1. Dissociative Disorders- This category of mental disorders is not as common as some forms of mental illness but more severe than many others. They cause changes and extreme disturbances in identity, memory, and consciousness. Often these disorders can be caused by trauma, disasters, or other events that include extreme levels of stress. Dissociative identity disorder and depersonalization disorder both fall in this category.
2. Sexual / Gender Disorders- These are forms of mental illness that involve sexual behaviors and sexual identity issues. These are mental disorders that affect the sexual performance, preferences, and even gender identity of a person. Sexual dysfunction, various paraphilias and fetishes, and gender identity disorder fit in this category.
3. Adjustment Disorder- This form of mental illness occurs when you have difficulty adjusting to a very stressful or traumatic situation. A divorce, the death of a loved one, natural disasters, major illness, losing your job, and even substance abuse can be the trigger for this mental disorder.
4. Tic Disorders- Even though these disorders cause physical symptoms they are mental disorders. Involuntary sounds and body movements are characteristic of tic disorders. One form of these disorders is Tourette’s Syndrome.
5. Factitious Disorders- This is a serious form of mental illness. Individuals will experience emotional symptoms and possibly physical signs so that the person can be someone who needs assistance or requires medical treatment. The individual needs the attention that being the patient or victim provides.
6. Somatoform Disorders- This mental illness used to be called psychosomatic disorder, and it is one of the less common mental disorders. The individual will develop the physical signs and symptoms of a disease, illness, or medical condition even though there is no medical cause that can be determined for these physical manifestations.
