What are the qualifications it takes to be classified as mentally ill?

Answer 1

Criteria for diagnosis can be found in the DSM-IV

Answer 2

I Got The Ones that are Necessary to be
Classified as "A Nut"! :)

Answer 3

Christians are NOT mentally ill because we believe in God.


Sorry to disappoint you, but facts are facts, friend.


http://www.spcsb.org/articles/mental_illness.html


http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-making-diagnosis


How Are Mental Illnesses Diagnosed?
A mental health diagnosis involves many steps beginning with an evaluation by a doctor if symptoms of mental illness are present. The evaluation will begin with the doctor asking questions about your symptoms, medical history and performing a physical examination. Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose mental illness, the doctor may use various tests to make sure something else isn't causing the symptoms. If no other illness is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.

Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a mental illness. The doctor bases his or her diagnosis on the person's report of symptoms -- including any social or functional problems caused by the symptoms -- and his or her observation of the person's attitudes and behavior. The doctor then determines if the person's symptoms and degree of disability point to a diagnosis of a specific disorder.

The standard manual used by experts for the diagnosis of recognized mental illness in the U.S. is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, now in its fourth edition (DSM-IV), which is compiled by the American Psychiatric Association.


http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih5/Mental/guide/info-mental-a.htm


We can all be “sad” or “blue” at times in our lives. We have all seen movies about the madman and his crime spree, with the underlying cause of mental illness. We sometimes even make jokes about people being crazy or nuts, even though we know that we shouldn’t. We have all had some exposure to mental illness, but do we really understand it or know what it is? Many of our preconceptions are incorrect. A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings, or behavior (or all three) and that causes the person distress and difficulty in functioning. As with many diseases, mental illness is severe in some cases and mild in others. Individuals who have a mental illness don’t necessarily look like they are sick, especially if their illness is mild. Other individuals may show more explicit symptoms such as confusion, agitation, or withdrawal. There are many different mental illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Each illness alters a person’s thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors in distinct ways. In this module, we will at times discuss mental illness in general terms and at other times, discuss specific mental illnesses. Depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD will be presented in greater detail than other mental illnesses.

Not all brain diseases are categorized as mental illnesses. Disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis are brain disorders, but they are considered neurological diseases rather than mental illnesses. Interestingly, the lines between mental illnesses and these other brain or neurological disorders is blurring somewhat. As scientists continue to investigate the brains of people who have mental illnesses, they are learning that mental illness is associated with changes in the brain’s structure, chemistry, and function and that mental illness does indeed have a biological basis. This ongoing research is, in some ways, causing scientists to minimize the distinctions between mental illnesses and these other brain disorders. In this curriculum supplement, we will restrict our discussion of mental illness to those illnesses that are traditionally classified as mental illnesses, as listed in the previous paragraph.

Answer 4

Reaching Level 6 at Y!A?

Edit: Does anyone else think batgirl who posted down below has a little paranoia going on there?

Answer 5

Batgirl - When were Christians even MENTIONED in this question? Let alone called mentally ill.

Answer 6

Mostly you just have to have a mental illness. In some hospitols it might be different, some catholic hospitols might require you to not be gay.

Answer 7

Are you talking about me.?
Yes, I am paranoid and I have the papers to prove it.


Sending you a smile to help pick up your day!

Answer 8

You have different beliefs than the standard society. They are A you are Z. You are crazy and to you they are crazy.

Answer 9

Seek a doctor. He might give you a diagnosis.

Answer 10

to have no mind and be mentally unstable. to be a danger to society through your lack of comprehension and because it is hard to know what is real and what is in your head, wait, sounds familiar?