A mental disorder is very different from mental stress or a mental health problem as it is arises due to different reasons such as ones genetic makeup or the environment that they live in. Difficult times in one's life can cause mental disorders as well.
Mental disorders are mental conditions that are diagnosed by trained professionals such as doctors, psychiatric nurses and psychologists. These disorders are diagnosed by internationally diagnostic criteria. A person with mental a mental disorder can seek the best help through a trained health professional.
A mental disorder is caused due to changes that take place in one's brain due to genetic or their environment. In simpler words, a mental disorder occurs when a brain isn't working as it should be.
A person with a mental disorder will experience significant, persistent challenges with their emotions such as depression, anxiety, panic or anxiety attacks as well. They may also encounter challenges with their thoughts as well such as delusions, hopelessness etc. One may also encounter physical and behavioral challenges as well such as fatigue, tiredness, refusal to go to school or work, poor to no self-care etc.
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The presence of a mental disorder in one's life signifies that they need interventions in their life such as medications and therapy which should be provided by trained professionals. Interventions that are provided to individuals with mental distress and or a mental health problem can be given to an individual with a mental health disorder however a young individual such as a teenager should be provided a degree or care above and beyond.
An important aspect to understand is that one can be in all 3 states at the same time. For e.g. in a day a person can be laughing and enjoying with their friends however they can experience distress by losing their house keys. They can also be experiencing a mental health problem due to a significant individual who recently died and they can also have a mental disorder such as ADHD.
There are two main causes of a mental health disorder and as mentioned before, they are genetics and one's environment. The genetics of a person can impact ones brain development and brains functionality. The environment consists of factors that are outside the brain but have an effect on the brain such as infections, trauma or malnutrition.
A mental disorder can't be diagnosed through information available on the net, or through other resources. Diagnosis can only be conducted through a trained individual or a health professional such as a family physician or psychologist.
If in your environment such as in school, if you identify someone with a probable disorder, it is essential that you carefully describe their behavior to a counselor, psychologist or a school nurse. A descriptive example would be; "There has been a huge change in Michael's mood lately, he seems sad and has been crying frequently and isn't able to get his school work done".
There are various types of disorders however some of them occur mostly in teenagers. One of the most occurring disorders is Generalized Anxiety Disorder which referred to as GAD. Before we get into understanding was GAD is, it is essential to understand the difference between anxiety and stress. Anxiety is state of continuous, severe hyper arousal. Hyper arousal is an abnormally increased state of anxiety that is triggered. Stress response is a signal sent by the brain to the body which alerts the body about an upcoming challenge.
