Mental health education
Mental health conditions in plain language
Many mental health conditions share symptoms. This guide explains common diagnoses, what else may look similar, and what treatment may include.
01 / KNOW THIS FIRST
02 / CONDITION GUIDE
CONDITION GROUP
Trauma and stressor conditions
Conditions tied to a traumatic event, loss, major change, or other stressor.
Adjustment disorder
Emotional or behavior symptoms begin after a clear stressor and are stronger or longer than expected. Mixed anxiety and depressed mood is one common form. The condition may be short or may last while the stressor continues.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Common in treatment settings after major life stress. Rates change by setting and type of stressor.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Major depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief, or a normal short-term stress response.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Brief talk therapy, coping skills, problem solving, and care for sleep or other symptoms. Medicine may be used for some symptoms.
Other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder
Trauma- or stress-linked symptoms cause real distress or limits, but the full pattern does not fit another named disorder. The clinician states why the pattern falls short.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Used when a clear stress-related pattern is present but does not fit a full named diagnosis. Stable population rates are not well set.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
PTSD, adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, grief, or a sleep disorder.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Care is matched to the main symptoms and stressor. It may include trauma-focused or other talk therapy, medicine, and support.
Unspecified trauma- and stressor-related disorder
Trauma- or stress-linked symptoms cause distress or limits, but there is not enough information yet to name a more exact condition—or the clinician does not state the reason.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Often used early, in urgent settings, or when the history is incomplete. It is not meant to hide missing clinical work.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
The same conditions listed above, plus substance, medical, or sleep causes.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
First complete the assessment and address safety. Care then targets the main symptoms and needs.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD may begin after exposure to death, threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. It includes a set pattern of reliving, avoidance, mood or thinking changes, and feeling on guard.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
PTSD affects a meaningful share of trauma survivors, but most people who live through trauma do not develop PTSD.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Depression, anxiety, TBI, grief, substance use, insomnia, or another trauma-related condition.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Trauma-focused therapies, medicine, or both. Care may also address sleep, pain, substance use, and family stress.
CONDITION GROUP
Depressive and bipolar conditions
Conditions that change mood, energy, interest, activity, and judgment.
Major depressive disorder
Depression causes a lasting period of low mood or loss of interest, along with changes in sleep, energy, focus, appetite, movement, guilt, or thoughts of death.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
One of the most common mental health conditions in adults.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Grief, bipolar depression, PTSD, substance effects, thyroid or other medical illness, pain, or poor sleep.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Talk therapy, medicine, or both. Severe symptoms may need more intensive or urgent care.
Depressive disorder due to another medical condition
A medical condition directly causes the mood change through its effects on the body or brain. This is different from becoming depressed while coping with pain, disability, or illness.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Less common than major depression. The rate depends on the medical condition being studied.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Major depression, medication effects, adjustment disorder, grief, sleep loss, or a secondary psychological response to illness.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Treat the medical condition when possible and treat the mood symptoms with therapy, medicine, support, or a mix.
Bipolar disorders
Bipolar disorders include clear periods of unusually high or irritable mood and increased energy or activity. Depressive episodes may also occur. Bipolar I and Bipolar II are not the same.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Less common than depression or anxiety, but important because treatment may differ.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
ADHD, PTSD, substance effects, personality patterns, medical illness, or ordinary mood changes.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Mood-stabilizing medicine is often central. Therapy, sleep routine, substance care, and family support may also help.
CONDITION GROUP
Anxiety, fear, and obsessive-compulsive conditions
Conditions marked by ongoing worry, panic, fear, avoidance, or unwanted thoughts and rituals.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Worry is hard to control, covers several parts of life, lasts for months, and comes with tension or other symptoms.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
A common anxiety disorder in adults.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Normal stress, depression, PTSD, substance or medicine effects, thyroid illness, or pain-related distress.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Talk therapy, medicine, or both. Sleep, exercise, stress, and substance use may also be addressed.
Panic disorder
A person has repeated panic attacks and then spends time fearing another attack or changing life to avoid one.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Less common than broad anxiety symptoms, but still seen often in mental health care.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Heart, lung, thyroid, balance, medicine, or substance problems; PTSD; or another anxiety disorder.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Talk therapy with safe exposure to feared feelings, medicine, or both. Medical causes may need review first.
Specific phobia
A strong, lasting fear of one object or situation leads to avoidance or intense distress that is out of proportion to the actual danger.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
One of the more common anxiety conditions.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
PTSD reminders, panic disorder, social anxiety, OCD, or a reasonable safety concern.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Gradual, supported exposure therapy is common. Other coping skills or medicine may sometimes help.
Social anxiety disorder or agoraphobia
Social anxiety centers on fear of being judged or embarrassed. Agoraphobia centers on places where escape or help may feel hard. They can occur together or apart.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Social anxiety is common. Agoraphobia is less common but can cause major limits.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
PTSD avoidance, panic disorder, depression, autism, psychosis, or physical limits.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Talk therapy with gradual exposure, medicine, or both. Treatment moves at a planned pace.
Anxiety disorder due to another medical condition
A medical condition directly causes strong anxiety or panic through its effects on the body or brain. This is different from worry about living with chronic pain or illness.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
The rate depends on the medical condition. It is less common than primary anxiety disorders.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Generalized anxiety, panic, medicine or substance effects, PTSD, or a psychological response to chronic pain.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Treat the medical cause when possible and treat anxiety with therapy, medicine, or both.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Unwanted thoughts, images, or urges keep returning. A person feels driven to do repeated acts or mental rituals to lower distress.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Less common than broad anxiety, but not rare.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
General worry, trauma thoughts, psychosis, autism, perfectionism, or habits without major distress.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Exposure and response prevention is a key therapy. Medicine may also help.
CONDITION GROUP
Sleep, pain, and body-symptom conditions
Conditions in which sleep, pain, or health worries are a central part of the clinical picture.
Insomnia disorder
A person has ongoing trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, even with enough time and a place to sleep. The problem also affects the day.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Sleep trouble is very common. A smaller group meets full rules for insomnia disorder.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
PTSD nightmares, depression, pain, sleep apnea, restless legs, shift work, medicine, or substance effects.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia is a leading treatment. Other sleep or health conditions may also need care.
Somatic symptom disorder, with predominant pain
The pain is real. The diagnosis focuses on extreme and lasting thoughts, feelings, or actions about the symptoms that add distress or limits. “Persistent” means the pattern lasts over time.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Rates vary widely because health settings and definitions differ.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
A medical pain condition alone, depression, anxiety, trauma, illness anxiety, medicine effects, or substance use.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Coordinated medical and mental health care, steady follow-up, skills for function and distress, and treatment of depression or anxiety when present.
CONDITION GROUP
Alcohol and other substance-use conditions
Conditions in which alcohol, cannabis, or another drug is hard to control despite harm.
Alcohol use disorder
Alcohol use becomes hard to control and continues even when it harms health, work, safety, or relationships. The condition can be mild, moderate, or severe.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Common in the United States and often occurs with PTSD, depression, anxiety, pain, or sleep trouble.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Risky drinking without a full disorder, medicine effects, bipolar symptoms, depression, or another substance disorder.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Behavior therapy, recovery support, medicine, or a mix. Heavy long-term drinking may require medical help to stop safely.
Cannabis use disorder
Cannabis use becomes hard to control and continues despite problems or failed efforts to cut down.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Seen more often as cannabis use rises. Risk grows with frequent use.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Use without a disorder, withdrawal, anxiety, depression, psychosis, sleep trouble, or attention problems.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Behavior therapy and recovery support are common. Other mental health and sleep concerns should also be treated.
Other substance-use disorders
Opioids, stimulants, sedatives, and other drugs can also become hard to control despite harm. Each drug has its own safety risks and withdrawal concerns.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Rates differ by drug. Opioid and stimulant problems can carry a high risk of death.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Mood, anxiety, sleep, attention, or psychotic conditions; medicine effects; or short-term intoxication or withdrawal.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Care may include medicine, behavior therapy, recovery support, harm reduction, and medical withdrawal care.
CONDITION GROUP
Brain, eating, and psychotic conditions
Other conditions that may be part of a VA mental health or diagnostic-clarification question.
Mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury
Thinking skills have declined after a TBI, but the person can still do everyday tasks with extra time, effort, tools, or help. TBI and mental health conditions may occur together.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
The rate depends on injury severity, repeated injuries, time since injury, and how thinking is measured.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
PTSD, depression, poor sleep, pain, medicine or substance effects, ADHD, or another brain condition.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
TBI care, cognitive rehabilitation, tools for daily tasks, and care for sleep, pain, mood, or substance concerns.
Unspecified feeding or eating disorder
Eating or food-related symptoms cause real distress or health risk, but there is not enough information to name a more exact eating disorder—or the clinician does not state why.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Eating disorders are serious and occur in people of every sex, body size, age, and background.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
A medical illness, medicine effect, depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use, or food insecurity.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Medical monitoring, nutrition care, talk therapy, and treatment of related mood, trauma, or anxiety concerns.
Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
Psychosis can involve hearing or seeing things others do not, fixed false beliefs, confused thinking, or major changes in behavior and function.
COMMON SIGNS
HOW COMMON?
Less common than depression or anxiety, but the effects can be severe.
WHAT ELSE MAY LOOK SIMILAR?
Bipolar disorder, severe depression, PTSD experiences, substance or medicine effects, delirium, TBI, or another medical problem.
WHAT MAY TREATMENT INCLUDE?
Medicine, coordinated specialty care, therapy, family support, and help with work, housing, and health needs.
03 / HOW A PSYCHOLOGIST THINKS ABOUT IT
A diagnosis is more than a checklist.
A clinician studies how the symptoms fit together, when they began, how long they last, how they affect life, and what else may explain them. The same symptom can appear in many conditions.
The claim question is separate from the diagnosis.
After a diagnosis is clear, a VA claim may ask when it began, whether it is linked to service or another condition, how severe it is now, or how it affects work and daily life.
Treatment is not evidence-building.
Treatment is meant to improve health and life. A VA evaluation is meant to answer a clinical claim question. The same records may inform both, but the goals are different.
04 / KEEP LEARNING