There are stories of truly exceptional individuals with schizophrenia — the lawyer and mental health rights activist Elyn Saks and the Nobel Laureate John Nash.
On the whole, however, mental states are very difficult to put on film for obvious reasons, and it takes very good writing and even better acting to do it well. Furthermore, it’s hard to understand mental illness from the outside and Hollywood’s need to oversimplify things for dramatic reasons can have negative consequences.
A surprising number of illnesses can cause changes in mood and behavior. Whenever a mood change is accompanied by physical symptoms, the patient's physician should conduct a thorough workup before making a referral to a psychiatrist.
The idea that every symptom of mental illness can be geared to a biological marker that can then be treated with biological fixes is potentially dangerous.
Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, is a serious mental illness that affects about 1 to 3 percent of the population.
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. This one month of Mental Health Awareness helps to increase education, focus on cause and treatment, and encourages evaluation of those with symptoms that can be associated with mental illness.
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. What’s in your mental wellness routine?
