Is mental illness really an illness?

Many people who have a mental illness do not want to talk about it. But mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of! It is a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. And mental health conditions are treatable.

What classifies as a mental illness?

Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.

What do you call a person who is mentally ill?

Don’t use: “Mentally ill person” or “Person who is mentally ill” Instead, use: “Person with a mental illness” or “Person living with a mental health issue” People with mental health issues have far more sides to them than their mental illnesses.

What is the difference between mental illness and mental health?

While mental health is always there and may be positive or negative, mental illness affects a person’s ability to function over a long period of time.

What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?

Is mental illness a disability?

Mental illness is a disability when it disrupts performance and negatively influences a person’s day-to-day activities. The degree and extent that a person’s functioning is impaired is another important factor in defining mental health disability.

What is the definition of mental illness?

Defining Mental Illness 1. A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings, or behavior (or all three) and that causes the person distress and difficulty in functioning. As with many diseases, mental illness is severe in some cases and mild in others.

What are the most common types of mental illnesses?

Depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD will be presented in greater detail than other mental illnesses. We can all be “sad” or “blue” at times in our lives. We have all seen movies about the madman and his crime spree, with the underlying cause of mental illness.

Is mental illness rare?

Many people feel that mental illness is rare, something that only happens to people with life situations very different from their own, and that it will never affect them. Studies of the epidemiology of mental illness indicate that this belief is far from accurate.

Does mental illness have a biological basis?

As scientists continue to investigate the brains of people who have mental illnesses, they are learning that mental illness is associated with changes in the brain’s structure, chemistry, and function and that mental illness does indeed have a biological basis.