WHAT IS?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood." 

According to Mayo Clinic, "Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living." 

According to the Addiction Center, "Addictive personalities are classified as elements of one’s character that predisposes them to substance abuse and behavioral compulsions. Traits of addictive personalities can put someone at risk for developing an addiction. An addictive personality is a personality that is more likely to become addicted to something. This can include someone becoming extremely passionate about something and developing an obsession or fixation. The underlying factors for getting carried away and overindulging in video games, food, sex, or drugs and stem from hidden anxiety, depression, and poor impulse control."

According to the American Psychiatric Association, "PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault."

According to the Autism Society, ASD "is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees."

Many types of impulse control disorders are thought to stem from underlying neurological vulnerabilities coupled with environmental stresses, as noted on verywellmind.com. According to the American Addiction Centers, ICD is "a condition in which a person has trouble controlling emotions or behaviors. Examples of impulse control disorders include oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, and pyromania."

SAD is a form of depression that is identified as Major Depressive Disorder with a seasonal pattern. According to the American Psychiatric Association, "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 experience SAD in the summer."