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.
Disruptive behavior is not an attribute of most people with psychiatric disabilities. Eighty to ninety percent of people with depression experience relief from symptoms through medication, therapy, or a combination of the two. Depression is a variable condition that may fluctuate during a person's lifetime. There are not more people with psychiatric disabilities, just more people seeking treatment outside the walls of state mental health institutions. Common accommodations for students with psychiatric disabilities are exam modifications, alternative ways of completing assignments, time extensions, taped lectures, early syllabus, and study skills and strategies training.