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What Causes Mental Health Disorders?

June 28, 2024

If you are dealing with a mental health disorder, it’s reasonable to ask, “Why me?” and “Why did this happen?” We don’t entirely comprehend why specific individuals have mental afflictions, but experts have detected some contributing factors. Once you understand the potential causes of mental disorders near Duluth, it’s less difficult to discover the support you need and feel less alone.

What Causes Mental Health Disorders In Duluth And The United States?

There isn’t a definitive way to know what has led to a mental health disorder. You may have equivalent life experiences to another individual and develop a disorder that they haven’t experienced. Or, perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a mental affliction that your relations haven’t faced. However, researchers have identified certain characteristics that strongly correlate to mental health disorders. If you’re experiencing a psychiatric condition, you might identify with one of these causes of mental health disorders.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are disturbing events that happen before age 18. These may include:

  • Acts of violence or physical abuse
  • Observing violence
  • Having a member of your family commit suicide or try to do so
  • Living with an individual with a substance use disorder
  • Living with a person who has an unmanaged mental health disorder
  • Splitting from parents or loved ones
  • Housing or food insecurity

The negative repercussions of these events may stick with you throughout your life. Even if you have a safer, more stable life as an adult, the strain and damage inflicted by ACEs may play a role in psychiatric illnesses.

Chronic Medical Conditions

Being afflicted by and navigating a chronic, life-endangering physiological issue may exact a toll on you. It can be terrifying, discouraging, and tiring. So, it’s no surprise that people with chronic medical afflictions are at an elevated risk for mental disorders, as well. If you’re struggling with ongoing anxiety or symptoms of depression as part of a longstanding illness, this might be a logical explanation.

Substance Use

Prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and alcohol all have potent chemicals that impact your feelings and thoughts. That’s the reason why some people take these mind-altering substances and how they develop drug and alcohol use disorders. But these chemicals may alter your neural pathways, causing problems that linger even once the substance isn’t being used. When your brain is modified like this, it may lead to mental illness.

Social Isolation

Human beings are social creatures. Even the most private individuals necessitate a bit of human bonding to flourish. If you live a rather secluded life with few fulfilling relationships or contact with others, it will influence your mental health.

Chemical Imbalances

Our mental, emotional, and physical health are all connected to chemicals located in our bodies. When those chemicals become out of whack for whatever reason, we could experience detrimental effects. If there is not an evident reason behind your mental disorder, it could be that the brain chemicals that manage your moods are imbalanced. Things like lifestyle and genetics can cause these imbalances, but most frequently, physicians aren’t certain why a patient is experiencing this regular cause of mental health disorders near Duluth.

Why Is The Cause of Mental Disorders Noteworthy?

So why is the cause of your mental disorder consequential? You could never pinpoint the precise cause of your disorder, but these factors will help enlighten you as to what it is. From there, you and your doctor will have less trouble figuring out how to address your disorder. To illustrate, prescribed medicines might help with chemical instabilities, and therapy can help you work past childhood experiences.

Understanding possible causes of mental health disorders might also aid you in making needed lifestyle improvements to help you steer clear of further disorders. You may also feel less on your own knowing other individuals have similar experiences.

Learn More About Mental Health Disorders And Treatment

The Counseling Center At Duluth is your local resource for mental health treatment. We provide skilled outpatient care when you need a hand managing or diagnosing a psychiatric disorder. Place a call to 470-444-4194 today or complete the contact form, and we’ll answer immediately to discuss your mental health needs.