Advice

Most of us will know at least one family affected by mental illness. It's important to understand it. Find out all about mental illness here plus advice on keeping a healthy mind...

Mental Illness

We geddit: It's the tramp muttering into his beard at the tube station. It's the scary guy who likes to bark at girls as they go by. They're mental. Nothing to understand. We just cross the road, right?

Well, no actually. Mental illness affects all of us. It's in every family. Every school. It's the girl who sits up crying every night but she doesn't know why. It's the boy who cuts his arms cos it's the only time he forgets his parents' fights. It's the teacher who drinks too much. It's the babysitter with her fingers down her throat in the bathroom.

Mental illness describes a million different ways that we stop thinking straight. For long enough and badly enough that we can't function in our day-to-day lives. And it affects one in ten teenagers.

Most mental illness is caused by a combination of two things: Biology and circumstances. We are born with a susceptibility to mental illness. That's the biology. And then life treats us badly: Bad stuff happens, often when we're young.

How (and how badly) we get affected is different for everyone. We may get depressed, even suicidal. Or feel anxious and frightened all the time. We may take drugs or take risks with out health. Anything is possible. We just can't hold it together like we used to.

So what's schizophrenia?

This is a severe mental illness. We stop seeing things as they really are. We may hear things that other people can't. Or believe things that are bizarre and untrue. This may make us behave strangely. And about one in a hundred of us will be diagnosed with this illness at some point.

Aren't schizophrenics dangerous?

The overwhelming majority are not. We are as likely to be killed by a stranger with schizophrenia as we are to be killed by lightning: One in ten million.

How can I stop myself getting mentally ill?

The best we can do is to look after ourselves. Eat well, exercise, relax and enjoy life. What is good for our body is good for our mind. And if we think we're starting to wobble, we should get help. All mental illness can improve with treatment. Speak to your GP, in confidence. Don't suffer in silence.