Accessibility Checklist Index Psychiatric Disabilities Students with psychiatric disabilities have experienced significant emotional difficulty that generally has required treatment in a hospital setting. With appropriate treatment, often combining medications, psychotherapy, and support, the majority of psychiatric disorders are cured or controlled. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in five people in the United States have some form of psychiatric disability, but only one in five persons with a diagnosable psychiatric disorder ever seeks treatment due to the strong stigmatization involved. Below are brief descriptions of some common psychiatric disabilities.
Depression is a major disorder that can begin at any age.
Major depression may be characterized by a depressed mood most of each day, a lack of pleasure in most activities, thoughts of suicide, insomnia, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. In the manic phase, a person might experience inflated self-esteem and a decreased need to sleep. Anxiety disorders can disrupt a person's ability to concentrate and cause hyper-ventilation, a racing heart, chest pains, dizziness, panic, and extreme fear. Schizophrenia can cause a person to experience, at some point in the illness, delusions and hallucinations. Psychiatric disabilities affect people of any age, gender, income group, and intellectual level.