Having a mental disorder can be tough, and with this comes a lot of stress and hardship. Not only will you deal with various symptoms, but you’ll also have to deal with them all at once. There are numerous symptoms and mental illnesses that coincide with these symptoms — a problem of comorbidity. The symptoms are the main, driving force of a mental disorder, and these effects can cause severe psychological damage. This can even lead to more of an indirect affect to an individual’s well-being. I’m going to be listing the 10 worst symptoms of any mental disorder.
(The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
1. Hallucinations
Hallucinations are illusions of the senses, often being represented by misinformed processing. If you smell something that is not there, that’s a hallucination. If you taste, see, feel, or hear something that isn’t there, it’s the same thing. The feeling of a hallucination can often be worrying and distressing. The reason for this is because of the effect it has on someone suffering. Those affected by this are often people struggling with paranoid disorders, including schizophrenia. The sense of being disconnected from hallucinations can cause great distrust in those struggling with this problem. Some hallucinations can be more intrusive than others, causing someone to think that they’re hearing someone have a conversation with someone else.
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of external stimulus that has qualities of real perceptions. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming, which does not involve wakefulness; pseudohallucination, which does not mimic real perception, and is accurately perceived as unreal; illusion, which involves distorted or misinterpreted real perception; and imagery (imagination), which does not mimic real perception, and is under voluntary control. Hallucinations also differ from “delusional perceptions”, in which a correctly sensed and interpreted stimulus (i.e., a real perception) is given some additional (and typically absurd) significance.
The hallucinations caused by schizophrenia and other schizo-type disorders and simple mistakes or memory-formed sensations are different. The distress and intrusive nature of a pathological hallucination indicates a major difference in function. Hallucinations experienced during a “trip” while taking a psychedelic drug are also different in their pathology. Although, it should be warned that psychedelic drugs can induce a negative state of paranoid hallucinations. This can cause PTSD, and it can also induce schizophrenia, depression, or anxiety in those predisposed to it. While some can think they are fun in one context, in a serious and mental illness related context, they’re not. Hallucinations can occur in any sensory modality: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, proprioceptive, equilibrioceptive, nociceptive, thermoceptive and chronoceptive.
Hypnagogic hallucinations and hypnopompic hallucinations are considered normal phenomena. Hypnagogic hallucinations can occur as one is falling asleep and hypnopompic hallucinations occur when one is waking up. Hallucinations can be associated with drug use (particularly deliriants), sleep deprivation, psychosis, neurological disorders, and delirium tremens.
A mild form of hallucination is known as a disturbance, and can occur in most of the senses above. These may be things like seeing movement in peripheral vision, or hearing faint noises or voices. Auditory hallucinations are very common in schizophrenia. They may be benevolent (telling the subject good things about themselves) or malicious, cursing the subject, etcetera. 55% of auditory hallucinations are malicious in content. For example: People talking about the subject behind their back, etc. Like auditory hallucinations, the source of the visual counterpart can also be behind the subject’s back. This can produce a feeling of being looked or stared at, usually with malicious intent. Frequently, auditory hallucinations and their visual counterpart are experienced by the subject together.
(The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
2. Delusions and Paranoia
Delusions are irrational beliefs that someone holds that can cause severe stress, trauma, depression and anxiety. This can have affects on both the sufferer and those around the sufferer. Having a delusion can make someone believe that they’re being followed or watched with little evidence or scrutiny. A strong component of delusions are delusions of reference, where someone feels like everything happening has something to do with them. Another one is the delusion of grandeur, where someone believes that their beliefs lead to them being revered or of god-like importance.
A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, or some other misleading effects of perception, as individuals with these beliefs are able to change or readjust their beliefs upon viewing the evidence for these beliefs.
You can often see the latter delusion in schizophrenia and narcissistic personality disorder. People with strong delusions are often associated with conspiracy theories and controversy. Delusions can cause people to involve themselves in risky behavior to reassure that their believes are true or untrue. This is often a problem because the person will probably always fall back into the trap of reassurance from their delusional state. Delusions are often held together by a glue of generalized paranoia, which provokes the fear of the sufferer. There are paranoid delusions that lead to a person thinking that others are out to get them. The sense of paranoia people feel feeds the delusion, and the delusion feeds the paranoia.
Delusions have been found to occur in the context of many pathological states (both general physical and mental) and are of particular diagnostic importance in psychotic disorders including schizophrenia, paraphrenia, manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression.
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process which is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (i.e. the American colloquial phrase, “Everyone is out to get me”). Paranoia is distinct from phobias, which also involve irrational fear, but usually no blame. Making false accusations and the general distrust of other people also frequently accompany paranoia. For example, a paranoid person might believe an incident was intentional when most people would view it as an accident or coincidence. Paranoia is a central symptom of psychosis.
(The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
3. Thought Disorders
Thought disorders or symptoms are characterized by an inability to think properly, getting caught in a confused state. Their typical among those struggling with schizophrenia, where they’re constantly on the lookout for something to reinforce something negative in their mind. Thought disorders typically cause confused and irrational speaking patterns that give an idea as to the thought process. Formulating a simple thought can cause great discomfort and a cycle of cyclical thinking, such as word salad. Other forms of this include thought blocking, causing a strange cause of disorganized speech. This makes it hard for the listener to understand the point of focus of the one struggling with the illness.
A thought disorder (TD) is any disturbance in cognition that adversely affects language and thought content, and thereby communication. A variety of thought disorders were said to be characteristic of people with schizophrenia. A content-thought disorder is typically characterized by the experience of multiple delusional fragments. The term, thought disorder, is often used to refer to a formal thought disorder.
A formal thought disorder (FTD) is a disruption of the form or structure of thought. Formal thought disorder, also known as disorganized thinking, results in disorganized speech, and is recognized as a major feature of schizophrenia, and other psychoses. FTD is also associated with conditions including mood disorders, dementia, mania, and neurological diseases. Types of thought disorder include derailment, pressured speech, poverty of speech, tangentiality, repeating things, and thought blocking. Formal thought disorder is a disorder of the form of thought rather than of content of thought that covers hallucinations and delusions. FTD unlike hallucinations and delusions, is an observable objective sign of psychosis. FTD is a common, and core symptom of a psychotic disorder and may be seen as a marker of its severity, and also as a predictor of prognosis. It reflects a cluster of cognitive, linguistic, and affective disturbances
4. Dissociation (The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
Dissociation is a symptom involving a disconnection with reality, be it from yourself or your environment. The pathology behind dissociation involves it as a coping mechanism and symptom of mental illness. Subtle forms of dissociation are daydreaming or a lack of focus. Dissociation can be identified in two distinct forms — derealization and depersonalization. Derealization is a symptom that involves the world around you seeming unreal. Depersonalization involves a feeling of being disconnected from oneself, identity or otherwise.
Dissociation, as a concept that has been developed over time, is any of a wide array of experiences, ranging from a mild emotional detachment from the immediate surroundings, to a more severe disconnection from physical and emotional experiences. The major characteristic of all dissociative phenomena involves a detachment from reality, rather than a loss of reality as in psychosis.
A severe form of dissociation is a mental disorder called dissociative identity disorder. It used to be called multiple personality disorder, and it involves having at least two distinct personality states. These personality states can range, and there is often a state of forgetfulness involved when switching to another personality. The biggest trigger for dissociation is extreme trauma or fantasy seeking.
5. Depression (The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
Depression is known as a state of mind that is characterized by low mood and self-esteem, lacking motivation, and a negative well-being. It can often lead to suicidal ideations and behavior depending on it’s severity. Those struggling with depression are not always clinically depressed, but the mood exists nonetheless. Those who are clinically depressed often have a “chemical imbalance” of sorts that causes a pathological inability to ward off the depression. Those struggling with major depressive disorder will often have a hard time wondering why they are depressed. The source of this depression is often hereditary, but it does not mean environmental factors didn’t come into play.
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known simply as depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood. Low self-esteem, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, low energy, and pain without a clear cause are common symptoms. Those affected may also occasionally have delusions or hallucinations. Some people have periods of depression separated by years, while others nearly always have symptoms present. Major depression is more severe and lasts longer than sadness, which is a normal part of life.
Another symptom that can be depressive is apathy, where someone simply does not care about anything. Symptoms like this are common across the board, it’s just their expression and subject happen to be different. Someone suffering with depression can struggle with too little or too much eating, furthering the depressive state by no. Some feel bits of maladaptive accomplishment for doing certain things, but it’s often short-lived, considering it’s simply feeding the negative cycle and behavior. Malaise and melancholy are often known as milder forms of depressive moods, including the persistent, milder, and longer lasting form of clinical depression known as dysthymia.
6. Anxiety (The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
Be it health anxiety or social anxiety, anxiety is a really bad symptom to deal with. Anxiety is a feeling of impending doom and worry, often referring to a future fear. This feeling of anxiety is considered irrational and beyond the bounds of reason. It’s different from fear that often is invoked by a more rational fear. The symptoms of anxiety can include shaking, sweating, fear, and extreme worry. Anxiety even has it’s own disorders, including (GAD), known as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Panic attacks are the extreme version of this symptom, and some can even have panic disorder. Panic disorder is a severe mental disorder where people suffer from panic attacks all of the time. The cause is often mysterious and attacks at any time. Generalized anxiety disorder is a persistent and long-lasting form of pathological anxiety that is worse than normal feelings of anxiety.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination. It includes subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing. It is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue and problems in concentration. Anxiety is closely related to fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat; anxiety involves the expectation of future threat. People facing anxiety may withdraw from situations which have provoked anxiety in the past.
You don’t have to have a mental disorder to have these symptoms, as they can severely affect anyone. Having an anxiety disorder can cause significant distress in those struggling with it. If you happen to have a mental disorder related to anxiety, the anxiety is often worse than someone who doesn’t have a disorder. The symptom of anxiety is often felt across the spectrum, from borderline personality disorder to schizophrenia. While the things people are anxious may be different, the general feeling is the same across any mental illness. Depression and anxiety are often co-morbid and feed themselves off of each other, leading to more of the problem.
7. Mania and Narcissism (The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or “a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together with lability of affect.” During a manic episode, an individual will experience rapidly changing emotions and moods, highly influenced by surrounding stimuli. Although mania is often conceived as a “mirror image” to depression, the heightened mood can be either euphoric or dysphoric. As the mania intensifies, irritability can be more pronounced and result in anxiety or violence.
Mania is a syndrome with multiple causes. Although the vast majority of cases occur in the context of bipolar disorder, it is a key component of other psychiatric disorders (such as schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type) and may also occur secondary to various general medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis; certain medications may perpetuate a manic state, for example prednisone; or substances prone to abuse, especially stimulants, such as caffeine and cocaine. In the current DSM-5, hypomanic episodes are separated from the more severe full manic episodes, which, in turn, are characterized as either mild, moderate, or severe, with certain diagnostic criteria (e.g. catatonia, psychosis). Mania is divided into three stages: hypomania, or stage I; acute mania, or stage II; and delirious mania (delirium), or stage III. This “staging” of a manic episode is useful from a descriptive and differential diagnostic point of view
The symptoms of mania include elevated mood (either euphoric or irritable), flight of ideas and pressure of speech, increased energy, decreased need and desire for sleep, and hyperactivity. They are most plainly evident in fully developed hypomanic states. However, in full-blown mania, they undergo progressively severe exacerbation and become more and more obscured by other signs and symptoms, such as delusions and fragmentation of behavior. This is a state that is most commonly associated with bipolar disorder.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive craving for admiration, and struggles with empathy. People with NPD often spend much time daydreaming about achieving power and success, and the perceived injustice of failing to do so. This is a pattern of obsessive thoughts and unstable sense of identity, often to cope with a sub-par real life. People with the diagnosis in recent years have spoken out about its stigma in media, and possible links to abusive situations and childhood trauma. Such narcissistic behavior typically begins by early adulthood, and occurs across a broad range of situations.
Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s idealised self-image and attributes. The term originated from Greek mythology, where a young man named Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. Narcissism or pathological self-absorption was first identified as a disorder in 1898 by Havelock Ellis and featured in subsequent psychological models, e.g. in Freud’s On Narcissism (1914). The American Psychiatric Association has listed the classification narcissistic personality disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) since 1968, drawing on the historical concept of megalomania.
8. Obsessions and Compulsions (The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
Obsessions and compulsions are essentially the set of symptoms that drive obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder in which a person has certain intrusive thoughts repeatedly (called “obsessions”) or feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly (called “compulsions”) to an extent that generates distress or impairs general functioning. The person is unable to control either the thoughts or activities for more than a short period of time. Common compulsions include hand washing, counting of things, and checking to see if a door is locked. These activities occur to such a degree that the person’s daily life is negatively affected, often taking up more than an hour a day. Most adults realize that the behaviors do not make sense. The condition is associated with tics, anxiety disorder, and an increased risk of suicide.
Some people with OCD experience sexual obsessions that may involve intrusive thoughts or images of “kissing, touching, fondling, oral sex, anal sex, intercourse, incest and rape” with “strangers, acquaintances, parents, children, family members, friends, coworkers, animals and religious figures”, and can include “heterosexual or homosexual content” with persons of any age. As with other intrusive, unpleasant thoughts or images, some disquieting sexual thoughts at times are normal, but people with OCD may attach extraordinary significance to the thoughts. For example, obsessive fears about sexual orientation can appear to the person with OCD, and even to those around him or her, as a crisis of sexual identity. Furthermore, the doubt that accompanies OCD leads to uncertainty regarding whether one might act on the troubling thoughts, resulting in self-criticism or self-loathing.
Obsessions are thoughts that recur and persist despite efforts to ignore or confront them. People with OCD frequently perform tasks, or compulsions, to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety. Within and among individuals, the initial obsessions or intrusive thoughts vary in their clarity and vividness. A relatively vague obsession could involve a general sense of disarray or tension accompanied by a belief that life cannot proceed as normal while the imbalance remains. A more intense obsession could be a preoccupation with the thought or image of a close family member or friend dying or intrusions related to “relationship rightness”. Other obsessions concern the possibility that someone or something other than oneself — such as God, the devil or disease — will harm either the person or the people or things about which the person cares. Other individuals with OCD may experience the sensation of invisible protrusions emanating from their bodies or feel that inanimate objects are ensouled.
Most people with OCD understand that their notions do not correspond with reality; however, they feel that they must act as though their notions are correct. For example, an individual who engages in compulsive hoarding might be inclined to treat inorganic matter as if it had the sentience or rights of living organisms, while accepting that such behavior is irrational on a more intellectual level. There is a debate as to whether hoarding should be considered with other OCD symptoms.
Some people with OCD perform compulsive rituals because they inexplicably feel that they must do so, while others act compulsively to mitigate the anxiety that stems from obsessive thoughts. The person might feel that these actions will somehow either prevent a dreaded event from occurring or will push the event from his or her thoughts. In any case, the person’s reasoning is so idiosyncratic or distorted that it results in significant distress for the person or for those around him or her. Excessive skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting and other body-focused repetitive behavior disorders are all on the obsessive–compulsive spectrum. Some individuals with OCD are aware that their behaviors are not rational, but feel compelled to follow through with them to fend off feelings of panic or dread. There is also purely obsessional OCD that involves mostly mental obsessions and compulsions.
(The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
9. Emotional Instability and Black and White Thinking
Splitting (also called black-and-white thinking or all-or-nothing thinking) is the failure in a person’s thinking to bring together the dichotomy of both positive and negative qualities of the self and others into a cohesive, realistic whole. It is a common defense mechanism. The individual tends to think in extremes (i.e., an individual’s actions and motivations are all good or all bad with no middle ground). Splitting was first described in a formulation of object relations theory; it begins as the inability of the infant to combine the fulfilling aspects of the parents (the good object) and their unresponsive aspects (the unsatisfying object) into the same individuals, instead seeing the good and bad as separate. In psychoanalytic theory this functions as a defense mechanism. This symptom is often associated with borderline personality disorder.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a mental illness characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong emotional reactions. Those affected often engage in self-harm and other dangerous behavior. They may also struggle with a feeling of emptiness, fear of abandonment, and detachment from reality. Symptoms of BPD may be triggered by events considered normal to others. BPD typically begins by early adulthood and occurs across a variety of situations. Substance abuse, depression, and eating disorders are commonly associated with BPD. Approximately 10% of people affected with the disorder die by suicide. The disorder is often stigmatized in both the media and the psychiatric field.
In medicine and psychology, emotional lability is a sign or symptom typified by exaggerated changes in mood or affect in quick succession. Sometimes the emotions expressed outwardly are very different from how the person feels on the inside. These strong emotions can be a disproportionate response to something that happened, but other times there might be no trigger at all. The person experiencing emotional lability usually feels like they do not have control over their emotions. For example, someone might cry uncontrollably in response to any strong emotion even if they do not feel sad or unhappy. Emotional lability is seen or reported in various conditions including borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, hypomanic or manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and neurological disorders or brain injury (where it is termed pseudobulbar affect), such as after a stroke. It has sometimes been found to have been a harbinger, or early warning, of certain forms of thyroid disease Emotional lability also results from intoxication with certain substances, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines. It can also be an associated feature of ADHD.
(The 10 Worst Symptoms of Any Mental Disorder)
10. Self-Harm, Nightmares, and Substance Abuse
Self-harm or self-injury is intentional direct injury of one’s own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting and self-mutilation have been used for any self-harming behavior regardless of suicidal intent. The most common form of self-harm is using a sharp object to cut the skin. Other forms include scratching, hitting, or burning body parts. While earlier usage included interfering with wound healing, excessive skin-picking, hair-pulling, and the ingestion of toxins, current usage distinguishes these behaviors from self-harm. Likewise, tissue damage from drug abuse or eating disorders is not considered self-harm because it is ordinarily an unintended side-effect.
Self-destructive behavior is any behavior that is harmful or potentially harmful towards the person who engages in the behavior. Self-destructive behaviors have been shown by many people throughout the years. It is on a continuum, with one extreme end of the scale being suicide. Self-destructive actions may be deliberate, born of impulse, or developed as a habit. The term however tends to be applied toward self-destruction that either is fatal, or is potentially habit-forming or addictive and thus potentially fatal. Self-destructive behavior is often associated with mental illnesses such as borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia.
A nightmare, also called a bad dream, is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. However, psychological nomenclature differentiates between nightmares and bad dreams; specifically, people remain asleep during bad dreams, whereas nightmares can awaken individuals. The dream may contain situations of discomfort, psychological or physical terror, or panic. After a nightmare, a person will often awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a short period of time. Recurrent nightmares may require medical help, as they can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia. The most common reason a person has a nightmare in the context of mental illness is depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable position or having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress or anxiety. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body’s metabolism and brain activity, can be a potential stimulus for nightmares.
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, medical and criminal justice contexts. In some cases criminal or anti-social behavior occurs when the person is under the influence of a drug, and long term personality changes in individuals may occur as well. In addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, use of some drugs may also lead to criminal penalties, although these vary widely depending on the local jurisdiction.
Honorable Mentions: Every last symptom that comes with a mental disorder.
