Depression is a disorder in which a person experiences long periods of sadness and despair, affecting thoughts, feelings, behavior, and physical health and appearance.

Geriatric (jear-ee-A-trik) psychiatry focuses on the psychological health issues of the elderly. The increased frequency of mental health problems above the age of 65 requires specific diagnostic and therapeutic proposals in the development of geriatric psychiatry.

Grief is a common reaction to traumatic events. Circumstances such as the death of a family member or friend, news of physical or mental illness, or changes in health may affect the onset of grief.

Manic-depressive disorder, commonly known as bipolar disorder, is a mental irregularity involving episodes of serious mania and depression. The person's mood swings usually range from overly high and irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again.

A nervous breakdown is an emotional or mental crisis so severe that the affected person becomes disabled or hospitalized. However, nervous breakdown remains a widely used and understood definition for inability to deal with extreme pressure.

Paranoia is a term used by mental health specialists to describe feelings of general mistrust that are either highly exaggerated or unwarranted. Paranoia can be mild and the affected person may function fairly well in society, or it can be so severe that the individual is incapacitated.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD (P-T-S-D), is an acquired mental condition that manifests itself following a psychologically distressing event outside the range of normal human experience.

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that makes it difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal responses to others, and to behave normally in social situations.

Sexual dysfunction is the decrease or absence of either sexual arousal or desire in men or women, triggered by mental or physical problems. Sexual dysfunction may exist throughout life, develop over time, or occur only during certain circumstances.

Stress occurs when intense elements of daily life accumulate and cause anxiety. The intensity of stress varies according to tolerance levels and specific situations.

Suicide is the intentional taking of one's own life. Most of the time people who take their lives suffer from depression or a type of depressive illness.

Workaholic behavior, also known as workaholism (wurk-uh-HAWL-ism), is complete dedication to a career with disregard to personal priorities. Families and friends of workaholics are often neglected because of the overzealous work ethics that dominate the worker's time and concentration.