What is the Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?

What is the Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?

Mental illnesses, like diabetes or heart disease, are medical conditions that cause changes in thinking, feeling and mood. They can interfere with daily functioning and lead to poor quality of life for sufferers.

The most prevalent mental health disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Treatment usually consists of medication as well as psychotherapy.

Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia can cause symptoms that impair one’s capacity for social interaction and the perception of reality. They may experience hallucinations, delusions or voices as part of their symptoms.

Bipolar Disorder: Around 60 million people around the world suffer from bipolar disorder, characterized by episodes of mania (high energy) and depression. These episodes can last days or weeks and are followed by periods of normal moods.

PTSD: This disorder can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, anxiety and irritability.

Anxiety: Excruciating worries about one’s safety or that of others can lead to intense and persistent worries, sometimes leading to avoidance of certain activities or events.

Borderline Personality Disorder: Living with BPD can be an incredibly challenging condition. Individuals suffering from BPD often exhibit highly emotional responses and instability, making them vulnerable to extreme mood changes that could prove hazardous both to themselves and those around them.

Untreated mental illnesses can increase the risk of suicide and other issues such as unemployment, substance abuse and homelessness. In America alone, untreated mental disorders cost the economy more than $100 billion dollars annually.