When someone experiences severe and or enduring mental health problems they are sometimes described as mentally ill. However, there are certain difficulties with this term.
There is no universally agreed cut-off point between normal behaviour and that described as mental illness. What is considered abnormal behaviour or an abnormal reaction to circumstances differs between cultures, social groups within the same culture, and even different social situations.
The label mental illness is highly stigmatizing. It encourages people to think of 'the mentally ill' as an entirely separate category from 'people like us', rather than as ordinary people who have, for whatever reason, more severe emotional difficulties to cope with. Popular misconceptions, fuelled by the media, depict mentally ill people as violent and dangerous. These stereotypes are contradicted by ordinary people's experiences of mental health problems affecting themselves, their family members, friends or work colleagues.
Use of the term mental illness may be misleading if it is taken to imply that all mental health problems are solely caused by medical or biological factors. In fact, most mental health problems result from a complex interaction of biological, social and personal factors. For example, some people may be biologically vulnerable to experiencing depression, yet strong social support during difficult times can reduce their risk of becoming severely depressed. Similarly, in people with a higher than average genetic risk of schizophrenia, a particular psychotic experience may be triggered by stressful life events and circumstances.
For many people the existing systems of categorizing illnesses do not relate closely enough to their experiences. Some people, including some professionals, prefer not to accept diagnoses which may be misleading or stigmatizing, for example 'personality disorder' or 'schizophrenia'.
Definition:
Mental illness is a disturbance in thoughts and emotions that decreases a person’s capacity to cope with the challenges of everyday life.
The main categories of mental illness include:
- schizophrenia
- mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder)
- anxiety disorders
- personality disorders
- eating disorders.
Mental illnesses are still feared and misunderstood by many people, but the fear will lessen as people learn more about them. Mental illness can be treated. Most people make a full recovery.
Mental illness is common. Statistics show that one in every five Canadians will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Mental illnesses account for a large percentage of hospital stays every year. Yet, in spite of the fact that every Canadian knows someone who has been, or will be, affected by mental illness, few people know very much about it.
It is a myth that mental illness is a weakness or defect in character and that sufferers can get better simply by "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps." Mental illnesses are real illnesses -- as real as heart disease and cancer--and they require and respond well to treatment.
The term "mental illness" is an unfortunate one because it implies a distinction between "mental" disorders and "physical" disorders. Research shows that there is much "physical" in "mental" disorders and vice-versa. For example, the brain chemistry of a person with major depression is different from that of a nondepressed person, and antidepressant medication can be used (often in combination with psychotherapy) to bring the brain chemistry back to normal. Similarly, a person who is suffering from hardening of the arteries in the brain -- which reduces the flow of blood and thus oxygen in the brain -- may experience such "mental" symptoms as confusion and forgetfulness.
In the past 20 years especially, psychiatric research has made great strides in the precise diagnosis and successful treatment of many mental illnesses. Where once mentally ill people were warehoused in public institutions because they were disruptive or feared to be harmful to themselves or others, today most people who suffer from a mental illness --including those that can be extremely debilitating, such as schizophrenia -- can be treated effectively and lead full lives.
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