Psychological illness is a condition that affects the way you think, feel and act. It can also cause problems with your relationships, work and your ability to enjoy your life. Some people who have a mental illness are treated in a hospital and need to take medication. Others get therapy to learn how to manage their symptoms and live with their illness.
Symptoms may be present in the brain, but can also occur in other parts of your body or your external environment. For example, if you are depressed, your mood and thoughts can affect your ability to do everyday things, like sleep, eat and work. In some cases, the depression may be so severe that you can’t function properly.
There are many different types of psychological illness, but they all have some common traits. For example, people with anxiety disorders often have a fear of being in public places. They also may have feelings of worthlessness and a lack of energy. They may experience a loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable, such as going out with friends or playing sports.
These characteristics can be caused by a number of factors, including genetics and life circumstances. Inherited characteristics can make you more likely to develop a certain type of disorder, while environmental exposures such as chemicals or alcohol while you were in the womb are sometimes linked to mental health conditions.
The most common psychological illnesses are anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Almost 1 in 8 adults in the world has a mental illness.
Having an illness can be difficult and scary for you and your family. It can also cause you to miss work or school. Having an illness can also make it hard to talk to friends or family about your problems.
It’s important to have a clear definition of what is a mental disorder, so that you can be diagnosed correctly and receive treatment if you have one. But it’s also important to remember that some behaviors or thoughts that might seem abnormal to some people are normal for another person.
For example, a person who experiences great sadness following the death of a loved one would not be diagnosed with a mental disorder because that behavior is not socially unacceptable.
If you are experiencing a serious problem with your mood or thinking, you should seek help right away. Getting professional help is especially important if you are feeling very hopeless or you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else.
You and your doctor will determine the best treatment for you. That may include therapy, medicine or a combination of both. Some people might even need to stay in a hospital or clinic.
Several studies have found that mental illness is more common in some groups of people than in others. For example, women are more likely to have anxiety or a depression than men. It is also more common for certain types of mental illnesses to occur in a particular time period, such as childhood or adolescence.