Causes of Mental illness

On the other hand, many people with schizophrenia have been shown to have perfectly normal vertricles and grey matter. Furthermore, many people with enlarged ventricles and reduced grey matter do not have schizophrenia. Thus, there is no definitive brain abnormality consistently associated with schizophrenia. Finally, genetic studies, including adopted twin studies, have shown strong evidence that mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder (manic depression) and schizophrenia can be partially inherited.

Psychological findings indicate that cognitive abnormalities, emotional problems or interpersonal problems can cause mental illness, especially in vulnerable individuals. Mental illness may also be caused by significant events in, or the conditions of, one’s environment. For example, there may be higher incidences of mental illness in areas that are involved in civil or military actions or that have recently suffered a major natural or man-made disaster. Areas that also suffer from endemic poverty, transience, and few resources and supports are also suggested to have higher rates of mental illness than more affluent or stable areas.

There are likely multiple causes of mental illness. There has been a focus on the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Each disorder is likely to have its own etiology, or causation. Treatment options include psychiatric medication, psychotherapy, lifestyle adjustments, other supportive measures or a combination of these. Sufferers typically seek treatment only when psychiatric symptoms make it very difficult to function, but early treatment - when symptoms are mild or moderate - will generally lead to a better long-term outcome. The diagnostic process is complex. Diagnosis remains a partially subjective and partially evidence-based practice that can include careful and detailed assessment of patient histories and current and past symptoms.

Psychiatric disorders vary from one individual to another and may be mild, severe, or anything in between. Even in one person, symptoms can vary over time from their most severe to complete remission and back. These illnesses often are episodic, and "flare-ups" may be triggered by stress and other factors. If one becomes ill again after a symptom-free period it is not due to a lack of willpower or self-control, but rather the natural waxing and waning of the illness. Appropriate treatment of the disease can help stabilize the course of the illness and reduce or eliminate the waxing and waning of symptoms.

Regarding the major psychiatric disorders (e.g. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder) the nature versus nurture debate has generally been settled. The answer is "both". The major psychiatric disorders all show strong evidence of heritability and psychosocial factors have been strongly implicated.

Some question whether the concept of 'mental illness' is coherent or appropriate or is used validly in practice. This can include professionals, and this view is often held by some of the anti-psychiatry movement, as well as by Scientologists.

[edit] Prevalence

According to the 2003 report of the U.S. President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, major mental illness, including clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, when compared with all other diseases (such as cancer and heart disease), is the most common cause of disability in the United States. Additionally, according to National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), an American advocacy organization which accepts funding from the pharmaceutical industry, 23% of North American adults will suffer from a clinically diagnosable mental illness in a given year, but less than half of them will suffer symptoms severe enough to disrupt their daily functioning. Approximately 9% to 13% of children under the age of 18 experience serious emotional disturbance with substantial functional impairment; 5% to 9% have serious emotional disturbance with extreme functional impairment due to a mental illness. It is suggested that many of these young people will recover from their illnesses before reaching adulthood, and go on to lead normal lives uncomplicated by illness.