Mental health - Introduction

Serious mental illness affects about 1–2 in every 100 people. It hardly ever occurs in children and is very rare in young people. Even so, young people often worry that they may be ‘going mad’ when they are feeling stressed, confused or very upset. In fact, feelings like these are only rarely a sign of mental illness. Mostly, they get a lot better if you talk to someone you trust about them.

Young people are often frightened to talk about their feelings in case people think they are mentally ill or ‘mad’. This is because many people do not understand what mental illness is – and that it can be successfully treated.

Common forms of mental illness

Schizophrenia is the commonest form of psychosis. Symptoms include delusions, thought disorder and hallucinations.

A person with schizophrenia usually has all of these symptoms. They may also become quiet and wrapped up in their own world and lose their interests and motivation. They find it hard to concentrate and often neglect to keep themselves clean.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are sometimes mistaken for moodiness or teenage rebellion. They can also be mistaken for quite different problems, such as depression.

Bipolar affective disorder is a condition in which the main feature is extreme changes of mood The moods are usually way ‘over the top’ – considering the person’s normal personality and the current situation. There are long periods of being unusually happy, ‘high’ or ‘manic’, and long periods of being unusually miserable, ‘low’ or ‘depressed’.

Getting help

The first step towards getting help is to recognise that there may be a problem and to seek advice. Often, other people notice that the ill person is not functioning as well as they normally do. Parents are often the first to ask for help. The family doctor or school nurse can give good advice. They will be able to get specialist help if it is needed.

Most treatment is provided by a psychiatrist on an out-patient basis. Medication usually plays an important role in the treatment of psychotic illnesses. It helps to correct the chemical imbalance in the brain. Medication usually needs to be taken for some time, so that it can reduce or stop the symptoms of the illness and prevent the person getting ill again.

Other forms of treatment are also important. Both the patient and their family will need help to understand the condition, to cope successfully and to prevent the illness recurring.