What is mental illness?

Mental illness is a general term for a group of illnesses that affect the mind or brain.  These illnesses, which include bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and personality disorders, affect the way a person thinks, feels and acts.  The exact cause of mental illness is unknown. What is known is that mental illness is NOT a character fault, weakness or something inherently ‘wrong’ with a person.  It is an illness like any other.