Disorders

This is an eating disorder. It causes you to have episodes where you eat a large amount of food, uncontrollably and all at once. We call this "binging." Then, you vomit or use laxatives to expel the food so you don't gain weight. We call this "purging." Bulimia can be very harmful to your health.

Overcoming bulimia is a long process. It's tough. But it is possible for you to get better and stay better. If you're dedicated and you follow your care plan, you can do it. Here are some things to think about as you work on your recovery.

This is a serious eating disorder. With it, you lose control over your eating. You have an irresistible urge to eat large amounts of food. We call this "binging." It's bad for your health. And it can make you feel embarrassed and ashamed.

This is an eating disorder. With it, you crave things that don't have nutritional value, such as dirt, paper or paint. This can be bad for your health.

This is a serious mental disorder. With it, your mood and your actions aren't stable. You may have problems with anger, depression and anxiety. And, you may have intense mood swings. This can cause serious problems in your life. It can make it hard for you to have healthy relationships.

This is a mental disorder that affects you temporarily. It causes you to have a break from reality. You may act out in strange ways. You may become violent. This can disrupt your life. It can have severe consequences.

This is a condition that involves your mind and your body. With it, you have physical symptoms that a doctor can't explain with a medical exam. You may have blindness, paralysis or some other problem that has no obvious physical cause. But these symptoms are real, and you can't control them.

This is a psychotic disorder. With it, you have trouble recognizing reality. You believe something that isn't true. We call this a "delusion." Even when someone can prove that your belief is false, you continue to firmly believe it.

This is a mental health disorder that makes you emotionally dependent on other people. You may be clingy, needy and submissive. You may not trust yourself or your ability to make decisions. You may be terrified of being alone. This leads to unhealthy relationships.

This is a mental health disorder that makes you feel detached from yourself and from your surroundings. You may feel like you're watching yourself from outside your own body. Even though you know this is not reality, you can't make these feelings go away. This is disturbing and scary. It can interfere with your life.

This is a mental health disorder. With it, your personality is divided into two or more identities. They are often very different from each other. You also have gaps in your memory. This can cause severe problems in your life.

These days, we have access to video games whenever we want them. At home, we can play them on TVs and computers. When we're out, we can play them on our phones and tablets. For many, video games are a fun and harmless diversion from everyday life. But for some people, they can become an addiction.

This is a mental health disorder that causes you to seek attention. You feel uncomfortable when people aren't focused on you. Sometimes, you draw attention to yourself in ways that aren't healthy. This can damage your relationships.

This is mental disorder. With it, you view yourself as more important or accomplished than you really are. You don't have empathy for others, and you expect others to admire you and to give you special treatment. And, you have a hard time handling criticism. This can make it hard for you to have healthy relationships.

This is an anxiety disorder. It can cause unwanted thoughts and behaviors that you can't control. They can be troubling. They can interfere with your life.

If you've been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may be facing some unexpected challenges. Getting your OCD under control isn't easy, but you can do it. Here are some tips that will help.

A diagnosis of dementia changes your life. It changes the lives of your loved ones, too. You might face some unexpected challenges. But there are healthy ways to deal with dementia. Here are some coping strategies.

This is a mental disorder. It's a problem with the way you perceive others. With it, you don't trust other people. You are suspicious of their motives. This makes it hard for you to work and to have friends.

If you've been diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder, you may have some questions and concerns. What does it mean for you? The truth is, paranoid personality disorder can damage your relationships and hurt your career. But if you learn to manage it, dealing with others gets easier. Here are some tips to help.

This is an anxiety disorder. It's a fear of a specific object, place or situation. If you have a specific phobia, you feel an overwhelming sense of fear of that specific thing, even when you know there is little or no real danger. We call this an "irrational" fear. But even if you know your fear is irrational, you still feel like you can't control it.

This is a mental health condition. It's a fear that other people are watching you and judging you. This fear is intense and constant. It can make it hard for you to interact with others.

This type of depression develops in some mothers after childbirth. This makes it hard for you to care for your baby. And it can severely impact your life.

This condition is an anxiety disorder. It can develop after a traumatic event. A person who has PTSD may feel stressed or frightened long after the event, even when there is no danger. If you have PTSD, this can severely impact your life.

This is a type of depression that is linked to the seasons. For most people with SAD, depression comes in fall and winter and goes away in spring and summer. But others have depression during the summer months.

If you're diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, you may worry about how it will affect you. But you should know that that it's very manageable. These simple strategies will help you keep it under control.

This is a disorder that involves your self control. With it, you have an irresistible urge to steal things. You may steal things you don't need, or things you can't use. You may steal things that aren't worth much, or things you could easily afford to buy. This can cause serious problems in your life.

This is a mental health disorder. If you have it, you aren't interested in relationships with others. You don't form close bonds with other people, even with members of your own family. This can lead to social isolation.

This is a mental health disorder. If you have it, you have trouble understanding relationships and how you affect others. You also think and act in ways that are not normal. You may dress oddly and behave in unusual ways. This can make it hard for you to get along with others.

This debilitating disorder causes severe exhaustion that doesn't go away after you rest. It makes even the most ordinary daily activities difficult to do.

If you're dealing with the long-lasting exhaustion of chronic fatigue syndrome, you know how frustrating it can be. You're tired all the time. Sleep doesn't give you relief. It can be so hard to find the energy to do the things you want to do. And while there's no cure for CFS, there are things you can do to get some relief.

This is a mental health disorder. It's a type of memory loss that is different from normal forgetfulness. With it, you may forget a specific event or important details about your life. Typically, these memories do come back. And when they do, they may return all at once.

This is a form of amnesia. It's a temporary state of memory loss. A person in this state may not be able to remember who they are. They may have no memories of their family or friends, or where they live or work. If this happens to you, it can seriously disrupt your life.

This is harm directed at someone by a current or a former partner. Women and men can be victims of this type of abuse. It's a serious issue, and one that is often kept secret from friends and from other family members.

You may think it's easy to tell when a relationship is abusive. But it isn't always. Abusers can be good at manipulation and control. They can make you doubt yourself. Here are some signs that a relationship may be dangerous.

When you partner with someone, your lives become intertwined. You may share children and finances. You may share friends and business arrangements. And because relationships are so complicated, you can be in a bad relationship and not even know it. Here are some clues that your relationship is not a healthy one.

As we age, we may need to depend on others to help us with day-to-day care. Unfortunately, some caregivers hurt the older people in their care. Older people can be physically harmed. They may be neglected. And their money may be stolen. We call this "elder abuse." And it can happen to anyone.

Elder abuse is a frightening reality for many older people. It can happen to anyone. It can be done by family members or professional caregivers. And the victim may be unwilling or unable to speak out. But if you know the signs, you can help stop it. Here are some things to watch out for.

This is the act of hurting yourself on purpose. It's a sign of emotional distress. You feel urges that you can't ignore. You may cut or burn yourself. You may pull your hair or pick at wounds so they don't heal. Self-harm may lead to shame and guilt. These feelings can make you want to hurt yourself again and again.

This is a form of care that focuses on your thoughts and emotions. With psychotherapy, you build a relationship with a therapist. The therapist helps you learn about yourself. You learn how you affect others, and how others affect you. Psychotherapy can help you become aware of problems. It can teach you to manage your feelings and control your actions. You should be open and honest during your therapy. You should be prepared to discuss very personal things. This is how your therapist helps guide you to solutions for your issues.

Talk therapy, also called "psychotherapy," is an important part of care for many mental health issues. During talk therapy, you meet with a therapist. You talk about your life and your relationships. Together, you find solutions to your problems.

This therapy targets your brain with electricity. That sounds extreme, but our brains actually generate electricity of their own. It's how brain cells send signals back and forth. And by directing electricity into your brain, we can treat certain mental disorders.