Get Help

Mental Illness

Signs & Symptoms

Withdrawal from society, isolation.
Confused or delusional thinking.
Hallucinations.
Strange or grandiose ideas.
Prolonged or severe depression.
Excessive anxiety.
Mood swings.
Suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Irritation, anger, hostility.
Changes in appetite.
Sleep disturbance.
Difficulty coping with daily activities.
Increased use of alcohol/drugs.

If your loved one exhibits any combination of these symptoms over a prolonged period of time, it is advisable to see a medical or psychiatric professional for
an evaluation.

If your loved one becomes violent, or is unable to care for him or herself,
he or she may need involuntary care.

If you have questions or need more information,
contact us at mail@namisfv.org or call 818-994-6747.

What is Mental Illness?

Mental illness is a term used for a group of brain disorders causing severe disturbances in thinking, feeling, and relating. They result in substantially diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age — children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly — and they can occur in any family. Several million people in this country suffer from a serious, long-term mental illness brain disorder. The cost to society is high due to lost productivity and treatment expense. Patients with mental illness occupy more hospital beds than do persons with any other illness.

Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation. The mentally retarded have a diminished intellectual capacity usually present since birth. Those with mental illnesses are usually of normal intelligence although they may have difficulty performing at a normal level due to their illness.

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 families in America.

Mental illnesses usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. Mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability for persons between the ages of 15-44.

The Major Mental Illnesses

The most prevalent mental illnesses are schizophrenia and a group of illnesses called "mood disorders", primarily, clinical depression and bipolar disorder.

Schizophrenia
Clinical Depression
Bipolar Disorder (formerly known as Manic-Depression)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Panic Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Schizo-Affective Disorder

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and disabling of the mental illness brain disorders. It affects approximately one person in a hundred. The disease affects men and women about equally. Its onset is usually in the late teens or early twenties.

Positive Symptoms, or "psychotic" symptoms, include delusions and hallucinations because the patient has lost touch with reality in certain important ways. "Positive" refers to having symptoms that should not be there.
Negative Symptoms include emotional flatness or lack of expression, an inability to start and follow through with activities, speech that is brief and devoid of content, and a lack of pleasure or interest in life. "Negative" does not refer to a person's attitude but to a lack of certain characteristics that should be there.
Cognitive Symptoms pertain to thinking processes. For example, people may have difficulty with prioritizing tasks, certain kinds of memory functions, and organizing their thoughts.

People with schizophrenia usually have several of the following symptoms:

disconnected and confusing language
poor reasoning, memory and judgment
high levels of anxiety
eating and sleeping disorders
hallucinations - hearing and seeing things that exist only in the mind of the patient
delusions - persistent false beliefs about something, for example that others are controlling their thoughts
deterioration of appearance and personal hygiene
loss of motivation and poor concentration
tendency to withdraw from others

Unfortunately there are many myths about schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia do not have a "split personality" and are not prone to criminal violence. Their illness is not caused by bad parenting and is not evidence of weakness of character. Their illness is due to a biochemical disturbance of the brain, like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s or epilepsy. People with schizophrenia are sometimes feared as dangerous or violent but most people with schizophrenia or other mental illnesses are less violent and more gentle than average people — especially when they are receiving treatment. A common problem associated with schizophrenia is the lack of insight into the condition itself. This is not a willful denial but rather a part of the mental illness itself. Such a lack of understanding, of course, poses many challenges for loved ones seeking better care for the person with schizophrenia.

Mood Disorders
(primarily Clinical Depression, Bipolar Disorder)

Mood (or affective) disorders are the most common of mental illness brain disorders. They are generally less persistently disabling than schizophrenia — if the person finds and accepts treatment. The primary disturbance in these disorders is that of mood or affect. The two major mood disorders are manic-depressive illness (bipolar) in which the person swings between extreme high and low moods, and clinical depression (unipolar) in which the person suffers from persistent severe depression. About six per cent of the population suffers from an affective disorder — a major cause of suicide.

Persons diagnosed as having bipolar illness, who are in the manic phase, usually have several of the following characteristics:

boundless energy, enthusiasm, and need for activity
decreased need for sleep
grandiose ideas and poor judgment
rapid, loud, disorganized speech
short temper and argumentativeness
impulsive and erratic behavior
possible delusional thinking
rapid switch to severe depression

People who have severe depression (or the depressive phase of bipolar disorder) may have several of the following characteristics:

difficulty sleeping
loss of interest in daily activities
loss of appetite
feelings of worthlessness, guilt and hopelessness
feelings of despondence or sadness
inability to concentrate
possible psychotic symptoms
suicidal thoughts and even actions

While the exact cause of bipolar disorder or depression is not known, most scientists believe that it is likely caused by multiple factors that interact with each other to produce a chemical imbalance affecting certain parts of the brain. These illnesses often runs in families, and studies suggest a genetic component. A stressful environment or negative life events may interact with an underlying genetic or biological vulnerability.

While there is no cure for bipolar disorder or depression, it is a treatable and manageable illness. After an accurate diagnosis, most people can achieve an optimal level of wellness. Medication is an essential element of successful treatment. In addition, psychosocial therapies including cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, and psychoeducation are important to help people understand the illness and to internalize skills to cope with the illness. Changes in medications or doses may be necessary, as well as changes in treatment plans during different stages of the illness.

Women and Depression: "The Baby Blues"
Post-Partum Depression / Post-Partum Psychosis

The “baby blues” usually fade on their own, but a new mother can help herself by getting as much rest as she can, accepting help from family and friends and connecting with other new mothers. Post-partum depression
is often successfully treated with medication and counseling. With the appropriate treatments usually postpartum depression goes away within a few months, but can last up to a year. Women should consult with their
health care provider before taking any medications while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Treatment for those who experience post-partum psychosis requires hospitalization—for their safety. A combination of interventions such as antidepressant, antipsychotic and mood stabilizer medications may be needed
to control symptoms. This form of treatment will likely interfere with a mother’s ability to breast feed, she should talk to her health care provider to work through these challenges.
If a woman has a history of depression, she should discuss this with her doctor as soon as she finds out that she is pregnant. This information will help the health care provider monitor the woman closely for signs and symptoms of depression. After the baby is born an early post-partum checkup to screening might be recommended. Click here to print the pdf from NAMI.org.