402. How is mental illness different from a psychological problem?

The term mental illness is very strongly medical, implying a biological or biochemical problem that may only require medical treatment. As a result of professionals using this term, two artificial groups of consumers of psychological services have been created, those that are mentally ill and those that have psychological problems. The dilema is that people start asking themselves, "Am I sick enough to need psychological treatment, or should I just talk to a counselor?"  Some people have a false impression that psychologists only "treat" mentally ill individuals, and if you just have a problem with stress, perhaps you should see someone else. As a consequence, some people may contact counselors, with much less training than a licensed psychologist, when they need help to resolve a psychological problem.  Often, these counselors are not able to help them, because they do not have the required training or expertise. This is especially true when a small problem is actually part of a larger, more complex, psychological problem. 

Licensed psychologists are trained to identify and treat a wide range of psychological problems, from relatively minor life stress to severe depression and personality disturbances. Further, psychologists are ethically required to refer you to a more qualified expert, if they do not have adequate experience or training to help you with your particular problem. If your problem requires medication, a psychologist will work with a medical professional to coordinate your treatment, as needed, so you will benefit from the expertise of both professionals. 

The term mental illness is often used to group very severe psychological problems together.  This group might include schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, possibly bi-polar depression, sometimes very severe depression, and occasionally very severe personality disturbances. Sometimes the factor that is used to separate mental illness from other psychological problems is whether the person required hospitalization as part of treatment. The need for hospitalization is a criteria often used in government funding for treatment programs for the mentally ill. Which categories of psychological problems are included in "mental illness" depends on who you ask. Some of these problems appear to have a strong biological component, and may require medication as part of the treatment process, but not all of them. 

Psychologists tend to not use the term mental illness to describe psychological problems because there is confusion about what the label really means.  Rather than worry about whether you, or a close friend or family member, have mental illness or a psychological problem, ask yourself the following questions: 

 Am I having trouble managing my life because of the way I evaluate other people or myself? Do I have high expectations that no one ever seems to meet? Am I too critical?  Am I too negative and pessimistic in the way I view the world? Do I have trouble figuring out what to do when I am faced with a problem? Do I have a hard time making decisions when I have to?  Am I having trouble managing my life because I am chronically unhappy and depressed? Do I feel anxious most of the time, or am I afraid of too many things? Do I need to learn how to relax? Am I overwhelmed by stress?  Do I have trouble controling anger? Am I an angry or an irritible person? Do I feel like my life has no meaning? Do I worry about things all the time? Do I often do things that are "wrong" and feel bad afterwards? Do I have unusual or embarassing habits that I want to change? Do I drink too much, or take drugs, or smoke, or overeat, and find I cannot stop? Do I have trouble controlling myself in any way that I think is not right or healthy, and I can't stop?  Do I have problems with my relationships? Do I have difficulty talking to people, or keeping friends? Do I often let people treat me badly or take advantage of me? Do I have trouble taking care of my children? Do I need to learn how to be a better parent? Do I need to learn how to communicate better with my spouse or my family? Am I unhappy or dissatisfied with my life for any reason?  Do I want to change my life goals, my direction, my future? 

 If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might benefit from psychological services. A psychologist can help you identify the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are creating problems in your life.  A psychologist can help you change.