Emotional Problems range from minor disturbances that may be a reaction to temporary stress in life, to severe chronic mental illness such as schizophrenia. Over 23 million Americans will get mental health treatment this year. Mental illness can kill. Suicide is a leading cause of death in Minnesota. Definitions Major Depression is persistent unhappiness with decreased energy, loss of appetite, changes in sleep patterns, withdrawal, and suicidal thoughts.
Anxiety is fearfulness or uneasiness that arise from anticipation of danger.
Psychotic means that the person has lost touch with reality. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder charac-terized by a loss of touch with reality, disordering of thought processes, delusion, hallucination, and an inability to think straight. Most Mental Illnesses have def-inite causes and require care and treatment. Research shows some of the causes to be genetics, biochemical, neurological, psycho-logical, and environmental. Physical trauma, acute stress, or drug abuse may also precipitate the illness.