What is Mental Illness? 

Mental illness refers to a wide range of medical conditions that are most evident in a person’s feelings, thought patterns, and behaviors rather than in physical injury or ailment. Everyone has dark, anxious, or confused moods on occasion; a person is said to be mentally ill only when his or her behavioral problems are prolonged or severe enough to create issues in daily living, with personal relationships, or result in harm to one’s self or others. 

Symptoms of mental illness can include feelings of intense sadness, confusion and poor concentration, excessive worry or guilt, mood swings, pronounced antisocial tendencies, lethargy or lack of energy, difficulty dealing with stress, and changes in eating habits or sex drive. In more severe cases, symptoms may include alcohol or drug abuse, paranoia, hallucinations, explosive temper or fits of violence, feelings of alienation, and suicidal thoughts.

In recent years, scientists have been able to show that mental illness is caused, at least in part, by various biological and environmental factors, including certain inherited traits, pre-birth exposures, and aspects of brain chemistry. Factors that risk triggering mental illness are stressful life situations, chronic medical conditions, brain damage, traumatic experiences, drug and alcohol use, antisocial lifestyles, and physical or emotional abuse. 

All Baptist Health facilities utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to identify and diagnose behavioral illnesses and conditions. The DSM is the world’s leading source of diagnostic information for mental illnesses. Its use is critical to successful treatment of behavioral conditions because effective treatment begins with proper diagnosis.