mental illness
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling, behavior, or mood. These conditions are clinically significant disturbances that cause distress or impair a person's ability to function in daily life and typically require professional psychiatric or psychological assessment and intervention.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- Seeking help for a mental illness is a sign of strength.
- The law prohibits discrimination based on mental illness.
- Research into the causes of mental illness is ongoing.
Advanced Usage
- "serious mental illness (SMI)": A clinical term for a subset of mental illnesses that result in significant functional impairment, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
- The program provides support for people living with a serious mental illness.
- "to have a history of mental illness": A phrase used in medical or legal contexts to indicate past diagnoses or treatment.
- The patient has a documented history of mental illness.
Variants and Related Words
- Mental health (n): A state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their community. (This is the positive counterpart to the concept of illness).
- Psychiatric disorder (n): A term often used interchangeably with "mental illness," emphasizing the medical and clinical nature of the condition.
- Mental disorder (n): A broad term synonymous with mental illness, commonly used in diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5.
Synonyms
- Psychiatric illness
- Psychological disorder
- Mental health condition (often preferred for its less stigmatizing connotation)
Related Phrases
- To suffer from mental illness: To experience the symptoms and challenges of a mental illness.
- Millions of people suffer from mental illness each year.
- To treat/manage a mental illness: To undergo therapy, take medication, or use other strategies to alleviate symptoms.
- Mental illness can often be effectively treated with a combination of therapy and medication.
Important Notes
- The term "mental illness" is a broad, non-specific category encompassing many specific diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia).
- It is distinct from everyday stress or sadness, as it involves clinically significant impairment.
- Using person-first language (e.g., "a person with a mental illness" rather than "a mentally ill person") is generally considered more respectful and accurate, as it emphasizes the individual is not defined by their condition.
Noun
- any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention