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Research suggests healthy lifestyle behaviors and habits promote mental health and wellness and can be used to both prevent and treat mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, bipolar spectrum disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychotic disorders. These lifestyle behaviors are grouped into six general categories: Lifestyle Psychiatry Domains; Physical activity, Diet & Nutrition, Mind-body and mindfulness practices, Restorative sleep, Social connections, avoiding harmful substances Physical activity Diet and Nutrition Mind-body and mindfulness practices Restorative sleep Social connections Avoiding harmful substances

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder), Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder, and Olfactory Reference Disorder People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have obsessions (persistent, recurring, unwanted thoughts and urges) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts) that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Other obsessive-compulsive related disorders primarily involve recurring body-focused repetitive behaviors (such as hair-pulling) and repeated attempts to stop the behavior. Related disorders described below include hoarding disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder), excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, and olfactory reference disorder.

Opioids are natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic molecules that interact with opioid receptors. Opioid receptors are expressed in different organs throughout the brain and body and control many aspects of body function, including pain, breathing, intestinal function, and even the size of the pupil. Opioid receptors cannot tell the difference between opioids that are made naturally by the body, such as endorphins, opioids that are produced by plants, such as heroin from the opium poppy or mitragynine from kratom (‘opiates’), or opioids that are created in a laboratory, such as fentanyl and loperamide (‘synthetic opioids’). While the terms ‘opioids’ and ‘opiates’ are sometimes used interchangeably, ‘opiate’ refers specifically to natural compounds, such as heroin or morphine, while opioids includes both naturally-occurring opiates and those created in a lab.

Perinatal depression refers to depression occurring during pregnancy or after childbirth. The use of the term perinatal recognizes that depression associated with having a baby often begins during pregnancy. (Postpartum depression refers to depression experienced after childbirth.) Perinatal depression is a serious, but treatable medical illness involving feelings of extreme sadness, indifference and/or anxiety, as well as changes in energy, sleep, and appetite. It carries risks for the mother and child. An estimated one in seven women experiences perinatal depression.

Personality refers to an individual’s pattern of behavior and traits that are long-standing and present since adolescence or early adulthood. Aspects of personality include the way people tend to think about themselves, how they relate to people, how they interpret and deal with events in the environment, and how they react emotionally to all of this. Of course, everyone has a bad day and behaves in an uncharacteristic way at times. However, when long-standing patterns of thinking, behaving, and emotional response are rigid, inflexible, and cause significant distress or impairment in functioning then a personality disorder is diagnosed.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or series of traumatic events. The individual often experience the event or events as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening. Examples include, but are not limited to, abuse (physical, sexual, emotional), natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat exposure, intimate partner violence, and medical illness. However, most individuals who experience traumas do not go on to develop PTSD.

Grief is a natural response to the loss of a loved one. For most people, the symptoms of grief begin to decrease over time. However, for a small group of people, the feeling of intense grief persists, and the symptoms are severe enough to cause problems and stop them from continuing with their lives. Prolonged grief disorder is characterized by this intense and persistent grief that causes problems and interferes with daily life.

Patients often experience a lack of full control over important treatment decisions about their mental health, especially during times of mental health crisis. This can lead to suffering for patients and frustration for their families. Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) provide an opportunity for patients to outline their preferences about their mental health treatment in the event that they become unable to make such decisions for themselves in the future.

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects about one percent of the population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation. However, with treatment, most symptoms of schizophrenia will greatly improve and the likelihood of a recurrene can be diminished. While there is no cure for schizophrenia, research is leading to innovative and safer treatments. Experts also continue to unravel the causes of the disease by studying genetics, conducting behavioral research, and using advanced imaging to look at the brain’s structure and function. These approaches hold the promise of new and more effective therapies. The complexity of schizophrenia may help explain why there are misconceptions about the disease. Despite the origin of the word, from the Latin meaning “split mind,” schizophrenia does not mean split personality or multiple-personality. Most people with schizophrenia are not any more dangerous or violent than the general population and may, in fact, be more vulnerable to being the victims of crimes. Most people with schizophrenia live with their family, in group homes or on their own.

Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression also known as SAD, seasonal depression or winter depression. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), this disorder is identified as a type of depression – major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern. People with SAD experience mood changes and symptoms similar to depression. The symptoms usually occur during the fall and winter months when there is less sunlight and usually improve with the arrival of spring. The most difficult months for people with SAD in the United States tend to be January and February. While it is much less common, some people may experience SAD in the summer. SAD is more than just “winter blues.” The symptoms can be distressing and overwhelming and can interfere with daily functioning. However, it can be treated. About 5% of adults in the U.S. experience SAD and it typically lasts about 40% of the year. The prevalence of SAD varies with geographical latitude, age and sex. The prevalence increases at higher latitudes with SAD being more common in people living far from the equator where there are fewer daylight hours in the winter. Younger people and women are also at higher risk.

Sleep disorders (or sleep-wake disorders) involve problems with the quality, timing, and amount of sleep, which result in daytime distress and impairment in functioning. Sleep-wake disorders often occur along with medical conditions or other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or cognitive disorders. There are several different types of sleep-wake disorders, of which insomnia is the most common. Other sleep-wake disorders include obstructive sleep apnea, parasomnias, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. Sleep problems include: Quality of sleep Timing of sleep Amount of sleep Sleep difficulties are linked to both physical and emotional problems. Sleep problems can both contribute to or exacerbate mental health conditions and can be a symptom of other mental health conditions. About one-third of adults report insomnia symptoms and 6-10 percent meet the criteria for insomnia disorder.

Somatic symptom disorder is diagnosed when a person has a significant focus on physical symptoms, such as pain, weakness or shortness of breath, to a level that results in major distress and/or problems functioning. The individual has excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors relating to the physical symptoms. The physical symptoms may or may not be associated with a diagnosed medical condition, but the person is experiencing symptoms and believes they are sick (that is, not faking the illness). A person is not diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder solely because a medical cause can’t be identified for a physical symptom. The emphasis is on the extent to which the thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to the illness are excessive or out of proportion.