What are they?

       Psychiatric illnesses are characterized by changes in an individuals thinking, mood or behavior and is accompanied by a significant level of distress or impaired functioning. As with many illnesses, mental illnesses may be triggered by a number of things to include environmental stressors, genetics,  physical diseases and chemical imbalances in the brain. Mental illness does not discriminate between the Christian and the non-Christian, so neither should you. According to the surgeon general's report, the following comprise the major categories of mental illnesses:                              

• Anxiety disorders arise when a person feels anxiety out of proportion to any apparent stimulus or situation. Examples are phobias, panic disorder or generalized anxiety.                                                                                         

• Mood disorders are marked by prolonged sadness or elevated mood. They include major depression and bipolar disorder, in which depressed mood alternates with mania. Each year, about 7 percent of Americans suffer from mood disorders. Research has linked depression to increased risk for heart disease, Parkinson's disease and some forms of epilepsy.                                                                                

• Psychosis is characterized by disturbed perception and thinking, such as hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are sensory impressions that have no basis in reality, such as hearing voices that no one else hears or seeing objects or phenomena that no one else sees. Delusions are false beliefs that a person holds despite evidence to the contrary. Psychotic symptoms are associated with schizophrenia, but they also can occur in severe mood disorders or substance abuse.                                                            

• Disturbances of cognitive function refer to decreased ability to organize, process or recall information. Dementia is deterioration of cognitive ability. Common causes are Alzheimer's disease and blockages to the arteries that supply blood to the brain. People who are depressed also can have decreased cognitive function, for example, difficulty in concentrating.                                                                                                   

• Other disorders include substance abuse, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, learning disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders and the effects of traumatic brain injury.

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