Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illness is an illness just like a physical illness.

Disorders

Categories of diagnoses in these schemes may include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders, and many other categories. Commonly recognized categories of anxiety disorders include specific phobia, Generalized anxiety disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychotic disorders centrally involving this domain include Schizophrenia and Delusional disorder. Definitions, assessments, and classifications of mental disorders can vary, but guideline criterion listed in the ICD, DSM and other manuals are widely accepted by mental health professionals. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time.

Family

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age-children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly-and they can occur in any family. Relatives can play a key role in the identification and treatment of the teen with a mental illness, with family members themselves often needing help and support.

You can be a better friend by looking for signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and then helping someone you know reach out to some of the following people: family doctor or pediatrician, school counselor or teacher, parent and other family members, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or the emergency department of the nearest hospital.

The next time you and your family member visit your doctor or mental health professional, discuss these behaviors and develop a strategy for coping. Family awareness, early identification and prevention are often the first steps to effective treatments.

Symptoms

Today, we classify mental illness based on the symptoms a person experiences and the clinical features of the illness, such as feeling hopeless or having delusions. But as we continue to gain a clearer understanding of how specific genes interact with illnesses or behaviors, we may be able to develop a much more sophisticated classification system that is directly linked to a biological cause of mental illness, rather than just symptoms.

For instance, some disorders have similar symptoms and clinical features but are actually very different in terms of their underlying biology. Thus, symptoms related to behavior or our mental lives clearly reflect variations or abnormalities in brain function.

Persons suffering from any of the severe mental disorders present with a variety of symptoms, may include inappropriate anxiety, disturbances of thought and perception, and cognitive dysfunction. Often it is a good idea to first describe the symptoms and/or problems to your family physician or clergy.

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