Mental Illness:

Mental illness as a term about mental disorders is moving into disfavor, like many other paradigm-shifting terms replacing abnormal with difference. Mental illness is apt for  debilitating conditions that won’t improve without professional intervention, medication, and learning coping skills, along with school/workplace accommodations and financial help, as needed. Most forms of serious mental illness (SMI) are chronic, incurable, but symptoms can be controlled. Diagnoses ranges from mild to severe symptoms, and from single diagnosis (ADHD) to comorbid diagnoses (ADHD + bipolar disorder). Most conditions share some degree of dysregulated thinking, underlying mood or anxiety condition, and behavioral component. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly 1/5 adults live with a mental illness. Many factors contribute to mental health conditions, including biological (genes, brain neurochemistry, family history) and life experiences (trauma or abuse).