mental illness

noun

1. any of the various forms of psychosis or severe neurosis.

mental illness

noun

1. any of various disorders in which a person's thoughts, emotions, or behaviour are so abnormal as to cause suffering to himself, herself, or other people

mental illness

/ mĕn′tl /

1. Any of various psychiatric disorders or diseases, usually characterized by impairment of thought, mood, or behavior.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental illness¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

He is an engaging writer, and an able and authoritative guide to the social history of mental illness.

From Washington Post

I have to tell you, and I don’t mind my saying that it was mental illness, I think, in a lot of ways that made it so, that I was too angry.

From Ozy

We were already prepared with coping strategies, relationships with therapists and some understanding of the warning signs of an impending mental illness crisis.

From Washington Post

His tenure as police chief included some controversies, among them the fatal police shooting in 2009 of an unarmed motorist on Route 1 who had a history of mental illness.

From Washington Post

Queen Charlotte seeks excitement to avoid hours of dwelling on her husband’s mental illness.

From Washington Post

Few reports of his mental illness discuss lead poisoning as a possible reason for his mental deterioration.

From The Daily Beast

“It's insane to see what the extreme version of that type of helpless anger combined with mental illness can create,” Cook wrote.

From The Daily Beast

But 42.9 million Americans over age 18 suffer some form of mental illness.

From The Daily Beast

Abilify is actually a powerful anti-psychotic given to people with severe mental illness.

From The Daily Beast

More than secular nationalist movements or industrial interests or mental illness or knitting groups?

From The Daily Beast

The mental illness of the king became now apparent to those around him, but it was not spoken of publicly.

From Project Gutenberg

And, lastly: "Have you ever been a patient in a hospital for mental illness?"

From Project Gutenberg

It was the common-sense and rational attitude of my employer toward mental illness which determined the issue.

From Project Gutenberg

During our talk, I so shaped the conversation that the possibility of a recurrence of my mental illness was discussed.

From Project Gutenberg

Even at sixteen Ann Saymer had very positive ideas about curing mental illness, which was the epidemic sickness of their world.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• insanity
• mental disorder