Mental health articles

Mental illness is a psychological or behavioral disorder that alters thinking, mood, and the ability to perform activities of daily living and to relate to others.

There is no medical test used to diagnose a mental disorder. Instead, practitioners use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association to determine if a person is experiencing a mental disorder. The DSM-5 lists categories of mental disorders and clinically significant behaviors that are associated with a diagnosis. The practitioner uses objective and subjective information to assess the person’s behavior to determine if the person has a mental disorder and, if so, which disorder. The practitioner differentiates between expected behavioral change such as depression following a death and behavior that is not expected such as depression in the absence of death or other depressive situations. In this chapter, you will learn to understand the basis of mental illness and psychiatric and mental health nursing.

Tags: Mental health, nursing