Mental Disorder Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Mental disorders are illnesses that cause emotional, thought, and/or behavioral disturbances. They are frequently induced by stress and/or functional disability. Mental disorders can result in multiple problems, including misery, sorrow, and even death.

In any given year, approximately one out of every four adults in the United States suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder.

Many people who are suffering from mental illnesses do not want to talk about it. Mental disease, on the other hand, is not something to be ashamed of! It’s a medical condition like diabetes or heart disease. Mental disorders are treatable.

We are continually growing our understanding of how the human brain works, and therapeutic choices are easily available to help people manage their mental health difficulties efficiently.

Personal characteristics such as the ability to control one’s thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and interactions with others, as well as cultural, social, economic, political, and environmental factors such as national social protection policies, living standards, working conditions, and social support, all play a role in determining mental and physical illness.

Mental health disorders are caused by a combination of genetics, stress, nutrition, prenatal diseases, and exposure to environmental hazards.

Mental illness has no age, gender, geography, money, social status, race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, background, or another component of cultural identification; it can impact anyone. While mental illness can strike at any age, the majority of people are diagnosed when they are 24 years old.

Characteristics of Mental Disorder and Illness

It is obvious that no single quality will be able to properly describe the term, but each is a legitimate point and part of what may create an accurate definition. As a result, mental diseases are often defined by the presence of multiple features at the same time.

Personal Distress

Personal distress is one of the characteristics used to identify mental disorders—a person’s behavior might be classified as abnormal if it causes him or her extreme distress. People with depression or anxiety are more vulnerable. Distress is not caused by all mental diseases.

For example, someone with an antisocial personality disorder may act aggressively and even break the law without experiencing any shame, regret, anxiety, or other distress. Not all distressing actions are uncontrollable, such as the discomfort of hunger caused by a fasting commitment or the pain of childbirth.

Disability

In other words, problems in one aspect of your life (such as employment or personal relationships) can be an indication of mental illness. Substance abuse disorders, for example, are frequently defined by occupational or social impairment caused by substance usage (e.g., major disagreements with a spouse or poor work performance).

Phobias can be crippling and distressing, such as when fear of flying prevents someone from applying for a job in New York who lives in California.

It is not adequate to use it to imply mental problems, as certain diseases, but not all, are marked by limitations. Bulimia nervosa, for example, is characterized by binge eating and compensatory purging (e.g. vomiting) to manage weight gain, but it does not always involve disability.

Many people with bulimia go about their lives normally, bingeing and purging in solitude. Other features that would be deemed impairments in some circumstances, such as being blind and aspiring to be a professional racing car driver, do not fit within the category of psychopathology. There is no rule dictating which disabilities belong in our field of research and which do not.

Violation of Social Norms

Social norms (beliefs and attitudes) are generally held standards (beliefs and attitudes) that individuals use consciously or intuitively to form judgments about where behaviors fall on scales such as good-bad, right-wrong, justified–unjustified, and acceptable–unacceptable.

Disordered behavior is defined as behavior that deviates from social norms. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder, for example, engage in routines that violate social standards, as do people with schizophrenia who engage in discussions utilizing voices. 

This definition, however, is both too wide and too limited. For example, it’s excessively broad in the sense that criminals violate social norms but are rarely studied in psychology. It’s overly restricted because social standards are rarely broken by nervous people.

Of course, social norms fluctuate dramatically between cultural and ethnic groupings. As a result, behavior that violates social norms in one group may not be the same in another. However, in certain cultures, it is against the social norm to express direct disagreement with others.

Dysfunction

Wakefield (1992) claimed that mental diseases could be defined as a detrimental malfunction in an influential and highly discussed paper. There are two aspects to this definition: a value judgment (“harmful”) and an objective, scientific component—the “dysfunction.”

A normative standard is used to judge whether or not a given behavior is detrimental. This criterion will most likely be based on social conventions and beliefs, as well as the traits stated above. Dysfunctions are thought to occur when an internal mechanism is unable to fulfill its original purpose, or complete the task for which it was designed. Wakefield wanted to define scientific objectivity by gaining an understanding of abnormalities in the theory of evolution.

Causes of Mental Illness

The specific cause of mental illness is never determined. They could be caused by a mix of environmental and hereditary factors, or both.

Genetic Factor

Mental illnesses can occur in families, suggesting that those with a mental illness in their immediate relatives are more likely to develop one themselves. The risk of mental disease is handed down through generations via DNA. Each individual’s genetics and environment interact in a unique way (even with similar twins).

Environmental Factor

Being in a stressful circumstance increases your chances of developing a mental disease. Things like being poor or living in an abusive environment can put a tremendous amount of stress on your head. These frequently lead to mental illness.

Prenatal Damage

A few studies suggest that disturbances in brain development during the embryonic stage or birth trauma, such as a lack of oxygen to the brain, may play a role in the development of some illnesses, including autism spectrum disorders.

Altered Chemistry in the Brain

Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules found in the brain that send signals to other parts of the brain as well as the rest of the body. If the normal functioning of the nervous system is harmed as a result of the malfunctioning of these chemical compounds, mental disease can occur.

Alcohol and Drugs

Drug and alcohol abuse can lead to mental disease. It also makes recovery from mental diseases more challenging.

Childhood Trauma

Even if you no longer live in a stressful setting, events that occurred when you were a child can cause stress later in life.

Few Common Symptoms of Mental Disorder and Illness

It’s not always easy to tell the difference between regular conduct and what could be signs of a mental disorder. There is no test that can determine whether someone is suffering from mental illness or whether their actions or thoughts are normal for a person or are caused by a physical condition.

It’s critical to be aware of any abrupt shifts in cognitive patterns or behaviors. Be aware that the beginning of any of the symptoms listed below, not just any single change, is a sign of a problem that should be investigated. The symptoms listed below are not caused by recent drug use or any other medical issue.

Examples of signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling down or sad
• Sleeping patterns change or feeling exhausted and depleted of energy
• A lack of clarity or confusion in thinking, or a reduced ability to focus
• A fearful and intense worry about weight gain or worry about the appearance
• Fears or anxieties that are excessive or intense feelings of guilt
• Extreme mood shifts in lows and highs
• Social withdrawal
• Low energy, significant fatigue, or sleep problems.
• Avoid social gatherings and friends
• Inability to manage daily stress or problems
• Problems understanding and connecting to different situations and people
• Problems with alcohol and the use of drugs
• Sex drive shifts
• Insane anger, hostility, or violence
• Being able to hear or see things that aren’t (hallucinations)
• Suicidal thought

Treatments of Mental Disorder and Illness

There are numerous approaches to dealing with mental health difficulties. Treatment is very personalized, so what works for one person may not work for another. Certain tactics or treatments are more effective when used in conjunction with others. A person with a persistent mental disorder can use different treatments at different stages in their life.

The patient must work closely with a physician who will assist them in determining their needs and providing the appropriate treatment. Treatment options include:

Psychological Therapy

Talk therapy is another name for it. It is one of the most widely used treatments for mental illnesses. It is the process of sharing your concerns with a mental health expert. There are many different sorts of talking therapies. Dialectical behavior therapy is the most common. The vast majority of talk therapy sessions are conducted one-on-one.

It can, however, be done as a group or with the family. Individual and group talk therapy can be effective. Even persons who may not have a mental condition but are going through stressful life circumstances may benefit from this type of therapy (grief divorce, grief, etc. ).

Medication

Some people can benefit from taking drugs for a short period of time, while others may need them on a regular basis. Prior to prescribing the medicine, the doctor must discuss its benefits as well as any potential side effects.

Changes in the chemical structure of the brain have been linked to a number of mental diseases, according to research. Medicines aid in the restoration of the brain’s normal chemical balance, reducing or eliminating symptoms.

Community-based Support Programs

Support groups are especially beneficial for people with chronic illnesses or who have psychiatric disorders. Information and lodging, assistance in finding suitable jobs, education and training programs, psychosocial rehabilitation, and mutual support groups could all be part of the assistance. The community’s acceptance and understanding are equally important.

Home Remedies

Alternative remedies can be used to supplement traditional therapy. They won’t solve mental health problems on their own, but they may be able to assist.

This means sticking to your treatment plan as closely as possible, avoiding drinking and taking drugs, and adopting an unhealthy lifestyle that includes foods that are favorable to your brain. Omega-3 fatty acids are among them. Seafood oil can be found naturally in certain high-fat fish.