The Main Cause of Mental Illness

The main cause of mental illness has been confusing because there are multiple components of causes with various correlates. In order to make clear of this confusion, the present essay explores the causes of mental illness primarily found inside the individual, outside the individual and is a combination of the two. It is concluded that the causes of mental illness are primarily found a combination of the inside and outside causes.

Mental illness is the condition that significantly impede with an individual’s emotional, cognitive or social abilities (Savy and Sawyer, 2009). According to (Savy and Sawyer, 2009) neurological, metabolic, genetic and psychological causes are contributing factors for various types of mental illness like depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse and progression of condition. An elaborate system known as DSM-IV-TR gives a classification system that acts to separate mental illness into diagnostic categories based on the description of symptoms of illness (Savy and Sawyer, 2009). The exact primarily causes of mental illness are complicated, however, it seems to occur in a psychologically and biologically prone individual, in the trigger of environmental and social stress (Elder, Evans and Nizette, 2007).

In some cases the causes of mental illness primarily found inside the individual. Some of them have been associated with an abnormal balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. If they are out of balance the communication between nerve cell in the brain disrupted (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrist, 2005). Hence, leading to symptoms of mental illness like depression, schizophrenia. On the other hand, genetics also plays a significant role to acquire mental disorder, which is passed...

... middle of paper ...

...e in the neurodevelopment cycle, such as increased neuronal dysfunction with decreased connectivity and increases in loss of neuropril and extrinsic factor like substance abuse, developmental stress, relationship problem(Elder, Evans and Nizette, 2007).

All in all, the cause of mental illness can be summarised as a complex combination of psychological, social and biological response to environmental stressors, responding behaviour, physiology and connected to social context (Savy and Sawyer, 2009). Mental illness has been developed primarily due to the cause of circumstances around the individual and way of individual’s action to tolerate the situation. Hence, the combination of causes outside and inside the individual results in mental illness. Individual preference such as drug and alcohol use also develops and worsens the mental health problems, in some cases.