What Is The Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?
Every psychological concern can have a negative impact on a person’s life, but what is the hardest mental illness to live with?
What is The Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?
Let’s get this out of the way right up front: There is no way to conclusively answer the question of what is the hardest mental illness to live with.
People who are diagnosed with the same mental disorder can be impacted in vastly different ways depending upon a host of factors, including the intensity of their symptoms, the quality of their personal support network, and their ability to access appropriate treatment.
Also, even if an evaluation of various mental illnesses was based solely on their most severe symptoms, “hardest to live with” remains a subjective assessment that can be defined quite differently by different people.
Having established that, the disorders below – which are not listed in any specific order – are likely to be among the more common responses to the question, what is the hardest mental illness to live with?
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, difficulty organizing thoughts, diminished ability to communicate, and highly abnormal behaviors.
Even with advances in how this disease is diagnosed and treated, experts estimate that the expected lifespan of someone with schizophrenia may be as much as 15-20 years shorter than among the general public.
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizoaffective disorder involves the same five types of symptoms that schizophrenia does. But to be diagnosed with this condition, a person must also have periods of either depression or mania.
A fact sheet published by Yale Medicine reported that 10%-30% of people with schizoaffective disorder may need to be hospitalized at some point in their life.
This fact sheet also noted that an estimated 10% of people with this condition die by suicide. To put this statistic into perspective, in 2023, the annual suicide rate in the U.S. was 0.014%.
Depression
Depressive disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in the U.S. and throughout the rest of the world.
For some people, depression symptoms are relatively mild and able to be effectively controlled via medication and/or therapy. But for others, especially those who have particularly harsh symptoms or who struggle with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), the experience can be devastating.
The United Nations has reported that depression is the leading cause of disability across the globe.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is characterized by sudden and severe shifts in mood, confidence, attitude, and energy. Depending on which type of bipolar disorder a person has, they may experience periods of mania, hypomania, and/or major depression.
The unpredictability and intensity of these mood swings can be highly disruptive, both for the person who has the condition and for those who care about or depend upon them.
According to the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), 82.9% of adults with bipolar disorder were seriously impaired as scored on the Sheehan Disability Scale. This is the highest rate of serious impairment among all mood disorders.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a complex, highly disruptive mental illness that occurs in the aftermath of one or more traumatic events. Symptoms of PTSD can include intense anxiety, unwanted painful memories, disturbing nightmares, emotional numbness, and a sense of detachment from others.
As described on the NIMH website, severe PTSD “can significantly impair a person’s ability to function at work, at home, and socially.”
An August 2001 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry reported that as many as 75% of combat veterans and 21.6%—43% of civilians with PTSD also have an addiction to alcohol or another drug. Among those who don’t have PTSD, the estimated rate of addiction is 8.1%—24%.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
The defining characteristics of borderline personality disorder are pervasive instability in mood, relationships, behaviors, and self-image. People who have this condition often have anger- and impulse-control problems, persistent feelings of emptiness, and an intense fear of abandonment.
A review of 42 international studies found that 71.1% of people with BPD had histories of at least one traumatic experience during childhood. This rate of childhood trauma is 13 times higher than the rate among people who have no mental health concerns.
As reported in a November 2024 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, BPD affects about 1% of the general population, but people with borderline personality disorder account for about 10% of participants in outpatient mental health programs and 20% of those who receive inpatient psychiatric treatment.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder whose symptoms include distorted body image, an overwhelming fear of weight gain, and rigid adherence to a highly restrictive diet.
People with this condition are at risk of several serious medical complications, including heart damage, neurological problems, diminished immune system functioning, and early-onset osteoporosis. Anorexia has also been linked with increased rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
According to studies referenced in the October 2021 issue of the journal World Psychiatry, anorexia has the highest fatality rate of all mental health conditions.
Potential Effects of Untreated Mental Illness
As noted at the outset of today’s post, the impact of a mental illness can be influenced by a variety of personal factors. With that caveat in mind, here are some of the many negative outcomes that a person can experience if they don’t get effective care or have sufficient support:
- Diminished performance in school
- Inability to find and keep a job
- Difficulty establishing an independent lifestyle
- Continued reliance on friends and family
- Strained or ruined relationships
- Medical concerns due to poor self-care
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Being assaulted, swindled, or otherwise victimized
- Diminished overall quality of life
- Loss of hope for the future
- Homelessness
- Increased risk of suicide and self-harm
If you have a serious mental illness, or you are caring for someone who has been living with highly disruptive psychological concerns, it can sometimes feel like no one could possibly understand what you’re going through or offer meaningful assistance. Please know that this is not true.
With proper professional care, people who have complex mental health disorders can experience relief from their symptoms and achieve improved quality of life.
Learn More About Treatment for Complex Mental Illnesses in Pennsylvania
New Mind Wellness offers three levels of personalized outpatient care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by severe symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and other mental health conditions.
Our center near Philadelphia, PA, is a safe and welcoming place where you or your loved one can receive focused services and compassionate support from a team of highly skilled professionals.
To learn more about how we can help, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
