Disclaimer

I am a certified coach in the field of (imminent) loss of contact / Parental Alienation. That is why I use this disclaimer to point out that I offer services as a coach. I do not offer services as a lawyer, therapist, counselor or other mental health professional. My services are meant for clients without serious mental health problems.

Serious mental illnesses

Definition according to the Dutch GGZ Standaarden:
The term 'serious mental illness' is used to describe a specific group of patients. The predicate 'severe' also relates to the additional limitations that people have in several areas of life. In daily practice, the group of people with serious mental illnesses is very diverse. Perhaps the differences between these people are more striking than the similarities. Not only are the complaints of these people very different, their circumstances can also vary widely and fluctuate over time. For example, some people from the target group can live and work independently with little treatment and/or guidance at home, while others need to stay on institutional premises for a long time. The definition and scope, as well as the differences within the group with serious mental disorders, are described below.

Definition

We speak of 'serious mental disorders' when:

there is a psychiatric disorder (including substance abuse and addiction) that requires care/treatment (not in symptomatic remission);
that is associated with serious limitations in social and/or societal functioning (not in functional remission);
where the disability is the cause and consequence of a psychiatric disorder;
that is not transient (structural or long-term, at least several years);
and where coordinated care from professional care providers in care networks is indicated to realize the treatment plan.

Remission

People with serious mental illnesses have in common that they have problems or limitations in several areas of life and that they need help for a longer period of time. They can enter 'remission' when they have no symptoms for six months (symptomatic remission) and experience no limitations in their daily and social functioning (functional remission). After five years of remission, they are no longer considered part of the target group. The term serious mental illness is not intended to label people as 'untreatable', 'chronic' or 'untreated'. People with serious mental illnesses do not form a static, but a fluid population: individuals may belong to it in some phases of their lives and not in others.