distorted thought patterns and replace them with healthier ones.

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a brain disease that causes extreme shifts in mood. The highs and lows can interfere with daily life, but they can be treated.

Treatment aims to stabilize your mood and reduce the severity of symptoms. It includes medications and therapy.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) can help you recognize and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It can also help you and your family learn coping strategies.

Mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants are some of the medications that may be helpful in managing your symptoms. They work by re-balancing imbalanced signaling pathways in the brain.

ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy, can be used for some people to control severe episodes. ECT involves several rounds of electrical currents applied to the scalp while under anesthesia, which are believed to remodel brain signaling pathways.

Schizophrenia

Daily living is impacted by schizophrenia. They can be depressed or having relationship issues (professional, social and romantic).

Treatment for schizophrenia can lessen psychotic episodes and control symptoms, but it cannot reverse the disease. It also addresses related problems including depression and anxiety.

The worst signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are managed with antipsychotics. Take the prescription medications as directed by your doctor.

Treatment works well for the majority of mental health issues. It supports insight and motivation.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental illness that develops in about 1 out of every 3 people who have experienced severe trauma. A traumatic event like an assault, abuse, war or disaster can cause it. One type of PTSD is thought to be the most painful mental illness.

PTSD can cause symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and feelings of numbness or detachment from others. It may also cause anxiety, anger and irritability.

Researchers believe that a problem causes PTSD with how the brain’s stress circuitry works. The amygdala normally monitors incoming perceptions and “red-flag” threats; the prefrontal cortex normally senses when a threat is over; and the hippocampus, where memories are stored, becomes disrupted.

Treatment for PTSD usually involves psychotherapy, including cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy. It may also include medication, such as antidepressants, SSRIs or SNRIs.

Source: https://therapynyc.net