Related topics: mental health



Mental disorder

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A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and across cultures. Definitions, assessments, and classifications of mental disorders can vary, but guideline criteria listed in the ICD, DSM and other manuals are widely accepted by mental health professionals. Categories of diagnoses in these schemes may include dissociative disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders, ambulatory disorders and many other categories. In many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause of mental disorders, although they are often explained in terms of a diathesis-stress model and biopsychosocial model. Mental disorders have been found to be common, with over a third of people in most countries reporting sufficient criteria at some point in their life. Services for mental disorders may be based in hospitals or in the community. Mental health professionals diagnose individuals using different methodologies, often relying on case history and interview. Psychotherapy and psychiatric medication are two major treatment options, as well as supportive interventions and self-help. Treatment may be involuntary where legislation allows. Several movements campaign for changes to services and attitudes.

For more information about Mental disorder, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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News tagged with mental illness

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Amount of gene surplus determines severity of mental retardation in males

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 10, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers have discovered a new explanation for differences in the severity of mental illness in males. The more excess copies of a certain gene, the more serious the handicap. The genetic defect is situated on the X-chromosome; ...


Major impacts of climate change expected on mental health

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (5) | comments 12

Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be given much attention at the UN climate change ...


Research backs theory on autism, schizophrenia

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (11) | comments 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by Simon Fraser University evolutionary biologist Bernard Crespi reinforces his theory that autism and schizophrenia are diametric or opposite conditions based on genes.


Heart Disease a 'Silent Killer' in Patients With Severe Mental Illness

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Nov 16, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A large new study confirms that people with severe mental disorders -- such as schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders -- are 25 percent to 40 percent more prone to die from heart disease than people without mental illness ...


New immigrants more likely to be homeless due to economic factors rather than health issues

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 19, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New immigrants are more likely to cite economic and housing factors as barriers that keep them homeless compared with native-born individuals, according to a new study on the health of homeless immigrants led by St. Michael's ...


Strong link between obesity and depression

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 07, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Doctors should pay more attention to the link between common mental illness and obesity in patients because the two health problems are closely linked, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide.


USC neuroscientists awarded $9 million to map gene expression during human brain development

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Oct 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Two University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientists have been awarded nearly $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to map how genes are expressed in different regions of the human brain throughout ...


Schizophrenia gene linked with abnormal neurogenesis in adult and postnatal brain

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Sep 23, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Scientists now have a better understanding of a perplexing gene that is associated with susceptibility for a wide spectrum of severely debilitating mental illnesses. Two independent research studies published by Cell Press ...


Common mental disorders may be more common than we think

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Sep 10, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (4) | comments 3

The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe.


Homicide by mentally ill has risen in England and Wales

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jul 28, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The number of people killed by individuals suffering from mental illness in England and Wales increased between 1997 and 2005, figures released today show. The rise occurred in people who were not under mental health care ...


Research Finds Bodybuilders With Similar Body Image Concerns, Whether or Not They Use Steroids

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Jun 29, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (2) | comments 1

When it comes to characteristics associated with muscle dysmorphia, there is no difference between bodybuilders who use steroids and those who do not, a University of Arkansas researcher found.


Boys with intermittent eye deviation appear more likely to develop mental illness

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jun 08, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Children and especially boys diagnosed with intermittent exotropia, a condition in which the eye turns outward (away from the nose) only some of the time, appear more likely to develop mental illness by young adulthood than ...


Canadian men reluctant to consult mental health services

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created May 22, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Between 20 and 70 percent of Canadians affected by mental illness shun medical treatment. Such avoidance of services provided by doctors and psychologists is particularly acute among men, according to a recent study published ...


Schizophrenia does not increase risk of violent crime

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created May 20, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 1

In the debate surrounding violent crimes referred to as "acts of madness" or the like, it is often assumed that the violence is a direct result of the perpetrator's mental illness. Previous research suggests that people with ...


Flow of potassium into cells implicated in schizophrenia

Flow of potassium into cells implicated in schizophrenia

Medicine & Health / Research

created May 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 2

A study on schizophrenia has implicated machinery that maintains the flow of potassium in cells and revealed a potential molecular target for new treatments. Expression of a previously unknown form of a key ...