Mental illnesses are disorders affecting one or more functions of the mind.
They interfere with emotion, thought processes, behaviour and perception. A mental illness causes variable amounts of stress and suffering to the person involved. Mental illness interferes with emotion, thought processes, behaviour and perception. People should seek help to overcome a mental illness just as they do for any other illness of the body. Mental illness is not characterised by retardation or lower intellectual capacity, nor is it explained by an individual not living up to society's expectations.