mental illness
noun
variants
or mental disorder
or less commonly mental disease
: any of a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause marked distress or disability and that are typically associated with a disruption in normal thinking, feeling, mood, behavior, interpersonal interactions, or daily functioning
mentally ill
adjective
Examples of mental illness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Crumb was born in 1943 in Philadelphia to Chuck and Bea, one of five children in a family rife with mental illness.
—
Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
There is a bill pending in the Minnesota General Assembly that would create a law requiring psychiatric organizations to include Trump-derangement-syndrome on the list of mental illnesses.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
His goal is not just to terrify audiences, but to provoke empathy and reduce the stigma around mental illness.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
The teens had both been in residential treatment facilities, which provide health care for individuals with substance abuse disorders, mental illness or other behavior problems, according to court documents.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mental illness
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Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
There is a bill pending in the Minnesota General Assembly that would create a law requiring psychiatric organizations to include Trump-derangement-syndrome on the list of mental illnesses.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
His goal is not just to terrify audiences, but to provoke empathy and reduce the stigma around mental illness.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
The teens had both been in residential treatment facilities, which provide health care for individuals with substance abuse disorders, mental illness or other behavior problems, according to court documents.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mental illness
Cite this Entry
“Mental illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mental%20illness. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mental illness
noun
variants
or mental disorder
also mental disease
: any of a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause marked distress or disability and that are typically associated with a disruption in normal thinking, feeling, mood, behavior, interpersonal interactions, or daily functioning
Some homeless families are also hindered by substance abuse and mental illness.—Ellen L. Bassuk, Scientific American
Ellen L. Bassuk, Scientific AmericanCatatonia is usually an expression of mental disorders like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but it could also come from other medical problems, such as a brain tumor.—Forrest Wickman, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Forrest Wickman, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette… mental diseases such as schizophrenia and manic depression may either involve more than one gene or may result from a complex mix of genetic predisposition and environmental rotten luck.—Natalie Angier, The New York Times Book Review
Natalie Angier, The New York Times Book Review
mentally ill
adjective
mentally ill patients
Mental health workers … perform a wide variety of therapeutic, supportive, and preventative functions for persons who are mentally ill and developmentally disabled.
—Barbara M. Swanson, Careers in Health Care
Barbara M. Swanson, Careers in Health Care
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