One of the most high risk groups for suicide are people with a mental illness. Unfortunately, 15% of people with a mental illness will die by suicide. Mental illness is a real illness and widely misunderstood.  Like with any major illness, if left untreated, having a mental illness can be fatal. We wanted to talk with experts on this subject, so we consulted with Dr. Mitch and Sharon Young. They are a husband and wife team with over four decades of expertise in treating those with mental illness. In this episode we discuss what mental illness is, how to treat it, and how to prevent suicide for those with mental illness. 

Mental illness is an illness that can affect your brain, body, and behavior.  A person can develop a mental illness from an experience or trauma, as the result of a genetic predisposition, or from the belief systems or daily habits in their homes. Mental illness can also occur from some combination of those things. Its origin is affected by both nature and nurture. Additionally, it can be hard to diagnose mental illness because there is no blood test that helps clinicians determine what’s wrong. Symptoms often overlap with other social-emotional issues, for example, lack of sleep can be a symptom of depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder.  We often get hung up on labels, but with mental illness the diagnostic term is often less important than the symptoms an individual is facing.  For more on the challenges with diagnosing a mental illness check out this week’s blog, “Diagnosing Mental Illness.”