Meaning & use
mental illness
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A condition that affects a person's thoughts, feelings, or behavior and often makes daily life difficult.
Grammar: Can be countable for specific conditions (a serious mental illness) or uncountable for the general idea (living with mental illness).
Patterns
- a mental illness
- mental illness
- living with mental illness
- treatment for mental illness
Depression is a common mental illness that can be treated.
Many people with mental illness benefit from therapy and support.
The campaign aims to reduce the stigma around mental illness.
noununcountable
The state or experience of having such conditions, considered as a social or medical issue.
Grammar: Used without an article when talking about the topic in general: research into mental illness.
Patterns
- research into mental illness
- awareness of mental illness
- suffer from mental illness
She has devoted her career to research into mental illness.
Public awareness of mental illness has grown in recent years.
Word forms
| plural | mental illnesses |
|---|
Common combinations
- serious mental illness
- He was diagnosed with a serious mental illness in his twenties.
- mental illness stigma
- The charity works to end mental illness stigma in schools.
- suffer from mental illness
- Many people suffer from mental illness at some point in their lives.
- mental illness treatment
- Access to mental illness treatment remains unequal.
- common mental illness
- Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- psychiatric disorder
- More formal and medical; often used in clinical or legal contexts.
- mental disorder
- Similar meaning but more technical; used in official classifications.
- psychological problem
- Broader and less specific; can include everyday stress rather than a diagnosed condition.
Word family
- mentally ill adjective
- Describes someone who has a mental illness.
- mental health noun
- The general condition of someone's emotional and psychological well-being.
Commonly confused: mental illness or mental health?
mental illness vs mental health
Mental health refers to emotional well-being in general, while mental illness refers to specific diagnosed conditions.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mental illness' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The countable form 'a mental illness' is correct when referring to one specific condition. 'Mental illness' without an article is used for the general topic, not for one person's diagnosis.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mental illness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.