Psychology, the scientific study of behavior and the mind. This definition contains three elements.

The first is that psychology is a scientific enterprise that obtains knowledge through systematic and objective methods of observation and experimentation. Second is that psychologists study behavior, which refers to any action or reaction that can be measured or observedsuch as the blink of an eye, an increase in heart rate, or the unruly violence that often erupts in a mob. Third is that psychologists study the mind, which refers to both conscious and unconscious mental states. These states cannot actually be seen, only inferred from observable behavior. Mental Illness
I INTRODUCTION
Mental Illness, disorder characterized by disturbances in a persons thoughts, emotions, or behavior. The term

mental illness can refer to a wide variety of disorders, ranging from those that cause mild distress to those
that severely impair a persons ability to function. Mental health professionals sometimes use the terms

psychiatric disorder or psychopathology to refer to mental illness.

II THE EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Severe mental illness almost always alters a persons life dramatically. People with severe mental illnesses experience disturbing symptoms that can make it difficult to hold a job, go to school, relate to others, or cope with ordinary life demands. Some individuals require hospitalization because they become unable to care for themselves or because they are at risk of committing suicide. The symptoms of mental illness can be very distressing. People who develop schizophrenia may hear voices inside their head that say nasty things about them or command them to act in strange or unpredictable ways. Or they may be paralyzed by paranoiathe deep conviction that everyone, including their closest family members, wants to injure or destroy them. People with major depression may feel that nothing brings pleasure and that life is so dreary and unhappy that it is better to be dead. People with panic disorder may experience heart palpitations, rapid breathing, and anxiety so extreme that they may not be able to leave home. People who experience episodes of mania may engage in reckless sexual behavior or may spend money indiscriminately, acts that later cause them to feel guilt, shame, and desperation. Other mental illnesses, while not always debilitating, create certain problems in living. People with personality disorders may experience loneliness and isolation because their personality style interferes with social relations. People with an eating disorder may become so preoccupied with their weight and appearance that they force themselves to vomit or refuse to eat. Individuals who develop post-traumatic stress disorder may become angry easily, experience disturbing memories, and have trouble concentrating. Experiences of mental illness often differ depending on ones culture or social group, sometimes greatly so. For example, in most of the non-Western world, people with depression complain principally of physical ailments, such as lack of energy, poor sleep, loss of appetite, and various kinds of physical pain. Indeed, even in North America these complaints are commonplace. But in the United States and other Western societies, depressed people and mental health professionals who treat them tend to emphasize psychological problems, such as feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and despair. The experience of schizophrenia also differs by culture. In India, one-third of new cases of schizophrenia involve catatonia, a behavioral condition in which a person maintains a bizarre statuelike pose for hours or days. This condition is rare in Europe and North America. With appropriate treatment, most people can recover from mental illness and return to normal life. Even those with persistent, long-term mental illnesses can usually learn to manage their symptoms and live productive lives.

V DEFINING MENTAL ILLNESS

No universally accepted definition of mental illness exists. In general, the definition of mental illness depends on a societys norms, or rules of behavior. Behaviors that violate these norms are considered signs of deviance or, in some cases, of mental illness. Because norms vary between cultures, behaviors considered signs of mental illness in one culture may be considered normal in other cultures. For example, in the United States, a person who experiences trance and possession states (altered states of consciousness) is usually diagnosed as suffering from a mental illness. Yet, in many non-Western countries, people consider such states an essential part of human experience. In Native American culture, it is common for people to hear the voices of recently deceased loved ones. In contrast, most mental health professionals in Western cultures would consider such behavior a possible symptom of schizophrenia or psychosis. The variation in behavioral norms does not mean, however, that definitions of mental illness are necessarily incompatible across cultures. Many behaviors are recognized throughout the world as being indicative of mental illness. These include extreme social withdrawal, violence to oneself, hallucinations (false sensory perceptions), and delusions (fixed, false ideas). Another way of defining mental illness is based on whether a persons behaviors are maladaptivethat is, whether they cause a person to experience problems in coping with common life demands. For example, people with social phobia may avoid interacting with other people and experience problems at work as a result. Critics note that under this definition, political dissidents could be considered mentally ill for refusing to accept the dictates of their government.

VII KINDS OF MENTAL ILLNESSES

A number of mental illnessessuch as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder occur worldwide. Others seem to occur only in particular cultures. For example, eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (compulsive dieting associated with unrealistic fears of fatness), occur mostly among girls and women in Europe, North America, and Westernized areas of Asia, whose cultures view thinness as an essential component of female beauty. In Latin America, people who experience overwhelming fright after a dangerous or traumatic event are said to have susto (fright), an illness in which their soul has been frightened away. In some societies of West Africa and elsewhere, brain fag describes individuals (usually students) who experience difficulties in concentrating and thinking, as well as physical symptoms of pain and fatigue. Most mental health professionals in the United States use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders(DSM), a reference book published by the American Psychiatric Association, as a guide to the
different kinds of mental illnesses. The fourth edition, known as DSM-IV, describes more than 300 mental disorders, behavioral disorders, addictive disorders, and other psychological problems and groups them into broad categories. This article describes some of the major categories, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, personality disorders, cognitive disorders, dissociative disorders, somatoform disorders, factitious disorders, substance-related disorders, eating disorders, and impulse-control disorders. Mental health professionals in many other parts of the world use a different classification system, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), published by the World Health Organization. The DSM and ICD are both categorical systems of classification, in which each mental illness is defined by its own unique set of symptoms and characteristics. In theory, each disorder should possess diagnostic criteria that are independent of one another, just as tuberculosis and lung cancer are discrete diseases. Yet symptoms of many mental disorders overlap, and many peoplesuch as those who experience both depression and severe anxietyshow symptoms of more than one disorder at the same time. For these reasons, some mental health professionals advocate a dimensional system of classification. In contrast to the categorical approach, which sees mental disorders as qualitatively distinct from normal behavior, a dimensional system views behavior as falling along a continuum of normality, with some behaviors considered more abnormal than others. In a dimensional system, diagnoses do not describe discrete diseases but rather portray the relative importance of an array of symptoms.

Definitions and classifications of mental illnesses change as research improves understanding of them. For example, DSM-IV allows a diagnosis of schizophrenia only when characteristic symptoms have lasted at least one month, whereas the previous edition of DSM required a duration of only one week.

A Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders involve excessive apprehension, worry, and fear. People with generalized anxiety disorder experience constant anxiety about routine events in their lives. Phobias are fears of specific objects, situations, or activities. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people experience sudden, intense terror and such physical symptoms as rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions) or feel compelled to perform certain behaviors (compulsions). People with post-traumatic stress disorder relive traumatic events from their past and feel extreme anxiety and distress about the event.

B Mood Disorders
Mood disorders, also called affective disorders, create disturbances in a persons emotional life. Depression, mania, and bipolar disorder are examples of mood disorders. Symptoms of depression may include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, as well as complaints of physical pain and changes in appetite, sleep patterns, and energy level. In mania, on the other hand, an individual experiences an abnormally elevated mood, often marked by exaggerated self-importance, irritability, agitation, and a decreased need for sleep. In bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, a persons mood alternates between extremes of mania and depression.

C Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

People with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders lose contact with reality. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, disorganized thinking and speech, bizarre behavior, a diminished range of emotional responsiveness, and social withdrawal. In addition, people who suffer from these illnesses experience an inability to function in one or more important areas of life, such as social relations, work, or school. See Psychosis.

D Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are mental illnesses in which ones personality results in personal distress or a significant impairment in social or work functioning. In general, people with personality disorders have poor perceptions of themselves or others. They may have low self-esteem or overwhelming narcissism, poor impulse control, troubled social relationships, and inappropriate emotional responses. Considerable controversy exists over where to draw the distinction between a normal personality and a personality disorder.

E Cognitive Disorders
Cognitive disorders, such as delirium and dementia, involve a significant loss of mental functioning. Dementia, for example, is characterized by impaired memory and difficulties in such functions as speaking, abstract thinking, and the ability to identify familiar objects. The conditions in this category usually result from a medical condition, substance abuse, or adverse reactions to medication or poisonous substances. See Senile Dementia.