Mental Illness

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual components.

The recognition and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures, and there are still variations in the definition, assessment, and classification of mental disorders, although standard guideline criteria are widely accepted. A few mental disorders are diagnosed based on the harm to others, regardless of the subject’s perception of distress. Over a third of people in most countries report meeting criteria for the major categories at some point in their lives.

The causes are often explained in terms of a diathesis-stress model or bio psycho social model. In biological psychiatry, mental disorders are conceptualized as disorders of brain circuits likely caused by developmental processes shaped by a complex interplay of genetics and experience.

1 Comment

  1. Stacy on March 21, 2012 at 5:18 pm

    HI, I AM WONDERING IF YOU DEAL WITH THE ADULTS REGARDING THE MENTALLY ILL AND THE CRIMINAL LAW BECAUSE I FEEL THAT MY MENTAL HEALTH RIGHTS HAVE DISRSECTFUL! I MEAN I WAS GOING TO THIS PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT FOR MY OCD AND ETC. SO THIS PERSON THERE HAS THE NERVE TO GET ME ARRESTED AND ETC. I MEAN IF IT;S A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GET HELP WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS! OBIVOUSLY IT’S NOT A GOOD PROGRAM! THEN THIS PERSON GOT ME DISCHARGED FROM TWO PRIVATE PRACTICES BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANT TO RUN INTO ME! I ALSO INTEND TO SUI THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT1 CAN YOU HELP ME WITH ANY OF THIS?