Mental Illness - Types, Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors & More

What is mental illness?

Mental illness refers to a number of mental health conditions – disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. Examples of mental illness are depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and eating disorders

Many people have mental health problems from time to time but it becomes a mental illness when the symptoms often cause stress and affect your ability to function

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

• Types of Mental Illness
• Mental Illness Symptoms
• Mental Illness Causes
• Prevention of Mental Illness
• Diagnosis of Mental Illness
• Mental Illness Treatment
• Mental Illness Complications
• What is the hardest mental illness to live with

What are the 5 categories of mental illnessTypes of Mental Illness in
What are mental illnesses?

There are many types of mental illness. Following are some of its types 

• bipolar disorder
• Alzheimer's disease
• Dementia
• parkinson's disease
• autism
• dyslexia
• adhd
• Depression
• Tension
• Worry
• Addictive disorders (Read more - Alcohol addiction and drug addiction)
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
• PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• loss of memory
• poor memory
• Alzheimer's
• fear (phobia)
• Delusion
• Hallucination
• schizophrenia

What are the symptoms of mental illness?

Symptoms of mental illness can vary depending on its type, circumstances, and other factors. Symptoms of mental illness can affect feelings, thoughts, and behavior. It has the following symptoms -

• feel depressed.
• Feeling anxious or losing the ability to concentrate.
• Feeling extreme fears or worries or feelings of guilt.
• Extreme changes in mood.
• Withdrawal from friends and other activities.
• Fatigue, low energy, or problems sleeping.
• Dissociation from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations.
• Inability to deal with daily problems or stress.
• Trouble understanding problems and people and about people.
• consumption of alcohol or drugs.
• Major changes in eating habits.
• Libido changes.
• Extreme anger or violent behavior. (Read more - Ways to reduce anger)
• Suicidal thinking
• Sometimes the symptoms of a mental health disorder appear in the form of physical problems such as abdominal pain, back pain, headache or other unexplained pain.

Causes of mental illness 

Why do mental illnesses happen?

Mental diseases, in general, are thought to be caused by various genetic and environmental factors. These factors are as follows -

heredity
Mental illness is more common in people whose relatives also have a mental illness. Certain genetic factors can increase your risk of developing a mental illness, and your life situation can trigger it.

exposure to certain environmental factors before birth
Environmental stress in the womb, stimulating conditions, exposure to toxins, alcohol or drugs can sometimes lead to mental illness.

brain function
Neurotransmitters naturally carry brain chemicals between your brain and other parts of the body. When the nervous system associated with these chemicals does not function properly, changes occur in the nerve receptors and nervous system, which leads to depression.
What are the risk factors for mental illness?

Certain factors can increase your risk of developing mental health problems, including:

Mental illness of a parent or sibling or any other blood relative.
Experiencing a stressful life situation, such as financial problems, a death, or a divorce.

• Any chronic medical problem such as diabetes.
• Brain damage resulting from severe injury (traumatic brain injury).
• Traumatic experiences, such as war or assault.
• Use of alcohol or drugs.
• Experiencing abuse in childhood.
• Having only a few friends or healthy relationships.
• Any previous mental illness.
• Mental illness is very common. 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness at some point. Mental illness can start at any age but most often it starts in the early years of life.

The effects of mental illness can be temporary or permanent. You can also have more than one mental illness at the same time. For example, you can have depression and an addiction disorder at the same time.

Prevention of mental illness
How is mental illness prevented?

There is no sure way to prevent mental illness. However, if you have a mental illness, managing stress and boosting self-esteem can help. For this keep the following things in mind -

Pay attention to the warning signs - talk to your doctor about what conditions may trigger your symptoms. Make a plan so you know what to do if you experience symptoms. Contact your doctor if you notice any changes. Also inform family members or friends to watch for warning signs.

Get regular medical attention - Don't put off seeing a health practitioner, especially if you're not feeling well. You may have a new health problem that needs treatment or you may be experiencing side effects of medication.

Get help – mental health conditions can be harder to treat if you wait until symptoms get worse. Long-term treatment may help prevent symptoms.

Take care of yourself – getting enough sleep, a nutritious diet and regular exercise are important. Try to maintain a routine. Talk to your doctor if you're having trouble or if you have any questions about diet and exercise.

Mental illness diagnosis
How is mental illness diagnosed?

To diagnose mental illness and check for associated complications, the following tests may be done -

Physical examination

During a physical exam, your doctor will try to rule out physical problems that may be causing your symptoms.

Lab test

Lab tests may include checking your thyroid or screening for alcohol and drugs.

Psychological assessment

A psychological evaluation involves your doctor asking you about your symptoms, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. You may also be asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Treatment of mental illness
What is the treatment of mental illness?

The treatment of mental illness are as follows -

1. Need for hospitalization
Treatment of mental illness upon hospitalization usually consists of stabilization, monitoring, medication, fluid and nutritional care, and other necessary emergency care.
A person needs to be admitted to the hospital when 
They have severe mental health symptoms.
Have hallucinations or delusions.
Suicidal ideation.
Haven't slept or eaten for a long time.
Lack of ability to care for oneself due to mental health symptoms.

2. Psychotherapy
There are many different types of psychotherapy available for mental illness, such as -

Individual therapy - Individual therapy is a form of psychotherapy where individuals work with their therapist to explore feelings, traumas, and other mental health problems using a variety of different strategies and methods.
Group therapy - Group therapy is usually led by a therapist and involves several people.
Family therapy - In family therapy, family members meet with a therapist to work out issues.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common type of psychotherapy. It can be used at individual, group or family level. In this therapy, therapists try to replace the patient's abnormal thoughts and behaviors with positive ones.
Dialectical behavior therapy - This therapy emphasizes accepting and validating unhealthy thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and tries to strike a balance between acceptance and change.
Interpersonal therapy - Interpersonal therapy involves solving problems in people's relationships and teaching new interpersonal and communication skills to improve the quality of the relationship.

3. Medicines
Medications can be used to treat the symptoms of mental illness. Medications are often used in conjunction with psychotherapy.


Following are the medicines used for mental illness 

• Antidepressant drugs.
• Anti-anxiety drugs.
• Mood Stabilizers.
• Antipsychotic drugs.
• 4. Alternative Treatment
• Following are some alternative treatments for mental illness –
• sum
• Attention
• nutritious food
• Exercise

Disadvantages of mental illness

What complications can arise from mental illness?

Mental illness is a major cause of disability. Untreated mental illness can lead to serious emotional, behavioral and physical health problems. Mental illness can also lead to legal and financial problems. It has the following complications 

• Suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Weakened immune system, so it takes longer for your body to fight off infection.
• Family problems.
• Relationship problems.
• social isolation.
• Problems related to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
• poverty and homelessness.
• Suicide or harming others.
• Increased risk of accidents.
• Heart disease and other medical problems.

In which mental illness life becomes the most difficult?

In a 2010 follow-up study, researchers examined a similar sample of nearly 8,000 Finns. This test was done using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-1). This investigation has to be ascertained whether any of them had schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder. The HRQoL 15D was used to evaluate quality of life in those diagnosed with one of these disorders. Of the three disorders, those with schizoaffective disorder were found to have the worst quality of life, followed by those with schizophrenia and then those with bipolar disorder.

What are the five categories of mental illness? ,
About 300 mental illnesses have been described in the book Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses. A lot of information has been given in this book about the identification and diagnosis of mental illness,

Some mental illnesses are like this

• mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder)
• anxiety disorder
• personality disorders
• psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia)
• eating disorders
• trauma related disorders (such as PTSD)
• Substance abuse disorders
• There is no consensus in the medical community about what is mental illness and what is not. The definition of mental illness can be different for any society and culture. But since most mental illnesses occur in all countries and cultures. This shows that they have biological as well as psychological basis.

Mental illness medicine

There are many medicines available for mental illness. All these medicines are given below. But keep in mind that please do not take any medicine without consulting the doctor. Taking medicines without doctor's advice can cause serious damage to your health.

• OTC Medicine Name Pack Size Price (Rs.)
• Herbal Hills Calmhills Capsule (30) 30 Capsules in a Bottle 325.0
• Baksons Go Tox Drop 30 ml Drop in a Bottle 118.0
• Dr. Reckeweg Opium Dilution 10M in a bottle 11 ml dilution 193.5
• Schwabe Adlumia fungosa Dilution 6 CH 30 ml Dilution in a Bottle 72.25
• Schwabe Avena sativa Dilution 200 CH 30 ml Dilution in a Bottle 89.25
• Schwabe Melissa Dilution 6 CH 30 ml Dilution in a Bottle 72.25
• Schwabe Stramonium Dilution 6 CH in a Bottle 30 ml Dilution 76.5
• Schwabe Galphimia glauca Dilution 12 CH in a Bottle 30 ml Dilution 102.0
• Schwabe Eupatorium aromaticum Dilution 30 CH 30 ml Dilution in a Bottle 72.25
• Schwabe Opium Dilution 30 CH in a bottle 30 ml Dilution 76.5