Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

 

Since the causes for Autism Spectrum Disorders are unknown, an ASD diagnosis is based purely on observations or behavioral reports. In contrast to other medical syndromes, ASDs are not diseases: They are developmental disorders that reflect differ...

Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness with recurring episodes of mania and depression that can last from one day to months. This mental illness causes unusual and dramatic shifts in mood, energy and the ability to think clearly. Cycles of high (ma...

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an often misunderstood, serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self image and behavior. It is a disorder of emotional dysregulation.

Dissociative disorders are so-called because they are marked by a dissociation from or interruption of a person's fundamental aspects of waking consciousness (such as one's personal identity, one's personal history, etc.). Dissociative...

Dual diagnosis services are treatments for people who suffer from co-occurring disorders -- mental illness and substance abuse. Research has strongly indicated that to recover fully, a consumer with co-occurring disorder needs treatment for both p...

Anorexia nervosa is a serious, occasionally chronic, and potentially life-threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain minimal body weight within 15 percent of an individual's normal weight. Other essential features of this dis...

Depression or depressive disorder may involve one or more of the following: feelings of melancholy, loss of energy and/or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia and/or a loss of interest in others, sex and life generally. It may be related to specific ...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental illness with symptoms that can grow progressively worse until the person is consumed with behaviors that gravely disrupt their lives. People in the grips of OCD find themselves filled with th...

Panic disorder paralyzes people with overwhelming anxiety and fear. It affects an estimated 2.4 million people in the United States annually. It is a severe disorder in the family of chronic anxiety disorders that includes obsessive-compulsive dis...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating anxiety disorder that fills people with fear and recurring terror. It typically stems from a horrifying event or series of threatening or violent incidents that happened to them in the past. ...

Psychosis (psyche = mind, osis = illness) is defined as the experience of loss of contact with reality, and is not part of the person’s cultural group belief system or experience.

Schizoaffective disorder is one of the more common, chronic, and disabling mental illnesses. As the name implies, it is characterized by a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia and an affective (mood) disorder. There has been a controversy abou...

Interfering with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others, schizophrenia impairs a person's ability to function.

If you notice periods of depression that seem to accompany seasonal changes during the year, you may suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This condition is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression – usually in late fall an...

Tourette’s disorder, or Tourette’s syndrome (TS) as it is frequently called, is a neurologic syndrome. The essential feature of Tourette’s are multiple tics that are sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic, stereotypical, purposel...