Mental illnesses affect one’s mood, thinking and behavior. There are similarities as well as differences between physical and mental illnesses. In a physical illness, the manifestations are easily seen and measured. In mental illnesses, they are not as easily observed and measured. However, one major similarity is that both these types of illnesses affect an individual’s capacity to function normally. Both these types of illnesses need to be treated by qualified doctors/professionals.

Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia are a few examples of mental illnesses. There are many more.

Psychiatry is a medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. In order to be a psychiatrist, one needs a basic degree in medicine (MBBS). A psychologist studies human development, behavior and mental illnesses and can provide other forms of intervention to a person suffering from mental illnesses such as therapy. A psychiatrist is qualified to prescribe medications to persons with mental illnesses, but a psychologist is not. To make it more clear, a psychologist is to psychiatry what a physiotherapist is to orthopedics.

You can go to either a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Usually, if the behavior of the affected person is not manageable at home, it is better to go to a psychiatrist first. A psychiatrist will help stabilize the affected person’s symptoms by starting medications. The psychiatrist may also ask the patient and/or their family members to consult a psychologist for therapy or for knowing more about the illness. Alternatively, if you consult a psychologist first, they may refer you to a psychiatrist for medication depending upon the severity of the disorder.

Whether medications are required or not depends upon the nature of the disorder and its severity. For example, in severe illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, medications are necessary. Without medications, the affected person’s behavior and functionality would be severely affected. But for illnesses such as depression, it depends upon the severity of the illness. If it is mild depression, it may be successfully treated with therapy alone. However, for persons with severe depression, medications become essential in treatment. Whether or not medications are required is decided by a psychiatrist in collaboration with the patient and caregivers.

Well, like it has been discussed earlier, the need for medications is decided by the type as well as severity of the illness. Having said that, it is important to understand why medications help. Biological psychiatry has made major advances in the last century and it is now an established fact that how a person feels is not only governed by environment, but also by certain neurotransmitters (chemicals) in the human brain. Some people’s brain produces the required amount of chemicals to keep their mood and behavior stable. Other people’s brain struggles and either produces too little or too much of a given chemical which causes an imbalance and impacts their mood and behavior. Medications are meant to correct that chemical imbalance and help restore the balance. However, the environment also plays an important role in this. The healthier a person’s environment, the better the response a person shows to treatment. Which is also why in addition to medication, it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle by eating right, sleeping well and exercising regularly.

This again depends on the nature of the illness. In illnesses such as schizophrenia, the affected person does need to be on medication for life. With less severe illnesses, the person may be able to stop medication after a while, but only when the psychiatrist decides and under his/her supervision. But this is not uncommon even in certain physical ailments. For example, in illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, medication is continuous and lifelong.

There isn’t a single cause for any mental illness. The main contributors are:

• Genetic predisposition: A person is said to be genetically predisposed to a mental illness when one or more of his immediate family members has a mental illness.
• Biological causes: These include the inability of the brain to produce neurotransmitters in the required quantity.
• Environmental factors: Any traumatic event, sudden change in one’s environment which one is unable to deal with etc. can lead to an episode of a mental illness.

Mental illnesses are a result of the complex interaction of two or more of the above factors. No single cause is completely responsible for the occurrence of a mental illness.

No. Just because one of your immediate family members has a mental illness, it doesn’t mean that you too will have it. It is like any other disorder such as diabetes. Your chances of having a mental illness would be slightly higher than the chances of those who do not have a single parent with any mental illness, but it certainly doesn’t mean that you will definitely have it.

Of course, there are! There are many ways to take care of one’s mental health. The main thing is to deal with stress in a positive manner. In order to know how to handle stress, please click here.