INDEX:
1. mentally ill
2. mental illness
3. to become mentally ill
4. not mentally ill
RELATED WORDS
a doctor who treats people who are mentally ill : ↑ DOCTOR
a hospital for people who are mentally ill : ↑ HOSPITAL
see also
↑ CRAZY
↑ MIND
↑ ILLNESS/DISEASE
↑ CURE
↑ RECOVER
↑ MEDICAL TREATMENT
↑ DRUG
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1. mentally ill
▷ mentally ill /ˌment ə li ˈɪl/ [adjective phrase]
someone who is mentally ill has an illness of the mind which affects the way that they behave :
▪ Many of these homeless people have been mentally ill at some time.
the mentally ill
people who are mentally ill
▪ He works in a hostel for the mentally ill.
▷ mental /ˈmentl/ [adjective only before noun]
connected with mental illness or people who are mentally ill :
mental hospital/patient/institution
▪ a hospital ward for non-violent mental patients
mental problem/disorder/breakdown
▪ We knew she had been having mental problems.
▷ insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ [adjective] formal
permanently and seriously mentally ill, so that you cannot have a normal life - use this in legal contexts or in descriptions of people who lived in the past :
▪ The man, who has attacked 13 women, was judged to be insane.
go insane
become seriously mentally ill
▪ Sometimes I thought I was going insane.
▷ mad British crazy especially American /mæd, ˈkreɪzi/ [adjective]
mentally ill - use this in conversations or stories, but not in formal, medical, or legal English :
▪ We soon realized that the old man was completely mad.
▪ There’s this crazy woman in our town who eats glass.
go mad/crazy
▪ They say she went mad after her family were killed in a fire.
▷ unstable /ʌnˈsteɪb ə l/ [adjective]
if someone is unstable, their emotional state often changes very suddenly, and they are likely to become angry, violent etc :
▪ Working with Clare every day, I began to realize how unstable she was.
emotionally/mentally unstable
▪ He is emotionally unstable, and his aggressive attitude often culminates in violence.
▷ confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ [adjective]
an old person who is confused has become mentally ill so that they cannot remember things or think clearly :
▪ Aunt Clara had been so sharp, so witty, but now she is just a sad, confused old woman.
2. mental illness
▷ mental illness /ˌmentl ˈɪlnə̇s/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an illness of the mind :
▪ Depression is a mental illness and can often be treated with drugs.
▪ He had a history of mental illness and alcoholism.
suffer from (a) mental illness
▪ SANELINE is the first helpline for people suffering from mental illness.
▷ madness /ˈmædnɪs, ˈmædnəs/ [uncountable noun] especially British
serious and permanent mental illness - used especially in literature, but not used in official or medical contexts :
▪ By the end of the book, Peter’s addiction has led him to madness and suicide.
feign madness
pretend to be mad
▪ Some prisoners feigned madness so that they would be released.
▷ insanity /ɪnˈsænɪti, ɪnˈsænəti/ [uncountable noun] formal
serious and permanent mental illness - use this especially in legal contexts or in descriptions of people who lived in the past :
▪ Hearing voices inside your head is a common symptom of insanity.
▪ Hodge was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
▷ disorder /dɪsˈɔːʳdəʳ/ [countable noun] formal
a mental illness - used especially by doctors :
personality/mood disorder
▪ Children who suffer from personality disorders often receive little or no treatment until it’s too late.
psychiatric/mental disorder
▪ There was no evidence of her having a psychiatric disorder, although it was clear that she had become withdrawn since the breakup of her relationship.
▷ depression /dɪˈpreʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a mental illness which makes you so anxious and unhappy that you cannot live a normal life :
suffer from depression
▪ He has been suffering from depression since his wife died last year.
deep/severe depression
▪ She suffers from periods of deep depression, when she locks herself away and will speak to no one for weeks.
▷ senility /sɪˈnɪlɪti, sɪˈnɪləti/ [uncountable noun]
a mental illness that affects old people and makes them unable to think clearly and become confused very easily :
▪ Of all the associated problems to do with getting old, senility is the one she dreads most.
3. to become mentally ill
▷ have a (nervous) breakdown /hæv ə (ˌnɜːʳvəs) ˈbreɪkdaʊn/ [verb phrase]
to become mentally ill, usually as a result of working too hard or difficult emotional problems, and be temporarily unable to deal with ordinary things such as working or looking after your family :
▪ After her divorce, Dora had a nervous breakdown and was off work for three months.
▪ She sounds really bad. I think she’s heading for a nervous breakdown.
▷ crack up /ˌkræk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb] informal
to suddenly become unable to continue your normal life, especially because you have been working too hard or doing something that is very frightening, dangerous etc :
▪ I think Paul’s cracking up under the strain of work.
▪ Some people can’t cope with the death of a loved one, and simply crack up.
▷ go insane also go mad British /go crazy especially American /gəʊ ɪnˈseɪn, gəʊ ˈmæd, gəʊ ˈkreɪzi/ [verb phrase]
to become seriously and permanently mentally ill - used in ordinary English, but not official or medical contexts :
▪ Eventually, rejected by Hamlet, Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself.
▪ I wondered if I was going crazy. Everyone seemed to be against me.
▪ Conditions on the oil rig are very unpleasant. You’d go insane if you had to stay more than a month or so.
4. not mentally ill
▷ sane /seɪn/ [adjective]
not mentally ill, so that you are able to make sensible decisions and lead your life in a normal way :
▪ Of course he isn’t mad. He’s as sane as you or I.
▪ No sane person would believe such garbage!
perfectly sane
completely sane
▪ To his neighbours, Peter appeared perfectly sane.
▷ sanity /ˈsænɪti, ˈsænəti/ [uncountable noun]
when you are mentally healthy :
▪ If you have your health and your sanity, money isn’t really important.
▪ I began to doubt Donald’s sanity as his story got stranger and stranger.
▷ of sound mind /əv ˌsaʊnd ˈmaɪnd/ [adjective phrase]
a legal expression meaning not mentally ill and able to be responsible for your decisions and actions :
▪ You are allowed to vote only if you are over 18 and of sound mind.