[izzydata]

Would you happen to know if there is some classification difference between a mental disorder that may involve some kind of chemical imbalance and a personality disorder which would be more like having a personality that makes daily life difficult? I feel like they get lumped together, but maybe I'm just ignorant about how these terms are used.

[whatshisface]

Here is a link describing the categories. They are divided up into AMI (any mental illness) and SMI (serious mental illness). Illnesses categorized in AMI may even involve no impariment, those are probably what people are referring to when they talk about fresh air and a walk being the best medicine.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.sh...

[coldtea]

There's no "chemical imbalance" per se. People can and do have "serious mental issue" with no specific chemical markers to tell...

It's mostly a marketing slogan for drugs, and a gross over-simplification.

[DanBC]

> that may involve some kind of chemical imbalance

This mostly doesn't exist.

> a personality disorder which would be more like having a personality that makes daily life difficult?

Go careful with that. People with the dx have usually been harmed by early childhood abuse (although there's some difference between UK and US diagnosing) and many people with the dx feel it's an entirely unhelpful construct.

[50656E6973]

The "chemical imbalance" theory is a Big Pharma marketing slogan, not a real scientific fact.