What Is Mental Illness?...

I am not speaking as a medical professional.  Nor am I a researcher.  I am simply a family member of a mentally ill person.  I am someone who ended up dealing with mental illness for one reason only; which was because it occurred in her family. Would I have made the effort to become educated on the topic if I hadn’t had that experience?  I don’t know.  So, as you read this, understand that my discussion is based on what I have learned.  Much of it was learned as I struggled to come to terms with my family history.  And as I worked with those suffering from mental illness.

Here is my understanding of what mental illness is (and isn’t):

·   It is a disease.  And it is biochemical in nature.  Just like with physical illness. There is evidence of genetic factors, as certain families are prone to mental illness. (Like diabetes, which also tends to run in families.) Some people are truly predisposed.  As stated by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), it is not something that can be overcome by “willpower”.  And it isn’t evidence of poor character or lack of intelligence. This is why scientists and medical professionals have researched and created medication to deal with it.  At the time that my Mother was ill, I didn’t know about those medications. And we probably couldn't have convinced my Mom to go to a doctor anyway. She denied everything!  There have been many improvements in medication over the last 40 to 50 years.  For many seriously mentally ill individuals, medication can make a difference in their ability to function.  As NAMI says, recovery is possible!!

·   Sometimes mental illness is connected to drug and alcohol abuse.  For some mentally ill people, abusing street drugs or alcohol is an attempt to self-medicate.  And sometimes, mental illness is triggered by abuse of chemicals.  In my opinion, that is support for the idea that mental illness is a disease. (If it is easier, look at it as a body part that has become dysfunctional.)  

·   There is a wide-range of severity in mental illness.  It can range from mild to chronic and severe.  I guess the easiest way to determine severity is to look at symptoms.  Someone hallucinating, by seeing or hearing things, can be seen to have a more severe problem.  Even depression can have a range, from milder situational cases all the way to psychotic depression.   Of course, we also know that depression can be fatal.  Many people commit suicide as a result of it.  

   

As I said, being mentally ill doesn’t indicate poor character.  Or that the person is someone unwilling to learn how to cope.  When you bring judgments about morality or character into this discussion, you are doing a disservice to people suffering with a health condition.  Kind of like suggesting that someone suffering with cancer is bad or immoral and that is why they have cancer.  For me, the most difficult thing to get about mental illness was that my Mom couldn’t just magically change it.  I truly believed that she could and was choosing not to.  So, today when I hear people who believe that mental Illness is a choice, I can relate. But what I've learned indicates why it isn’t a moral issue at all.  It has nothing to do with intelligence or will-power.  Being mentally ill doesn't mean you are a bad person. You are simply sick.  You have a disease.

Now, let’s discuss the numbers.  How many mentally ill people are there?  According to NAMI, mental illness is wide-spread within the population.  But because there is a “continuum of severity”, the worst of the disease concentrates in 6% of the population of this country.  Doesn’t sound like a huge number.  But that is 6% of our country that is challenged by severe mental illness. Meaning their families are also challenged.  And the social service and medical system is challenged.  And there is evidence that many of these people become homeless.  And don’t forget, that we are talking about the most severe when we talk about that 6%.  How many others on that continuum suffer with the consequences of mental illness? According to NAMI, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates one in four adults (approximately 57.7 million Americans) experience a mental health disorder in a given year. How many families and communities are involved?  Kind of boggles the mind, doesn’t it?   And makes it clear that when I was a child and thought I was alone, I really wasn’t. 

For more information on what mental illness is and isn't, visit this website:  http://www.nami.org/