definitions

mental illness

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mental illness ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of the various forms of psychosis or severe neurosis.

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RELATED WORDS

insanity, schizophrenia, depression, derangement, lunacy, madness, mania, neurosis, phobia, craziness, psychopathy, maladjustment, paranoia, psychosis

Nearby words

mental healing, mental health, mental home, mental hospital, mental hygiene, mental illness, mental image, mental impairment, mental lexicon, mental nerve, mental point

Origin of mental illness

First recorded in 1960–65
Also called mental disorder, mental disease.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for mental illness

mental illness

noun

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for mental illness

mental illness

n.

Any of various psychiatric conditions, usually characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by physiological or psychosocial factors.mental disease mental disorder
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for mental illness

mental illness

[ mĕn′tl ]

Any of various psychiatric disorders or diseases, usually characterized by impairment of thought, mood, or behavior.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.