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Mental
illness is a medical condition that can affect an individual’s
thinking, mood, and behavior. The symptoms, the severity,
and the duration of a mental illness vary greatly from person
to person, but a common “symptom” of mental illness
is its severe effects on ones ability to manage daily life.
For example, anxiety in stressful situations is a normal
part of life, but if the thought of leaving your house
makes you so anxious that you can't go out, you may have
"agoraphobia." Many mental illnesses stem from
imbalances in the brain's chemistry. Often medications
can counteract these imbalances, reducing or relieving
the symptoms. For more detailed explanations, go
to mental illness and brain functioning.
- Mental
illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion,
or income.
Mental illness has nothing to do with a person’s abilities
or character. Mental illnesses are biologically based brain
disorders that affect all people in all populations of the
world.
- Mental
illness is treatable. With
the right treatment and supports, most people can and do
get better. With treatment, between 70 and 90 percent of
people experience an improved quality of life. Treatment
consists not only of medications, but therapy, which helps
one to understand the nature of the illness and to deal
with any problems it causes. Self-help groups enable others
who have "been in their shoes" to help individuals
along the road to recovery. Community services help people
to get back on their feet and get on with their lives.
- Without
treatment individuals and society are both severely affected.
There is an increase in homelessness, unnecessary disability,
unemployment, substance abuse, and suicide. In the United
States, untreated mental illness has an economic cost of
more than 100 billion dollars a year.
- Symptoms
Can Be Hard to Pin Down. For example; clinical or "major"
depression can be purely neurobiological in origin. It can
be present at birth. Depression can also be caused life
events, such as trauma, however. Severe trauma can change
brain chemistry. Symptoms can result from learning disorders,
substance abuse problems, negative self-image or brain injury
instead of, or in addition to, a mental illness. Symptoms
of one mental illness can resemble those of another. This
is why an accurate, careful diagnosis is the key to effective
treatment and recovery.
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The effects of stigma are often barriers to treatment.
Stigma has created attitudinal, structural, and financial
barriers to effective treatment and recovery. The time has
come to abolish these barriers and build an understanding
that mental illness is a real and treatable health condition.
For
more in-depth information about specific mental illnesses,
treatments and support, and medications; please choose from
the following topics:
By
Illness | Treatments & Supports
| About Medications
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