Mental health refers to a person’s state of mental wellness or an abnormal absence of mental disorder. It is a state of an individual who is “performing at an acceptable level of emotional and/or behavioral adjustment”. It also refers to the mental abilities and/or disposition of an individual. Mental health refers to the capacity and capabilities of an individual to manage his emotions, relationships, performance, and personal life. The most basic definition of mental health in clinical terms would be a person with high or good levels of mental health.
What is mental health? Is it the same as mental sickness? Mental sickness refers to the physical illness of a person that is caused by mental illnesses. Mental illness refers to a disease or disorder that is mentally acquired. A person who has mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and psychotic disorders may suffer from physical diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Mental illnesses do not always have physical causes.
Psychologically, psychological illnesses are usually not physically disabling. Nevertheless, the person may have emotional disturbance as a result of the illness. A person with a psychiatric illness may be irritable, unable to concentrate and focused on a specific task, have poor memory and concentration, have poor judgment, and may experience hallucinations, delusions, depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, irritability and restlessness. A person with a psychological disorder will experience difficulty in functioning at work and at home.
Mental illness is a condition or disease that affects an individual’s ability to think rationally and act in a timely manner. A person diagnosed with a mental disorder may have no symptoms; however, the person is likely to experience some of the following symptoms. These symptoms can include fatigue, changes in behavior, changes in mood, increased or decreased appetite, changes in sleeping, muscle pain, trouble concentrating and memory loss, and trouble making decisions.
Psychologically, mental illnesses are usually categorized into different categories. There are five types of mental illnesses: neurosis, paranoid personality disorder, manic depressive illness, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorders. Each of these categories may present different signs, symptoms and manifestations. Neurosis is classified into two types: schizophrenia and manic depressive episode. Schizophrenia is diagnosed if the patient shows hallucinations, delusions, hearing voices and other unusual behavior that causes him or her to feel like he or she is going crazy. Schizophrenicophrenia is a psychiatric disorder in which patients see flashing lights, hear voices and have trouble speaking and understanding things.
Bipolar disorder is classified into three types: bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder and bipolar disorder I and disorder II. These two types of bipolar disorder have symptoms of mania and hypomania, and the third is bipolar disorder I where the patient is normal. Bipolar I and II disorder I and disorder II are considered to be the most severe form of this disorder. In bipolar I and II, the patients are likely to experience rapid cycling between mania and depression.