Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing …

Menopause is a point in time when you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. It happens, on average, at age 52. It’s a natural process that occurs when your ovaries stop producing reproductive hormones. When menopause happens due to surgery or medical treatment, it’s called induced menopause. Hormonal changes due to menopause can cause uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. There are treatments …

Meningitis is an inflammation of the area surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meninges). It’s sometimes called spinal meningitis. Your meninges protect your brain and spinal cord from injury and provide support and structure. They contain nerves, blood vessels and protective fluid (cerebrospinal fluid). Infectious diseases, like viruses and bacteria, and non-infectious conditions, like cancer or head injuries, can cause …

A meningioma is a tumor that forms in your meninges, which are three layers of tissue that cover and protect your brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas originate from arachnoid cells in particular, which are cells within the thin, spiderweb-like membrane that covers your brain and spinal cord. This is one of three layers that make up the meninges. Most meningiomas aren’t cancerous (benign), though …

Ménière’s disease (idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops) is a rare inner ear disorder that affects your sense of balance and hearing. People with this condition experience symptoms like vertigo, ringing in their ears (tinnitus) and difficulty hearing. Symptoms start without warning, then go away — only to come back time and time again. The condition can take a major toll on your daily life. Left untreated, …

Medulloblastoma is a cancerous tumor of your central nervous system (CNS). It forms in the posterior fossa region of your brain, in an area called the cerebellum. Who does medulloblastoma affect? Primarily a childhood disease, medulloblastoma mostly affects children and teens under the age of 16. Though rarer in older individuals, it can occur in adults as well. Medulloblastoma in …

Medication overuse headaches — also known as rebound headaches — are caused by the long-term use of medicines to treat headaches such as migraines. Pain relievers offer relief for occasional headaches. But if you take them more than a couple of days a week, they may trigger headaches. If you have a headache disorder such as migraine, most medicines you …

Shin splints refers to pain in the front part of your lower legs (shins). This pain occurs when the muscles, tendons and tissue around your shin bone (tibia) become inflamed. Athletes often have shin pain because they put repeated stress on their shin bones, muscles and connective tissues. Healthcare providers sometimes call shin splints medial tibial stress syndrome. Shin splints …

Measles (rubeola) is a viral disease that causes fever and a rash. It’s highly contagious and spreads through the air when a person with measles talks, coughs or sneezes. There isn’t a medical treatment for measles — you have to let the virus run its course. The best protection against measles is to receive the measles vaccine. Since the introduction of a vaccine, …

Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of disorders caused by blood cells that are poorly formed or don’t work properly. Myelodysplastic syndromes result from something amiss in the spongy material inside your bones where blood cells are made (bone marrow). Management of myelodysplastic syndromes is most often intended to slow the disease, ease symptoms and prevent complications. Common measures include blood …