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Mental illness

If you are concerned that you, or someone else, is behaving very unusually, learn more about mental illness and who can help you deal with them.

What is a mental illness?

You may hear people under a great deal of stress say "I think I'm going crazy!". For you to be successful in your relationships, job, and university, you need to make decisions on how you behave based on accurate information about the world around you. For a small number of people in the community this decision making is made difficult by the presence of mental illness. These symptoms may include:

  • delusions
  • hallucinations (aural, visual, tactile)
  • disorganised thoughts and/or behaviours
  • flat mood
  • lack of spontaneous speech
  • inability to set and achieve goals.

How will you notice it?

Early warning signs that someone is developing a mental illness include:

  • withdrawing from social situations
  • loss of interest in study
  • less attention to hygiene and grooming
  • unusual behaviour
  • uncharacteristic outbursts of anger.

You may be a close friend or family member of someone with these signs and be the first to notice them. Sometimes a person may experience mental illness (delusions, hallucinations) after using drugs and/or alcohol, or as a result of withdrawing from drug or alcohol use. If so, you are advised to consult with a mental health professional about you concerns as soon as possible.

What can you do about it?

Treatment for mental illnesses will usually involve a doctor, as well as other mental health professionals to assist the person manage their daily lives. Reducing the amount of stress in the person's life seems to be very important to their successful recovery from a mental illness. The earlier the treatment, the better chance of recovery.

Mental illness and your study

If you are studying at university then staying on top of your workload and managing your time will be very important. We recommend that you speak with a counsellor and a study skills advisor who will help you learn effective study skills. If you are being treated for a mental illness then you can also receive support from the Disability Resource Centre at Deakin University and you are encouraged to do so.

Taking it further

  • Fact sheets about mental illness(Source: SANE Australia)
  • ARAFEMI- ARAFEMI is the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Emotionally and Mentally Ill and provides services to the community of the state of Victoria, Australia for the care and support of families and individuals dealing with an emotional or mental illness.
  • Mind Body Life - An external site that provides useful information on optimising lifestyle for people living with a mental illness
  • Richmond Fellowship of Victoria - Provides programs and services.

Getting help

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20th February 2011