Mental illness is a term used for a group of disorders causing severe disturbances in thinking, feeling and relating. They result in a substantially diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Several million people in this country suffer from a serious long term mental illness. Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation. People with mental illness are usually of normal intelligence although they may have difficulty performing at their normal level.
Mental illness is caused by physical disorders, chemical imbalances and neurological illness.
Heredity is a factor. Drugs and stress can contribute to the onset, but are not likely to be the single cause. Serious Mental Illness is treatable. An expanding range of medications is available at this time. While they do not cure these illnesses, they reduce symptoms markedly for most people.