Mental Illness

 INTRODUCTION 

Mental illness is maladjustment in living.

It produces a disharmony in the person's ability to meet human needs comfortably or effectively and functions with in a culture.

A mentally ill person loses his ability to respond according to the expectations he has for himself and the demands that society has for him.

In general individual may be considered to be mentally ill if: 

• The person's behaviour is causing distress and suffering to self and /or others.
• The person's behaviour is causing disturbance in his day- to -day activities, job and interpersonal relationships.

DEFINITION

 

Mental and behavioral disorders are understood as clinically significant conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood(Emotions) or behaviour associated with personal distress and/ or impaired functioning. 

                            ----------  (WHO ,2001)

Characteristics of Mental Illness 

• Change in one's thinking, memory, perception, feeling and judgement resulting in changes in talk and behaviour which appear to be devient from previous personality or from the norms of community.

• These changes in behaviour cause distress and sufferings to the individual or others or both.

• Change and the consequent distress cause disturbance in day- to -day activities, work and relationship with important others  (social and vocational dysfunction)