Categories of Mental Disorders

CATEGORY	CHARACTERISTICS	EXAMPLE DISORDERS
Mood Disorders	A disturbance of mood	Depression Bi-polar disorder
Anxiety Disorders	Characterized by apprehension usually accompanied by palpitations, and shortness of breath.	Obsessive compulsive disorder Panic attack Post traumatic stress disorder Agoraphobia
Psychotic Disorders	Characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior	Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, Delusional disorder
Substance-Related Disorders	These disorders result from taking a substance: i.e. a drug of abuse, the side effects of a medication, and toxin exposure.	Substance Dependence Substance Abuse
Disorders usually first seen in infancy, childhood, or adolescence	Some people with these disorders are not diagnosed until adulthood.	Retardation Autism Learning Attention deficit Disruptive behavior Feeding
Cognitive Disorders	Dysfunctions of the brain caused by neurological problem and/or drug abuse.	Delirium, Dementia, Memory disorders
Eating Disorders	Severe disturbances in eating behavior.	Anorexia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa
Personality Disorders	An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that is pervasive since adolescence is inflexible and leads to distress or impairment.	Paranoid, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Schizotypal, Dependent personality disorders

Notes:

• Diagnosis of more than one mental disorder is possible.
• In general, a general medical condition is ruled out before making a diagnosis of a mental disorder
• Categories of DSM mental disorders not included in this chart: Sleep, Sexual and Gender Identity, Impulse Control, Factitious (intentionally produced), Dissociative (consciousness, identity, perception), and Somatoform (unexplained physical symptoms)

Source: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition

Back to Top of Page

Back to Mental Health Introduction

Back to Mental Health and Mental Disorders

Forward to Next Topic, Causes of Mental Disorders