Mental health conditions are more common than you think about 1 in 5 adults experiences one every year. While there are hundreds of specific diagnoses, experts usually group them into 7 major categories. Here’s a clear, easy-to-understand breakdown:

1. Anxiety Disorders The most common type. Includes generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, and OCD. Symptoms: excessive worry, racing heart, restlessness.
2. Mood Disorders (Affective Disorders) Conditions that affect how you feel emotionally. Main ones: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). Symptoms: prolonged sadness, extreme highs/lows, loss of interest in life.
3. Psychotic Disorders Involves losing touch with reality. The best-known is schizophrenia, but also includes schizoaffective disorder and delusional disorder. Symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking.
4. Eating Disorders Serious conditions related to food and body image: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. They can affect both physical and mental health deeply.
5. Personality Disorders Long-standing patterns of thinking and behaving that differ significantly from cultural norms. Examples: borderline personality disorder (BPD), narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder. Symptoms: unstable relationships, identity issues, impulsivity.
6. Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders Once grouped under anxiety, now separate. Includes OCD, hoarding disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania (hair-pulling). Strong, repetitive thoughts and rituals dominate daily life.
7. Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders Develop after experiencing or witnessing trauma. Includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, and adjustment disorders. Flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance are common.

If you or someone you love is struggling, remember: mental disorders are treatable. Therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and support make a huge difference. Reach out to a doctor, therapist, or helpline today asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.