A – Abuse (Psychological, Emotional, Physical, Sexual)
Abuse can seriously affect mental health. It may happen in childhood or adulthood and includes emotional manipulation, neglect, physical harm, or sexual harm. Abuse can lead to anxiety, depression, PTSD, attachment difficulties, and long-term trauma.
A – Addiction
Addiction is when someone feels unable to stop using substances (such as alcohol or drugs) or behaviours (such as gambling or gaming), even when it causes harm. Addiction is a mental health condition, not a moral failure.
A – Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in places where escape feels difficult. People may avoid crowds, public transport, or leaving home due to fear of panic or embarrassment.
A – Anorexia Nervosa
An eating disorder involving fear of weight gain, restricted eating, and a distorted body image. It can have serious physical and mental health consequences.
A – anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders involve excessive worry, fear, or panic that affects daily life. This includes GAD, panic disorder, social anxiety, and phobias.
B – Bipolar Disorder
A mood disorder involving extreme mood changes, including episodes of depression and episodes of mania or hypomania (high energy, impulsive behaviour, reduced need for sleep).
B – Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
A condition involving intense emotions, fear of abandonment, unstable relationships, impulsivity, and difficulties with self-image. Often linked to trauma.
B – Brief Psychotic Disorder
A short-term psychotic episode involving hallucinations, delusions, or disorganised speech, often triggered by extreme stress.
B – Bulimia Nervosa
An eating disorder involving binge eating followed by purging behaviours such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives.
C – Conduct Disorder
A condition usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence involving ongoing behaviour that violates rules or the rights of others (aggression, destruction, theft).
C – Cyclothymic Disorder
A milder but long-term form of bipolar-type mood changes, with ongoing ups and downs that do not meet full criteria for bipolar disorder.
D – Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)
A mood disorder involving persistent sadness, loss of interest, low energy, sleep changes, feelings of worthlessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts.
D – Dementia
A condition involving decline in memory, thinking, and daily functioning. While neurological, it has significant mental health impacts such as depression and anxiety.
D – Dissociative Disorders
Conditions where people feel disconnected from thoughts, memories, identity, or surroundings. Often linked to trauma or abuse.
E – Eating Disorders
A group of conditions involving unhealthy relationships with food and body image, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.
F – Factitious Disorder
A condition where a person deliberately produces or exaggerates illness symptoms, often to gain attention or care. It is a mental health condition, not attention-seeking behaviour.
F – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
Conditions caused by alcohol exposure before birth. Can involve learning difficulties, emotional regulation problems, and mental health challenges.
G – Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
A condition involving constant and excessive worry about many areas of life, often accompanied by physical symptoms like tension, fatigue, and poor sleep.
H – Hoarding Disorder
A condition where people find it extremely difficult to discard possessions, leading to unsafe or cluttered living spaces and emotional distress.
H – Hypochondriasis (Illness Anxiety Disorder)
A condition involving intense fear of having a serious illness, even when medical reassurance is given.
I – Impulse Control Disorders
Conditions where people struggle to resist urges that may be harmful, such as stealing, setting fires, or aggressive outbursts.
I – Intellectual Disabilities
A condition involving limitations in learning, reasoning, and daily skills. Many people with intellectual disabilities also experience mental health difficulties.
M – Mood Disorders
A group of conditions that affect emotional state, including depression, bipolar disorder, and related conditions.
N – Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Conditions that begin in childhood and affect brain development, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and intellectual disabilities. Mental health difficulties often co-occur.
O – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
A condition involving unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours (compulsions) done to reduce anxiety.
P – Panic Disorder
A condition involving sudden, intense panic attacks with physical symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fear of dying.
P – Personality Disorders
A group of conditions involving long-term patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that cause difficulties in relationships and daily life.
P – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A condition that can develop after trauma, abuse, violence, or disaster. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance.
P – Psychotic Disorders
Conditions involving loss of contact with reality, such as hallucinations, delusions, or disorganised thinking.
S – Schizoaffective Disorder
A condition involving symptoms of schizophrenia (psychosis) and mood disorder symptoms (depression or mania).
S – Schizophrenia
A serious mental illness involving psychosis, disorganised thinking, emotional withdrawal, and difficulties with daily functioning.
S – Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
A type of depression that occurs at certain times of the year, often in winter due to reduced daylight.
S – Sleep Disorders
Conditions such as insomnia, hypersomnia, and sleep apnea. Poor sleep has a strong link with mental health problems.
📚 Trusted Resources for Further Information
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World Health Organization (WHO) – Global mental health facts and guidance
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American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5-TR) – Diagnostic classifications
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VA Serious Mental Illness Fact Sheets – Clear explanations of major conditions
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Mind (UK) – A–Z of Mental Health – Accessible, practical guidance
