Mental retardation affects intelligence and cognitive abilities, while mental illness affects personality and mood. Mental retardation is typically recognized in childhood, while mental illness symptoms usually appear in adulthood. Treatments differ, with medication and therapy used for mental illness and special education and therapy for mental retardation.
Mental retardation and mental illness are two different disorders. Mental retardation affects a person’s intelligence and cognitive abilities, while mental illness will generally affect an individual’s personality and mood, or emotional well-being. Those with mental illness may exhibit aggressive or violent behavior, mood swings, or manic depression. Some forms of mental illness are called psychosis. People with mental retardation have developmental delays and learning disabilities.
While mental retardation and mental illness are both treatable, a professional diagnosis is needed to determine the most effective plan. In most cases, mental retardation is identified early on, usually by the time a child reaches school age. He may show signs of developmental delays, such as being late to get dressed or fed, or not being able to use the bathroom on his own. During your school years, you may have difficulty learning to read and write or to do mathematical equations.
People who have been diagnosed with mental retardation will have a lower than average intelligence quotient (IQ). A person’s IQ can be determined by taking an IQ test. Moderately mentally retarded students can be placed in special education classes, while mildly mentally retarded adults can be trained in special laboratories. These workshops can prepare a mentally retarded person for job placement.
Mental illnesses refer to any number of disorders that can disrupt a person’s life, including schizophrenia and OCD. Schizophrenia is a form of mental illness that can cause delusions or hallucinations, as well as paranoia. Some schizophrenics also suffer from something called multiple personality disorder.
While mental retardation is typically recognized in early childhood, symptoms of mental illness usually don’t become apparent until adulthood. Most patients diagnosed with mental illness did not show symptoms until their late teens or early 20s. Though not as common, mental illness can affect young children as well. Children can suffer from severe forms of panic disorder and phobias that affect many adults as well.
The treatments available for mental retardation and mental illness also differ. Depending on the type of mental illness a person has, antidepressants or other medications may be prescribed. Behavior modification therapy or psychotherapy is often recommended for those suffering from various forms of mental illness. Children and adults diagnosed with mental retardation may benefit from recreational activities and speech therapy or speech therapy, as well as special education.
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