Overview of Mental Illness
What is mental illness?
Mental illness is a term used for a group of medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others or to cope with the ordinary demands of life. Just as diabetes is a disorder that affects the pancreas, mental illnesses are disorders that affect the brain.
What types of mental illnesses exist?
There are more than 200 types of mental disorders but the most categorgies include: anxiety, affective mood (depression, bipolar), psychotic (schizophrenia), eating, impulse control and addiction, and personality disorders.
Less common types include adjustment, dissociative, factitious, sexual and gender, somatoform and tic disorders.
What are the symptoms of mental illness?
In adults
- Confused thinking
- Long-lasting sadness or irritability
- Extreme highs and lows in mood
- Excessive fear, worrying, or anxiety
- Social withdrawal
- Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Strong feelings of anger
- Delusions or hallucinations
- Increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
- Thoughts of suicide
- Denial of obvious problems
- Many unexplained physical problems
- Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
In older children and pre-teens
- Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
- Inability to cope with daily problems and activities
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
- Excessive complaints of physical problems
- Defying authority, skipping school, stealing, or damaging property
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Long-lasting negative mood often with poor appetite and thoughts of death
In younger children
- Changes in school performance
- Poor grades despite strong efforts
- Excessive worrying or anxiety
- Hyperactivity
- Persistent nightmares
- Persistent disobedience or aggressive behavior
- Frequent temper tantrums
What causes mental illness?
There are many myths about what causes mental illness. However, they are not the result of personal weakness, a character defect, or poor upbringing, and recovery is not simply a matter of will and self-discipline.
Although the exact cause of most mental illnesses is not known, it is becoming clear through research that many of these conditions are caused by a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors.
How common are mental illnesses?
Mental disorders are very common, more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. According to the United States Surgeon General, an estimated 23 percent of American adults (those ages 18 and older) – about 44 million people – and about 20 percent of American children suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder during a given year. Further, more than 7 million Americans adults, and more than 5 million children and adolescents suffer from a serious mental disorder (one that significantly interferes with functioning).
Mental illness does not discriminate. It can affect people of any age, race, gender, religion, income or education level, or cultural background. Some illnesses such as eating disorders tend to occur more often in females while personality disorders occur more often in males. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more common with children while schizophrenia is mostly seen in teenagers and young adults.
How are mental illnesses diagnosed?
Many people first discuss symptoms of mental illness with their primary care physician. This general practitioner will evaluate the person medically to ensure there is not a physical illness at the root of the symptoms. If no physical illness is found, the doctor may prescribe medication and/or refer the person to a mental health professional.
Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a mental illness. They base their diagnosis on the person's report of symptoms – including any social or functional problems caused by the symptoms – and on his or her observation of the person's attitudes and behavior. They then determine if the person's symptoms and degree of disability point to a diagnosis of a specific disorder.
How are mental illnesses treated?
Treatment is different for each mental illness. People with schizophrenia are usually given medication as are people with depression, manic depression or anxiety disorders. In addition to medication, doctors may suggest individual psychotherapy (counselling) or group therapy. They may also refer the person to other community programs and services.
Can mental illnesses be cured?
When diagnosed early and treated properly, many people fully recover from their mental illness or are able to successfully control their symptoms and live full and productive lives. Spirituality can be an important source of strength for those with mental health problems. Understanding, compassion, and the support of family, friends, and religious community can make a huge impact in a person's recovery.