Mental illness is the disturbance of mind with distortions of thought and mood which manifests as strange and odd behavior.

It is very common and can affect anybody at any point of the life. 10-15% of population is known to be affected by mental illness.

There are two types of major mental illness.
· Thought disorder (Schizophrenia)
· Mood disorder (Bipolar affective disorder)

There are several ways to identify mental illness. The main symptoms are:

· Disturbance in sleep : reversal of day/night sleep
· Wanting to be alone, undue fear and suspicion
· Inability to concentrate, staring, vagueness
· Avoiding work/class
· Talking and laughing to self/ hearing voices
· Deterioration in personal hygiene, eccentric dress
· Being extremely happy/sad than usual
· Highly energetic and active than usual

· Increased speech output
· Unusual weight loss/ decreased appetite
· Suicidal tendencies
· Wandering behavior
· Frequent anger outbursts
· Drug or alcohol abuse, repetitive actions
· Bizarre behavior
· Undue pre occupation with spiritual or religious matters
· Illogical or abstract conversation

The factors which cause mental illness are:

Neurochemical imbalance in the brain

Genetic/Heredity

Early brain damage

Drug abuse and Stress can precipitate or worsen the symptoms.

Many services are offering to propel with mental illness.

Medical care
Good and inexpensive medicines are available for mental illness. It can be in the form of tablets, liquids or injections. Medication should continue as long as prescribed.

Psychological Help
Mentally ill people can be helped by various psychological interventions.
Social work interventions
Mentally ill and their families are helped by individual, family and social interventions to lead a better life.

Family support groups
Patients and their families are tremendously helped by the family support group for healthy coping methods.

Rehabilitation
Occupational/vocational rehabilitation can aid the person to be productive despite having the illness.
Day care centers/half way homes/ long term institutional care are also available in the community for the better care of the more severely mentally ill.

Role of the family to help the person with a mental illness

· Early diagnosis and treatment and regular follow-ups with your doctor and therapist.

· Supervising the medication at regular intervals

· Providing a calm and peaceful atmosphere by avoiding emotional scenes and stressful.situations.

· Exhibit your love in a calm and reassuring way.

· Show respect and firmness.

· Avoid unnecessary criticism.

· Use positive approach.

· Relieving tensions by healthy coping methods by seeking adequate support and professional counseling.

Myths and facts about mental illness

Commonly people think that mental illness is very rare, not treatable, happens to bad people and caused by evil spirits.

But mental illness affects 10-15% of general population. It can be effectively treated with a combination of medication and counseling. Mental illness can affect anybody and is like any other medical illness caused due to disturbance in the mind.

Many people think that marriage is a cure for mental illness and mentally ill people are not able to lead a productive life.

The facts are, marriage doesn’t cure mental illness and majority of mentally ill people can be effectively treated and are capable of being productive in life.