There are various categories of mental disorders. In anxiety disorders, individuals respond to situations with fear and dread. These individuals also respond to such situations with physical manifestations such as sweating and palpitations. In order to make a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, the patient should be found to respond disproportionately to the situation. The patient is also not in control of the situation. He (patient) is often overwhelmed by the situation. Some examples of anxiety disorders include social anxiety disorder, panic disorders, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder (McNally, 2011) .
Mood disorders, also called affective disorders, are characterized by persistent feelings of sadness or extreme happiness. Some patients tend to have a fluctuation of the two extremes. Depression, bipolar and cyclothymic disorders fall are some examples of mood disorders. On the other hand, psychotic disorders are characterized by distorted thinking and awareness. They are characterized by both delusions and hallucinations. There is altered perception. Schizophrenia is an example of psychotic disorders. Eating disorders on the other hand are characterized by attitudes and emotions that are extreme with respect to food and weight. Some examples of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) .
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Personality disorders on the other hand are disorders characterized by an extreme of traits, most of which are inflexible and tend to affect the normal functioning of an individual. The trait affects how a person interacts with people. It also impacts negatively on school and work functions. The disorders affect the normal functioning of an individual. Some examples of personality disorders include paranoid personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that follows a terrifying condition. Some events include death of a loved one, sexual assault or a natural disaster. Such individuals tend to have disturbing memories and frightening thoughts relating to the event. They tend to numb their emotions. The numbing of these emotions is attributed to the trauma the individuals experienced during the traumatic period (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) .
Obsessive compulsive disorder is another mental disorder that is characterized by constant thoughts and fears that plague an individual forcing them to perform certain routines. The rituals in this case are the compulsions while the thoughts are the obsessions. A person who has constant fear of dirt will persistently wash his hands. Some will even change clothes persistently upon noting a tinge of dirt (McNally, 2011) .
Diagnosis of mental illness is made by history taking, physical examination and investigations. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the taxonomic and diagnostic tool used by psychiatrists to make a diagnosis of a mental illness. It classifies the various mental disorders into various classes such as anxiety disorders, affective disorders, personality disorders. Further, it gives a description of symptoms which must be present in order for one to make a diagnosis of a mental disorder. For example, Schizophrenia has both major and minor symptoms. The major symptoms include delusions, disorganized thinking and hallucinations. The minor symptoms include reduced expression of emotions, lack of motivation and social withdrawal. These symptoms are well classified and detailed in the DSM-5 and thus aid in making a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The DSM-5 diagnostic tool also specifies the duration which the said symptoms should be present before making a diagnosis. In the case of schizophrenia for example, the symptoms should be present for over 6 months. DSM-5 categorizes all other mental disorders in a similar fashion (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) .
Treatment of mental disorders requires a combination of treatment modalities. It involves a number of people who include the family doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, pharmacist, social workers and family members. Different mental disorders are treated by different classes of drugs. Antidepressants for example are used for treating depression and anxiety. These drugs work by improving the symptoms of hopelessness, deprived energy, sadness and anhedonia. These drugs do not cause dependency and are not addictive. An example of such drugs is fluoxetine. Mood-stabilizing medications are used in the treatment of bipolar disorders. These are disorders in which a patient has alternating extremes of depression and mania. An example of a mood stabilizer is lamotrigine. On the other hand, antipsychotic drugs are used in the treatment of psychotic disorders. They can be either typical or atypical antipsychotic drugs. Some examples of antipsychotics include olanzapine and clozapine. These drugs can also in the treatment of bipolar disorders or in the treatment of depression together with antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medications are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. These help in addressing the issues of insomnia and agitation. Antidepressant drugs are useful in as long-term anxiety drugs because they do not cause dependency or addiction (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) .
Psychotherapy is also a treatment modality used in treatment of mental disorders. It entails a patient talking about his condition and confounding issues to a therapist/mental health professional. The talking enables the patients to understand their condition. They are then able to develop coping mechanisms. They also acquire stress management skills. This type of treatment can be individualized or may involve family members. Brain stimulation therapy is a treatment modality used when medication and psychotherapy have failed (McNally, 2011) .
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®). New york: American Psychiatric Pub.
McNally, R. J. (2011). What Is Mental Illness? New york: Harvard University Press.
