men·tal ill·ness

1. a broadly inclusive term, generally denoting one or all of the following: 1) a disease of the brain, with predominant behavioral symptoms, as in paresis or acute alcoholism; 2) a disease of the "mind" or personality, evidenced by abnormal behavior, as in hysteria or schizophrenia; also called mental or emotional disease, disturbance, or disorder, or behavior disorder;
See also: behavior disorder.

2. any psychiatric illness listed in Current Medical Information and Terminology of the American Medical Association or in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.
See also: behavior disorder.

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

mental illness

Any of various disorders characterized by impairment of an individual's thoughts, emotions, or social functioning, including schizophrenia and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder.

mental Illness

(1) A general term applied to severe emotional problems or psychiatric disorders.
(2) Mental disorder, see there.

mental illness

Mental disorder, see there.

men·tal ill·ness

(men'tăl il'nĕs)

1. A broadly inclusive term, generally denoting either or both a disease of the brain, with predominant behavioral symptoms; a disease of the "mind" or personality, evidenced by abnormal behavior, as in hysteria or schizophrenia.

2. Any psychiatric illness listed in Current Medical Information and Terminology of the American Medical Association or in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.
See also: behavior disorder

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

men·tal ill·ness

(men'tăl il'nĕs)

Broadly inclusive term, generally denoting one or all of the following: 1) a disease of the brain, with predominant behavioral symptoms; as in paresis 2) a disease of the "mind" or personality, evidenced by abnormal behavior, as in hysteria or schizophrenia.

Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012

Patient discussion about mental illness

Q. Regarding mental illness My mom is suffering from mental illness. As she remains absent minded through out the day, moreover remains silent (talkless), suffering with idiot ideas. Pls advise me how may i resolve this prob. She is sufferring from last 4 years....!!! and now it has increased. We are also under supervision of phycologist but he used to kept her on sleep as alternative. I need yr some corrective suggestion & help. Regards Parth

A. Parth- Dan could be right, there might be another diagnosis for your mother. it sounds like late stages of Parkinson's, but that would be hard to miss due to a very clear first stages.. if Schizophrenia was diagnosed properly - you should know that there are cases of recovery but it's about 15%. so it's not much, but a dual treatment can improve her state. is she taking any medication?

Q. Everyone on my mother's side has mental illness and addictions. How do you convince someone they need help? It seems to be an inherited bi-polar disorder. An uncle shot his wife. A brother shot his wife and killed himself. My son has been diagnosed as bi-polar. How do I convince or get help for other family members who are in denial?

A. Thank you so much for your answer; unfortunately the link didn't work. I'll try to get there though. I've been researching and I think it's going to be bi-polar spectrum disorder. Are there any forums exclusively for that?

Q. How do you know the difference if the child has ADHD or have other mental disorders? The child has been of ADHD medication for four years give or take a few months. The problems are getting gradually worse. She has no patience with anything, can’t sit still. She is ten years old but she acts like she is 6.

A. Sometimes, seasonal allergies can intensify behavior. I have a child with adhd who changes dramatically around fall and spring and it takes a couple of months for her to return to a lower level of adhd-ness. I recently took her to an allergist and found out she's allergic to weeds (fall) and a number of trees (spring).

More discussions about mental illness

This content is provided by iMedix and is subject to iMedix Terms. The Questions and Answers are not endorsed or recommended and are made available by patients, not doctors.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Many people with severe mental illness have perhaps lost all their friends or even their families; they have no support systems.

Spiritual support: Parishioners don't have to be psychiatrists to accompany people with mental illness

In people who are already vulnerable due to mental illness, the risks of such use are greatly magnified.

New Hampshire should not commercialize marijuana: The link between cannabis and mental health problems is clear

A majority of the subjects (54%) had less than 10 years of experience and were interested to learn about mental illness (66.6%) (Table 1).

Knowledge and perceptions of Indian primary care nurses towards mental illness/Conocimiento y percepciones de las enfermeras hindues de atencion primaria sobre la enfermedad mental/Conhecimento e percepcoes das enfermeiras hindus de atencao primaria sobre a doenca mental

Almost 92 percent of those surveyed believe there is stigma in our society against those with mental illnesses. Of the 92 percent, 81 percent blame that on a lack of understanding of mental disease, and roughly half of those blame the stigma of how mental illnesses are portrayed in popular culture.

JJ arts program to fight mental illness stigma

Among more than 15,000 patients with severe mental illness, 28.1 percent had Type 2 diabetes, the researchers reported in the study.

Diabetes not good for people with severe mental illness

Linda Naomi Baron-Katz, raised as a modern orthodox Jew, where mental illness became a factor throughout her life.

Author Linda Naomi Katz Promotes Her Award Winning Memoir, "Surviving Mental Illness: My Story"

In the area, just 25% of people with a mental illness are employed, compared to 72% of all residents.

How Brummies with mental illnesses are much less likely to be employed; 39% of people suffering from a mental illness in our city were employed at the end of 2017

The new information about the rising cases of mental illness should push the government and the public into action.

Mental illness calls for more attention

For me, A Beautiful Mind was one of the most realistic and uplifting films that depicted mental illness, based on the life of Nobel winner John Nash and his struggle with schizophrenia.

A world away from movie land

Unlike many other organizations who work solely with persons affected by mental illness, NAMI emphasizes support, education, and resources for supporting not only the person living with a mental illness but their families as well.

Do you know what NAMI is?