| 
 What
is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is an illness just like a physical illness. But
instead of affecting a person’s body, it affects a person’s
feelings and behavior and the organ that controls them, the brain.
Mental disorders and mental health problems can affect people
at any age. A physical illness might make it difficult to walk;
a mental illness can make it difficult to maintain relationships
with people or cope with life’s daily activities.
Most of us think that mental illness is one of those things that
happen only to other people. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Since
most people are uncomfortable talking about mental illness, they
have no idea how common it is. In the United States alone, some
50 million people suffer from one or another mental illness in
any given year – almost 18 percent of the population, or
roughly 1 in 6 people.
Just as there are many different kinds of physical illnesses,
there are many different kinds of mental illnesses – more
than 200. The most common adult mental illnesses are depression,
bipolar disorder (manic depression) and schizophrenia, but there
are many others.
Children and adolescents can have mental illnesses too. At least
1 in 20 young people have a “serious emotional disturbance.”
This term is commonly used to describe a child or adolescent who
has a mental health problem or mental illness that severely disrupts
his or her ability to function socially, academically and emotionally
at home, in school, or in the community. The most common child
and adolescent emotional, behavioral and mental disorders include
depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar
disorder, conduct, anxiety and eating disorders, and schizophrenia.
No one knows exactly what causes mental illness. The most common
explanations are genetic (meaning that the mental illness can
be passed down from one generation to the next) and biochemical
(meaning that there’s an imbalance in the chemicals in the
brain). Environmental factors such as severe stress and/or trauma
can also affect the brain’s functioning. In all likelihood,
a combination of such factors has given rise to the mental illness.
There are no known cures for most mental illnesses, but there
are many treatments. And, as with other medical conditions for
which there are no cures like diabetes or asthma, with the right
medication and treatment, most people with a mental illness can
live full and productive lives.
More information about Mental Illnesses
in Adults.
More information about Mental Illness
in Children and Adolescents.
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