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mental illness

A broadly inclusive term, generally denoting one or all of the following: 1) a disease of the brain, with predominant behavioural symptoms, as in paresis or acute alcoholism; 2) a disease of the mind or personality, evidenced by abnormal behaviour, as in hysteria or schizophrenia; also called mental or emotional disease, disturbance, or disorder, or behaviour disorder, any psychiatric illness listed in current medical Information and terminology of the american Medical Association or in the diagnostic and Statistical Manual for mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric association.

See: behaviour disorder.