What is Mentally Ill?

I watched part of the TV show, The Doctors, yesterday and someone posted a question as to whether someone with OCD should be able to adopt children. The person has a friend with "severe OCD" who really wants a child. But I'm not posing this question.

The Doctors (I think it was two doctors, one psychologist and Jillian Michaels, from The Biggest Loser, and who is now a regular on this show) said OCD is not a mental illness; rather, it's a disorder. I agree, it's a disorder, and a disability, but I don't know what to think now. Am I mentally ill? Most people around me think so. I also have panic disorder, but that's a disorder so I guess it's not a mental illness? Don't get me wrong: I don't want to be mentally ill, but I'm confused as to how to explain my disorders to other people, especially those who judge mental illness unfairly.

I think OCD and panic disorders are also mental illnesses. But of course I'm not a professional. I've just been living with "disorders" like these for most of my life. For me, in the long run, it does not truly matter who calls them what. Although I understand your desire to know if they are disorders or mental illnesses. I understand how it could help you clarify your situation. For me they are all mental illnesses and something I have to struggle to manage.

mentally ill is one of those terms that have many ways of being used and explained and what is considered to be mentally ill.

here where I work and live mentally ill is a cover all term for when someone has any of the mental disorders that are listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV TR. example a person suffering with major depression is said to be mentally ill.

the term disorder here means anything that is not normal, this term is used in many ways for many things example a messy room can be called in a state of disorder, a person that has problems with how they think, act and things they do can also be called a person with a disorder. what that disorder is depends on what their problem is.

some places like here in New York USA the terms disorder and mentally ill are used together and to mean the same thing example here in NY saying A person suffering from major depression is the same as saying that person has the mental illness of major depressive disorder, or the same as saying that person has the mental illness of clinical depression.

Every content, country, city, state, town, treatment providers, ... they all have their own way of describing mental illness and what it considered to be mental illness/mental disordered.

when trying to understand psychological terms its best to go by what ever terms and and meanings that your own treatment providers use and have diagnosed you with. That way you wont get confused by all these terms and how they are used one way by tv people and another way by your own treatment providers.

i lean towards mental illness and disorders as being synonymous,imho. perhaps some professionals consider there's a distinction however.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-illness/DS01104
good question, maven.

Sometimes, mental illness is brought into focus by what it is not. The World Health Organization defines health as: " ... a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

WHO states:

Mental Health refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the mental well-being component included in the WHO's definition of health: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease". It is related to the promotion of well-being, the prevention of mental disorders, and the treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by mental disorders.

More precisely:

Q: What is mental health?

A: Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. http://www.who.int/features/qa/62/en/index.html

Mental illness in the broader sense then is an impediment that stands in the way of our reaching our potential, coping with normal stresses, working productively and fruitfully and from making a contribution to our communities.

Thanks for the responses. I hear stuff on TV, then I gotta ask, LOL!

I just want to get this off my chest: I have panic disorder and it is in FACT a Mental Illness. (When I am not on meds) It is very debilitating, and before I got put on meds it severely impacted my function at school (which i had to come home many days) and social life (which it did not let me have) and work (in which I got fired from). Panic disorder is hardly ever taken as seriously as it ought to be. If you've never had a true panic attack, its impossible to understand. They say it can last "up to 10 minutes"... Try 2 weeks, nonstop , only sleeping 1 hour at a time and when wake up within 5 mins, panic attack continues, throwing up everything you try to eat. Yeah. It's a mental illness.

I wholeheartedly agree with you, krisakira. I've been treated like I'm being a big baby when I have a panic attack or talk about how they've affected my life. Some people have been supportive, luckily, but far more haven't. Same thing with my OCD. Someone once told me several months ago that I was whining, I felt misunderstood.