Mental Illness is Misunderstood

There are hundreds of known mental illnesses, yet they are often the most misunderstood human conditions. That’s right - they are actual diagnosable health conditions, just like heart disease, diabetes, and the flu. Our brain is an important part of our body, and mental illnesses are afflictions of the brain - so why are they not always recognized and treated with the same importance as neurological disorders like cancer or epilepsy? 

Awareness and stigma of mental disorders are the greatest barriers to proper care, especially within families or cultures that don’t understand them. In fact, many seem to think the cure is to just “push through” or “be stronger”, when in reality, it would be the same as telling someone with brain cancer to simply will their illnesses away. 

Today we’re going to debunk some of these myths, change our perceptions, and learn about the science behind mental illness.

In recent years, the line between what are typically classified as neurological disorders versus mental illnesses is becoming thinner and blurred. The fact is, that both have a biological basis in the brain, and both are very much real and disruptive. 

Mental illness has somewhat of a broad definition - any health condition that changes thinking, feelings, or behavior. Some common examples are depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and schizophrenia. These are categorized as mental illnesses, whereas disorders like epilepsy, alzheimers, and parkinson’s are considered neurological disorders.

Of course, there is not always a direct cause for any mental illness, just like with physical illnesses. People often associate depression, anxiety, and other conditions to a specific event or trauma a person has faced. While this can often be a trigger, or a part of the cause, these conditions are mostly based in the biochemistry of the brain.

Some mental illnesses are caused by an imbalance of neurochemicals or neurotransmitters, the molecules in our brain that send signals to communicate with the rest of our body. We have a multitude of these in our brain, and they are all extremely important to proper brain function - if they are in the correct balance.

For example, there is the neurotransmitter epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. This is what comes into play when we are scared - it is a major element of our fight or flight system. It’s also released in stressful situations - like prior to a big test or presentation. Epinephrine regulates muscle contractions, blood pressure and heart rate, among other things. Epi-pens - a common quick fix for an allergic reaction - provide a shot of adrenaline right into the body, which relaxes the muscles in the breathing airways, allowing the individual to breathe easier. Epinephrine plays a major role in our body and brain, however, an abundance of it can lead to side effects like dizziness, fatigue, chronic stress, and even anxiety disorders.

Similarly, a neurotransmitter called dopamine, usually responsible for controlling the striatum, the part of our brain that processes pleasure and reward, can have the opposite effect when there is too little or too much of it in the brain. A deficiency in dopamine can cause addiction and depression, among other things, and a surplus can often lead to attention disorders, autism, and symptoms associated with schizophrenia. 

Improper amounts of many other neurotransmitters can also have unfavorable effects on our brain health and lead to certain mental illnesses.

There is also a genetic and lifestyle component to what causes mental disorders, similar to neurological disorders.

But how much of mental illness can actually be logicalized with biology?

Dr. Jerome Wakefield, professor of psychiatry at NYU explains that “If we focus only at the brain level, we are likely to miss a lot of what's going on in mental disorders.”

There's also an environmental and social component in our brains, which both interact with the biological to give rise to mental illness. Some disorders, like autism and schizophrenia, have a very biological basis, and can be more easily understood from a scientific point of view. Other disorders, like depression and anxiety, are much more complicated, and require consideration of these other environmental and social factors.

This complex nature of mental disorders often creates difficulty with diagnosis. There are not always clear cut standards and guidelines for what falls under the umbrella of certain mental disorders like PTSD or depression.

Lee Anna Clark, professor of psychology at Notre Dame explained that there are four main difficulties in identifying and classifying mental disorders. The first is what factors and what combination of factors cause them, how to diagnose mental disorders without string categories and boundaries, treatment for different kinds of disorders, and comorbidity - a term for when someone meets the diagnosis for multiple disorders, which is actually quite common. 

The stigma and social ramifications of mental illness also create a barrier between those who need care and the ability, or want, to get it. Clark claims that “probably the vast majority of people with mental disorders will never see a professional mental health care worker.” This is an issue that must be resolved from the bottom up. 

At the very lowest level, the education system must break the myth that mental disorders are simple, or that they don’t even exist. People must learn the complexities behind these disorders in order to have compassion, empathy, and help be a part of the solution. Institutions that provide care must also make it accessible to those who cannot get access, whether that be because of financial reasons, social, or anything else.

Nearly 1 in 5 people in the US are affected by mental illness, according to the NIH. This is now a major public health concern that must be fixed from all sides.


Serena Hirani