Mental illness, also known as mental health disorders, encompasses various conditions that impact mood, thinking, and behavior.
Examples: Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, depression, and addictive behaviors.
Many people occasionally experience mental health issues. However, Mental health concerns can become mental illnesses when persistent symptoms cause frequent stress and hinder functioning.
A mental disease can lead to misery and problems with daily life, including relationships, jobs, and education. In most cases, a combination of medicine and talk therapy (psychotherapy) can effectively treat symptoms.
Let’s explore some major causes of mental illness.
What are mental disorders?
Mental disorders are conditions that impact thoughts, feelings, mood, and behavior. They may occur over a short period of time or come and go. Some may persist for a long time or be chronic.
They may have an impact on your daily functioning and interpersonal relationships.
Common causes of mental health problems
Infections
Certain infections have been linked to brain damage, the development of mental illness, or the worsening of its symptoms.
For example, Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDAS) is linked to streptococcus bacteria. It has been linked to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental illnesses in children.
Genetics
Mental illnesses may be inherited. Individuals with a family member who has a mental illness may be more likely to have one themselves.
This weakness is passed on in families through genes.
Experts suggest that mental illnesses are linked to multiple gene abnormalities, with unique interactions between these genes and the environment for each individual.
For this reason, a person may inherit a mental disorder, but they do not always develop the illness. A person who has a hereditary tendency to mental illness may experience an illness as a result of stress, abuse, or a traumatic incident. However, mental illness itself is the result of the interaction of several genes.
Substance abuse
Anxiety, despair, and paranoia have been specifically associated with long-term substance usage.
physical causes
For example, a brain injury or a neurological disorder like epilepsy may affect your behavior and emotional state. It’s important to rule out potential physical causes before pursuing more mental health care.
Environmental causes
Many environmental factors can trigger an illness in a person who is more likely to have mental illness. These factors include:
- Divorce or death
- An unsatisfactory home life
- Anxiety, wrath, loneliness, low self-esteem, and feelings of inadequacy
- Switching careers or educational institutions
- expectations from society or culture (For instance, eating disorders may arise as a result of a society that equates thinness with beauty.)
- use of drugs by the individual or by their parents
When to see a doctor?
Suppose you have any symptoms of a mental disorder. It would help if you visited your primary healthcare provider or a mental health expert.
Remember! Many mental disorders don’t improve on their own. A mental illness may get worse with time and cause problems without treatment.
Additionally, preventative medicine strategies, including healthy lifestyles and stress management, can meaningly decrease the duration and harshness of mental illness.
What are the common treatments for mental disorders?
How serious your mental illness is will determine what kind of treatment you need. Your doctor and you will collaborate to create a personalized treatment plan. Usually, therapy is good for this treatment. It is also possible for you to take medication.
To manage their disease, some persons also require social support and education.
Sometimes, patients may need more extensive care, especially when they are facing severe mental disorders that are not treated with traditional treatments. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (tms) may be prescribed as an alternative in these cases.
You can receive counseling, participate in group discussions, and participate in activities with mental health professionals and other patients in the hospital.