The treatment of mental health disorders usually includes two aspects: the actual treatment itself, and rehabilitation. Treatment focuses on reducing the symptoms of an illness that are present in the patient. In the case of a person with fever, the goal of treatment is to bring down the body temperature.

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Unlike in the case of physical illnesses where medication or surgery may provide a complete cure, mental disorders require medication along with other forms of treatment. The type of treatment administered to the patient depends on their diagnosis, the severity of the illness, as well as their physical and emotional state. A person may need a combination of some of these forms of treatment: medication, therapy, counseling, hospitalization, brain stimulation treatments and psychiatric rehabilitation. Often, the lines demarcating treatment and rehabilitation may be blurred.

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Psychiatric rehabilitation is an aspect of treatment that focuses on helping the person return to an optimal level of functioning and to achieve their life goals. This is brought about by providing medical, psychological and social input. There is no strict boundary between treatment and rehabilitation.

Not all persons with mental illness require rehabilitation. For many patients, medication or a combination of medication and therapy is sufficient to help them get back to a functional life. For some others, rehabilitation may be that essential final part of the treatment cycle.