Author
Bowtie Team
Updated on
2025-08-05
Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.
Mental illness encompasses a range of conditions affecting emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Having mental health concerns doesn’t always mean you have a mental disorder—in fact, many people face them at some point. But when symptoms disrupt daily life, it could signal a mental illness. Join the Bowtie team as we explore its causes, types, symptoms, treatments, and prevention tips to help you stay informed and empowered.
This article was assisted by artificial intelligence (AI Writer), reviewed and verified by Bowtie medical editors, and the content has also been reviewed by a registered psychiatrist.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness, also known as mental health disorders, refers to a range of mental health issues that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. Having mental health problems doesn’t necessarily mean you have a mental illness, and in fact, many of us experience mental health challenges at times. But when symptoms persist over time, causing frequent stress and impacting daily life, these issues can develop into a mental illness.
Besides the more commonly heard depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors are all types of mental illnesses. Mental illness can cause distress for patients, create problems in daily life, and be hard for others to understand. However, in most cases, symptoms can be managed through medication and non-medication treatments, helping patients regain their pre-illness lifestyle.
Types of Mental Illness
Mental illness is a common condition that includes various types, each with its unique symptoms.
1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
People with OCD often unconsciously repeat the same actions. For example, repeatedly checking if the door is locked or confirming if they’ve washed their hands. These thoughts or behaviors can cause stress and distress, affecting daily life.
2. Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder can cause excessive worry and fear about everyday matters. This may make patients feel extremely uneasy, even unable to control their emotions.
3. Depression
Depression is a relatively common mental illness, characterized mainly by persistent feelings of sadness and melancholy. Patients may lose interest and motivation in things they once enjoyed, and could experience sleep issues, changes in appetite, and in severe cases, even suicidal thoughts.
4. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood fluctuation disorder where patients may exhibit excessive confidence, risky behaviors, and other symptoms. Due to high emotional instability, patients can quickly shift from extreme excitement to deep unhappiness. These sudden changes make it difficult for those with bipolar disorder to handle everyday matters, big or small.
5. Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations, delusions, auditory hallucinations, and other symptoms. In daily life, they face issues in thinking, emotions, behavior, and perception. Additionally, patients might have problems with concentration, disorganized thinking, and language barriers, which greatly negatively impact social interactions and everyday activities.
What Causes Mental Illness?
Most mental illnesses aren’t caused by a single factor. In fact, it’s often a combination of various risk factors that leads to mental health issues. Here are some examples:
1. Family Genetics
Mental illnesses often run in families.
2. Environment
Living in high-stress environments like poverty or domestic violence can increase the risk of mental illness. These factors put significant strain on the brain, potentially leading to mental health problems.
3. Personal Experiences or Childhood Trauma
Beyond directly impacting personal growth, past experiences can create fixed mindsets about certain events. Even after leaving a stressful situation, these ingrained views can affect daily life moving forward.
4. Long-Term Negative Thinking
People who constantly self-doubt or always expect the worst are more prone to depression or anxiety.
5. Drugs and Alcohol
Abusing drugs and alcohol harms both physical and mental health, making recovery from mental issues even tougher.
6. Brain Chemistry
Mental illnesses often involve imbalances in the brain’s and body’s natural chemicals.
Mental illnesses can develop gradually or be triggered by a stressful event. Generally, the more risk factors you have, the higher your chances of facing mental health challenges.
Mental Health Test: WHO-5 Index
The World Health Organization’s Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) is a simple self-assessment tool for mental health. It consists of five questions, each scored from 0 (not at all) to 5 (all the time). Multiply your total score by 4 to get a percentage out of 100, evaluating your mental well-being over the past two weeks. A score below 50 may indicate a risk of mental illness, especially depression.
Signs of Mental Illness
Of course, we can’t just rely on a simple test result to confirm if we have a mental illness. Besides considering personal background and self-assessments, we can also gauge whether we or our family and friends might have a mental illness through the following signs and symptoms:
- Unusual sleep and eating habits
- Persistent fatigue
- Extreme mood swings
- Ongoing feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- Confused thinking or inability to concentrate
- Excessive alcohol use or drug abuse
- Reduced interest in activities and meeting friends
- Difficulty distinguishing reality, with delusions or hallucinations
- Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
- Struggles with handling situations and relationships
- Changes in sex drive
- Anger, hostility, or violent tendencies
- Suicidal thoughts
- Physical symptoms (unexplained stomach pain , back pain or headaches)
Signs and symptoms of mental disorders can vary based on individual circumstances, and experiencing these doesn’t always mean you have a mental illness. But if they persistently disrupt daily life—especially with violent tendencies or suicidal thoughts—it’s crucial to seek advice and help from professionals.
Mental Illness Diagnosis Methods
To accurately diagnose mental illness, doctors need to conduct both physical and psychological assessments simultaneously. Physical assessments typically include comprehensive physical examinations, lab tests, and imaging scans to rule out other conditions that might cause similar symptoms. Psychological assessments involve talking with the patient and observing their behavior and emotions, helping to determine if the patient has a specific mental disorder.
Throughout the diagnostic process, doctors rely on the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria, which lists characteristics and diagnostic standards for various mental disorders, to make a diagnosis . Additionally, doctors consider the patient’s family history, personal history, social experiences, and other factors.
Mental Health Treatment Options
Medication Therapy
Medication therapy is one of the common methods for treating most mental illnesses. This approach uses specific medications appropriately to help improve or control the patient’s symptoms. For example, antidepressants can be used to treat depression; antipsychotics can be used for schizophrenia and similar conditions.
Medication therapy requires strict adherence to prescriptions and dosages, often involving long-term use to minimize side effects and maximize effectiveness. Moreover, it must be supervised and managed by trained medical professionals.
Non-Medication Therapy
Non-medication therapy is another common approach in psychiatry. This method typically includes psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, and similar techniques. Compared to medication, non-medication therapy focuses on addressing the patient’s psychological issues, often using various skills and strategies such as providing support, education, problem-solving, and encouraging positive thinking and actions.
Non-medication therapy may require more time, higher costs, and greater effort to achieve better results. Additionally, besides a professional medical team, a suitable environment plays a crucial role in the entire treatment process.
Coping Strategies for Mental Illness Patients and Families
Mental illness is a condition that requires long-term treatment, which not only creates stress and difficulties for the patients themselves but also places a significant burden on their families. Therefore, learning how to cope and handle such situations is extremely important for both mental illness patients and their families.
Personal Care and Precautions
- Take medication regularly: If you’re a family member, ensure the patient takes their medication on time and try to avoid missing doses.
- Ensure adequate rest and sleep: To help the body recover.
- Create a comfortable environment: A quiet setting can help the patient focus on their rehabilitation.
- Try relaxing activities: Practices like yoga or meditation can help foster and maintain a positive mindset and good mental state.
Seeking External Support
- Seek help from professionals: Psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers can provide the most accurate information to learn proper ways to cope and adapt to new life challenges.
- Join mental health support groups: Exchanging and sharing experiences with other patients or family members can offer practical advice and emotional support for the patient and their family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between Mental Illness and Mood Disorders?
Mental illness is a general term for all pathological conditions related to emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Mood disorders are a type of mental illness. Examples include depression and bipolar disorder.
Is Mental Illness Related to MBTI? Are INFJ and INTP Really More Prone to Mental Illness?
MBTI may help in understanding a person’s behavior and personality, but this claim is just a popular viewpoint lacking scientific basis. Currently, there is no scientific research proving a correlation between MBTI types and mental illnesses.
Must I Apply for the Registration Card for People with Disabilities (White Card) After a Mental Illness Diagnosis?
After being diagnosed with a mental illness, it is not necessarily required to apply for the Registration Card for People with Disabilities. This decision depends on the patient’s condition and needs, as well as relevant legal regulations.
Sources
- 1 Hong Kong SAR Government Mental Health Review Report
- 2 Mayo Clinic – Mental illness
- 3 National Institute of Mental Health
- 4 American Psychological Association
- 5 American Psychiatric Association – Warning Signs of Mental Illness
- 6 National Alliance on Mental Illness – Warning Signs and Symptoms
- 7 Cleveland Clinic – DSM-5
- 8 Mental Health America – Mental Health Treatments
- 9 National Library of Medicine – Care Giving of People with Severe Mental Illness: An Indian Experience
- 10 醫院管理局 – 解開精神病之謎
- 11 Labour and Welfare Bureau – Guidance Notes on Application for the “Registration Card for People wtih Disabilities”
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