​​​​​What is Mental Illness?

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Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.

Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function.

A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy).

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Types of Mental Illness Addressed by MHSS:

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• Clinical depression

  A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.

• Anxiety disorder

  A mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities

• Bipolar disorder

  A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.

• Bipolar II disorder
  A less severe type of bipolar disorder characterized by depressive and hypomanic episodes.

• Schizophrenia

  A disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly.

• Schizoaffective disorder

• is characterized by persistent symptoms of psychosis resembling schizophrenia with additional periodic symptoms of mood (or affective) disorders.



Signs and symptoms of mental illness:

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can vary, depending on the disorder, circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviors.

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Examples of signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling sad or down

• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate

• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt

• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows

• Withdrawal from friends and activities

• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping

• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations

• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress

• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people

• Alcohol or drug abuse

• Major changes in eating habits

• Sex drive changes

• Excessive anger, hostility or violence

• Suicidal thinking



How to cope with mental Illness:

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Accept your feelings

You may find yourself denying the warning signs, worrying what other people will think because of the stigma, or wondering what caused you or your loved one to become ill. Accept that these feelings are normal and common among families going through similar situations. Become knowledgeable about one's illness. 

Establishing a support network

Whenever possible, seek support from friends and family members. If you feel you cannot discuss your situation with friends or other family members, find a self-help or support group. 

Seeking counseling

A mental health professional can suggest ways to cope and better understand one’s illness.

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It is important to remember that there is hope for recovery and that with treatment many people with mental illness return to a productive and fulfilling life.