I hope that you have had the chance to look through the blogs this week, and explore our Mental Health Awareness Week. As we see the problems we have, we may wonder what is the cause behind these issues. What causes mental illness?
(Photo source: NIMH)
It is easily seen from the graph above that mental illness is common in the US, taking up 17.9% of all US adults. We also note that the range of age during college and the transition from teenager to adult is the time that we encounter lots of stress in life.
Mental illness is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, psychological and environmental factors.
Our genes tell a lot about who we are, and any mental illnesses that run in family can be passed down from parents to children. However, there is a misconception here, because heredity only means that you are more likely to acquire the diseases - it does not mean that if your parents had some kind of mental illnesses, then you will be in the same condition. The environment we live in and the experience we come across in life also trigger our genetic blueprints, in either a negative or positive way.
Abnormal balance of brain chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, is a form of biological cause. Because neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells, if these messengers are out of balance, the brain cannot function properly, leading to mental illness. Defects in and injuries to some parts of the brain also cause the problem.
Moreover, psychological trauma in lifetime, such as a significantly early loss of loved ones, and any kind of severe emotional, physical, or sexual abuse can also trigger mental illness.
Stressors in life from schools, jobs, families, and communities are environmental factors to generate mental illness.
At some point in life, anyone will have to face challenges and problems that are needed to be solved, and it will take us lots of time and energy. Therefore, from understanding about the cause of the illness, we can accept that difficulties are part of life, and the most important thing to remember is to find balance and peace in life. Going to the gym, asking for advice from people who you believe in, and meditating are some practices that I found effective in helping me find harmony in life. For a more serious case of mental illness, group therapy, hospital treatment, and medication may require.
I hope that you have a general idea about the cause of mental illness after reading this post, and you can at least try to reduce the cause to relieve some burdens in life. Stay away from stress :)
Reference
The general information on this blog is based on MedicineNet, a webpage where doctors share medical information.
