Mental Disorder

Mental health is the psychological condition of the mind, how people look at themselves, their lives, and the other people in their lives; evaluate their challenges and problems; and explore choices. This includes handling stress, relating to other people, and making decisions. A mental illness is a psychiatric disorder that results in a disruption in a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others. Mental illness is distinct from the legal concept of insanity.

According to an estimate, about 25% of the world population suffers from mental health problems. Mental health problems are real, painful and can be severe. They can lead to school failure, loss of friends, or family conflict.

Types of mental health problems

Psychiatrists sub-divide the different kinds of mental health disorders in several different ways.

• Organic (identifiable brain malfunction) versus Functional (not due to simple structural abnormalities of the brain).
• Neurosis (severe forms of normal experiences) versus Psychosis (severe distortion of a person’s perception of reality).
• ICD-10 Classification, which lists major groups of disorders in related families e.g. mood disorders, which includes depression and manic depression