Causes of Mental Illness

BRAIN

¨  Major anatomy related to Brain :

a.       Micro

b.       Macro

Distinctiveness of Human Brain

1. Compared with the brains of other primate species, the human brain is substantially greater in size.
2. Certain areas are expanded disproportionately. The prefrontal cortex has been estimated to occupy only 3.5 percent of the total cortical volume in cats and 11.5 percent in monkeys, but close to 30 percent of the much larger cortical volume of the human brain.

Limbic System

a.       Heart of the Brain

b.       Consists of;

1.  olfactory bulbs,
2.  hippocampus, 
3. amygdala, 
4. anterior thalamic nuclei,
5.  fornix, 
6.  mammillary body, 
7. septum pellucidum, 
8. Habenular commissure, 
9. cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, 
10. limbic cortex, and limbic midbrain areas.

Neurotransmitters

1.       Dopamine (D2)

2.       Noradrenalin (NA)

3.       Serotonin (5HT)

Genetics

1. Serotonin transporter genes for depression
2. COMT genes for Schizophrenia

congenital causes

1. fetal alcohol syndrome
2. Down syndrome
3. Turner syndrome

Causes of chronic stress

1. : shortages of food/shelter,
2. guilt,
3.  rejection by family/community,
4.  fear,
5. powerlessness.

Psychological

¨  Neuroticism: Neuroticism is a fundamental personality trait in the study of psychology characterized by anxiety, fear, moodiness, worry, envy, frustration, jealousy, and loneliness.

Emotional consequences of childhood experiences

1. malnourishment,
2. parental/societal violence,
3. punitive,
4.  unpredictable or inconsistent caregiving to children,

5. abandonment.

Vulnerable populations

1. Women and children,
2.  low socio-economic groups,
3. selected ethnic/cast groups,
4.  refugees