What is the difference between mental illness and psychosis

The core difference between mental illness and psychosis lies in the nature of the disease, symptoms, and intervention methods. Psychological disorders usually refer to psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, mainly characterized by abnormal emotions and behaviors; Mental illness is a serious mental disorder such as schizophrenia, accompanied by a loss of ability to test reality.

1. Disease nature

Psychological disorders are often induced by social and psychological factors and belong to functional disorders, with no organic changes in brain structure. Psychiatric disorders have a biological basis and are associated with abnormalities in neurotransmitters and dysfunction of brain regions, with some showing genetic predisposition. There are essential differences in the pathogenesis between the two.

2. Symptom manifestations

Psychological disorders are mainly characterized by sustained low mood, excessive worry, or difficulty adapting, and patients have complete self-awareness. Typical symptoms of mental illness include hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive disorders. Patients lack understanding of the illness and may experience severe decline in social functioning.

3. Diagnostic criteria

Psychological disorders are diagnosed based on the emotional disorder criteria in ICD-10 or DSM-5, and assisted by psychological assessment scales. Mental illness needs to be diagnosed based on characteristic psychiatric symptoms after excluding organic diseases, and often requires support from brain imaging or laboratory tests.

4. Intervention methods

Psychological disorders are mainly treated with psychological counseling and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which can be combined with antidepressants such as paroxetine tablets and sertraline tablets. Mental illness requires long-term use of antipsychotic drugs such as olanzapine tablets and risperidone orally disintegrating tablets, and hospitalization may be necessary during the acute phase.

5. Prognostic Differences

Psychological disorders can be significantly improved through systematic intervention, and some patients can achieve clinical recovery. Mental illness requires lifelong management and is prone to recurrence. Early standardized treatment can help delay functional decline, but the probability of complete recovery is relatively low.

It is recommended to seek medical attention from a cardiology or psychiatry department as soon as possible when experiencing persistent psychological discomfort, in order to avoid self judgment and delayed treatment. Maintaining a regular daily routine, moderate exercise, and social support can help maintain mental health. Family members of psychiatric patients need to learn about disease care knowledge and cooperate with doctors to manage medication and monitor their condition.