Although some people think that a mental disorder and mental illness are the same, there are some crucial differences between the two. The terms “mental disorder” and “mental illness” generate great controversy and their definitions have given rise to debates. The term “mental disorder” is broader than “mental illness” and is used to refer to a generic alteration of health and psychological well-being, whether or not it is a consequence of a known somatic alteration. While the term “disease” is usually used to refer to pathological processes in which there is an organic cause. In this Psychology-Online article we will explain the difference between mental illness and mental disorder.
We define a mental disorder as an alteration that affects the function of the mind or body, such as . The term disorder is more general or broad than disease and is used to refer to a general deterioration in health regardless of its cause. Current classification systems use this term and different ways of understanding the mental disorder have been proposed:
- Lack of health
- Statistical deviation from psychological normality
- Presence of cognitive, affective and motivational symptoms
- Existence of psychological suffering
- Social disability
None of these criteria alone would be sufficient to define the mental disorders that are included in current classification systems.
The disease is a pathological condition of a part of the body, an organ or a system resulting from various causes, such as an infection, a genetic defect or environmental stress and is characterized by an identifiable set of signs or symptoms, and whose evolution is more or less predictable. Therefore, it is used when deterioration in health occurs due to a direct organic cause.
So the main difference that we can deduce from these definitions is the origin of the condition.
Classification systems DSM and CIE They use the term disorder, however, in some clinical contexts it is understood that they are diseases like any other. But psychological disorders are not diseases like diabetes, for example, since diseases are natural entities while disorders are interactive entities that can be modified by explanations, knowledge, etc. That is to say, disorder It is not something fixed like a disease, but it is susceptible to change.
The concept of mental disorder is related to the concept of psychological health while that of mental illness is not. For example, a person may become stressed and overly anxious, and over time may develop a mental disorder from these high levels of stress and anxiety, but they have never experienced a mental illness.
Mental disorders can be the result of presence of various mental illnesseswhile mental illness is usually treated as a condition on its own that involves changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these) and is associated with distress and/or problems in social, work or family functioning .
A mental disorder is not always immediately evident as many people who have mental disorders may continue to be very high functioning in different areas of their life. In many cases, the person may don’t even realize that you have a disorder until a friend or family member tells you that something is wrong.
Disorder and disease: differences in treatment
A mental disorder can be treated while the person continues at home and with their life, making some changes in it, but a mental illness usually requires medical intervention and is generally more obvious to an outside observer. Mental illness requires medication and personalized treatment taking into account the patient’s needs. The vast majority of people with mental illness continue to function in their daily lives.
A mental disorder occurs when a patient begins to experience thoughts and feelings that interfere with their ability to lead a normal lifestyle. A mental illness is usually present from childhood and aggravates a person’s ability to lead a normal life at a very rapid pace.
Someone who has a mental illness cannot always go about their normal life without help, while a person with a mental disorder may falsely believe that they do not have a problem.