Many people experience emotional disturbances as part of everyday life from time to time. They are caused by a number of stress related issues along with trauma and other mental illness factors (to only name a few).
An emotional disturbance is when emotional health is compromised to the point of not being able to appropriately interact in a social setting or with friends and family. An individual’s emotional state is compromised and they will have a difficult time in typical situations.
In this article, we’ll discuss the 6 types of emotional disturbances and how to determine if you or someone you know is experiencing one.
What are the 6 types of emotional disturbances?
As previously mentioned in the article on Symptoms of Being Emotionally Disturbed: 8 Types there are six types of emotional disturbances. The ones that are most commonly seen include anxiety, bipolar, eating disorders, as well as OCD. Conduct and psychotic disorders are also common forms of emotional disturbances. Here’s a little bit more on each of the six types.
Anxiety Disorders
An anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that is associated with a variety of feelings such as worry, stress and fearfulness. These intense feelings lead to emotional distress which can cause an emotional disturbance.
Knowing how to tell if you struggle with anxiety can be useful in preventing it from developing into a more severe version of itself.
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Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar is a mood disorder that is characterized by episodes of mania and depression (bipolar 1) or hypomania and depression (bipolar 2). The distressing symptoms of the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder can cause an emotional disturbance. Bipolar symptoms (mania, hypomania and depression) can worsen if the symptoms are not properly treated.
Conduct Disorders
Conduct disorders are behavior disorders that are typically diagnosed among children and teens. This is usually characterized by mischievous and criminal behavior including lying, stealing and violence.
Generally speaking the four typical types of conduct disorders are destructive, aggressive, deception and breaking of rules/laws. Traumatic experiences and/or mental health conditions are typically the cause for conduct disorders.
Unfortunately, in addition to those disorders/mental health concerns, an emotional disturbance can develop from conduct disorders as well.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders, like most disorders, are caused from some form of trauma or mental condition. Common eating disorder symptoms are more often seen in teen girls and women than in males. The reason often stems from some sort of self-esteem issue surrounding body image.
Unfortunately, having an eating disorder may put one at risk for also developing an emotional disturbance. This is due to the severe emotional issues that are already present when someone is living with an eating disorder.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is an anxiety disorder that causes an individual to behave in a variety of unusual ways. Obsessions and Compulsions are what make OCD what it is. When a cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so intrusive that it affects the individual’s life on a regular basis, OCD is usually diagnosed.
Psychotic Disorders
Typically a psychotic disorder is generally characterized by the involvement of hallucinations and/or delusions. Psychotic disorders are not limited to certain mental health conditions.
Physical health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and HIV (to name a few) have been known to exhibit hallucinations and/or delusions as well. To learn about psychotic conditions such as paranoid psychosis, check out this earlier article on What is Paranoid Psychosis?: Causes, Symptoms and More.
How do you know if you have emotional disturbance?
As a general rule, the 8 most common symptoms of an emotional disturbance include the following. Trouble sleeping, weight fluctuations, irritability, social withdrawal, “random” body aches/pains, trouble focusing, feeling sad or depressed most of the time and inappropriate expression of self or behavior. While these are most common, other symptoms may be experienced depending on the individual.
Experiencing many of these symptoms is sometimes normal. However, if you’ve reached the point where you are distressed and seem “on edge” it’s time to take some time for yourself and work on your emotional health.
Aside from acting inappropriately in a social setting, withdrawal is also common. Not wanting to be around other people is a common symptom of an emotional disturbance as well.
Personally, I get this way when things seem a bit unsettled emotionally speaking. Taking a step back for a few days can be a helpful way to regroup and center yourself. Ask yourself what is behind your unsettling symptoms and allow yourself to work through it.
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Emotional Disturbances in Children
Children are able to experience emotional disturbances just as much, if not more so than adults. So much is changing within a child’s mind and body and having regulated, stable emotions is often a struggle because of that.
The symptoms for children are similar to the ones mentioned in this article. In addition to those, irregular movement and hyperactivity are seen as well.
Children are still getting used to their emotions and how to handle them. Understanding this and allowing them to explore a variety of feelings will help them be able to express themselves properly. This important, especially later in life. This will also encourage healthy self-esteem and can even help them avoid the development of an eating or personality disorder.
Being emotionally disturbed is a not as taboo as it might sound. All it means is that someone is in a compromised state of emotional healthy and appropriate measures need to be taken in order to heal. Making sure you are not overworked, are taking enough “me time” and are practicing good communication with your significant other, family and/or friends is a good way to avoid emotional disturbances.
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