Some of the more common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and/or social withdrawal. When these occur in children under 18, they are referred to as serious emotional disturbances (SEDs). Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income.

Here are some important facts about mental illness and recovery:

* Mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders. They cannot be overcome through “will power” and are not related to a person’s “character” or intelligence.
* Mental disorders fall along a continuum of severity. Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 Americans — who suffer from a serious mental illness. It is estimated that mental illness affects 1 in 5 families in America.
* Mental illnesses usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and the old are especially vulnerable.
* The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.
* With appropriate effective medication and a wide range of services tailored to their needs, most people who live with serious mental illnesses can significantly reduce the impact of their illness and find a satisfying measure of achievement and independence. A key concept is to develop expertise in developing strategies to manage the illness process.
* Early identification and treatment is of vital importance. By ensuring access to the treatment and recovery supports that are proven effective, recovery is accelerated and the further harm related to the course of illness is minimized.

For advancement in your career
If you have any desire to advance in your career, this is also another reason to take mental health continuing education seriously. Even in you have a master’s degree, showing a potential employer your credentials includes showing how dedicated you are to the field. If they see that you have been continuing your education through formal courses they may consider you for a higher position with a higher salary. They may advance you from within. Either way, it is very important to know that in order to grown in your career you have to take education seriously.

A strong desire to learn more
Chances are you already take education seriously. You may subscribe to periodicals that keep you abreast of the changes happening in your field – either the broad spectrum of mental health or specifically as it may relate to your position. You may follow websites or blogs on-line that keep you informed about the latest advancements. These are all a part of being a great mental health practitioner. Mental health continuing education is also a more formal way of staying in touch with the changes in the field of medicine.

Mental health continuing education options
There are several ways to earn the continuing education requirements you need. There are many on-line courses that offer independence and flexible scheduling. This is a great option for people with a full schedule or families to take care of in addition to patients. There are also classroom courses available, many scheduled after hours to suit your work schedule. You can also choose to take an intensive course study and shorten your time commitment by take a course over a week. Some intensive courses may last longer. You can also consider taking full time coursework at a higher education institution to jumpstart your new career.

Good mental health is something that has been ignored by most of us, while we do notice a slight headache we ignore to recognize sudden mood swings, low tolerance levels, being gloomy and blue all the time as a sign that something may be wrong with our mental health. More people worldwide suffer from mental illness than is ever understood, in the United States alone every year around 6% of the population goes through some form or the other of depression and depression is just one of the many mental disorders that exist. Most of the times our failure to recognize this stems from being unaware or being ashamed of admitting that “something is wrong with my mind”.

Clay Cockrell, a New York City licensed social worker, has taken his therapy off the couch and into the great outdoors. There’s an added bonus in walk and talk therapy — the exercise.

Antidepressants are taking away business from talk therapy, according to some experts. A recent study found that less than 15 percent of patients had the suggested amount of follow–up care after starting medication. So therapists have to find new ways to keep people interested in talk therapy. Cockrell thinks combining talk therapy with physical exercise might increase the number of people considering talk therapy.