Psychological illness is a term that refers to any mental health condition that is severe enough to cause distress or impairment. It can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, mood and outlook and impact their ability to participate in social, occupational or other life activities. In addition, most mental disorders negatively affect a person’s self-esteem and can impair their ability to form close relationships. Depending on how the term is defined, it can also include conditions that are regarded as serious in terms of their impact on an individual’s quality of life, such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Generally, a person’s inner experiences and behaviors are considered to be disordered if they reflect a flaw in internal biological, psychological or developmental processes that lead to normal mental functioning, or if they significantly disturb one’s ability to function as an ordinary human being (also known as significant distress and/or impairment). It is not unusual for these disturbed patterns of thoughts and feelings to be accompanied by other signs and symptoms that may be physical, including anxiety or pain.
However, it is important to note that not all unpleasant emotions are a sign of mental illness and some people do not experience significant distress or impairment. Some people who have a mental illness will require treatment, and this is often best provided in a psychiatric hospital. Treatment typically involves therapy, which consists of talking with a psychologist or psychiatrist and/or taking medicine. In addition, some people will benefit from support groups, or other forms of group therapy.
Mental illness can affect any part of the brain and can cause a wide range of problems. These include an inability to feel happy or enjoy things, a difficulty concentrating and remembering, and a tendency to feel negative or hopeless. Some of the most common mental illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder and PTSD. Symptoms can also include hallucinations, paranoia and delusions.
People with a mental health condition can be at risk of hurting themselves or others and of developing chronic physical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The good news is that many mental health conditions can be treated, and most people recover after receiving treatment.
If you are suffering from a mental illness, it is very important to seek help and support from family and friends. You should always seek medical care if your symptoms are causing you distress or interfere with your daily activities. If you do not get the help you need, your symptoms might worsen and they may become more difficult to treat. In some cases, your mental health condition might even develop into a serious condition such as PTSD or schizophrenia, and you could become seriously ill. In the most extreme cases, untreated mental illness can even result in suicide. In fact, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. This is because untreated mental illness can make it hard to think clearly and can prevent a person from seeing any other way out of a situation.