Cause
of mental illness
So what actually causes mental illness? All of us have certain psychological
strengths and weaknesses. These are determined by our personalities,
previous life experiences, and the genes that we inherit and probably
by some physical characteristics of our nervous system. We also have
a number of external social supports such as our family, friends and
carers who protect us from life's stresses and strains. Most mental
health problems seem to occur as a result of events that happen and
our difficulty in coping with them at the time. In these circumstances
we normally experience emotional distress and some of us develop conditions
like depression or schizophrenia. The way that others help and respond
to the situation can be very important in bringing about recovery.