What causes a mental illness?

Mental illnesses can have a vast variety of reasons and, often, they cannot be attributed to a single origin but rather to a complex combination of factors. According to the biopsychosocial model those factors are partly biologically, psychologically and socially driven. The current state of research suggests that certain predispositions (biological or psychological ones) make us more vulnerable to certain types of mental illnesses. However, it mostly needs external triggers in lifetime (such as chronic stress caused by bad working conditions or the loss of a close relative) for the mental illness to actually emerge. Additional maintaining factors such as negative or inappropriate reactions from the social environment, circling negative thoughts and pointless rumination as well as negative reinforcing patterns of behaviour contribute to the maintenance of the mental illness.

Example

Imagine a fictive depressed character named Tom. Tom has always been rather introverted and shy. Opening up to others was never easy to him and he always preferred being on his own rather than in society. His older brother Phil, however, is the opposite and, therefore, well known in the village. For Tom, it often felt as if he was his brothers shadow, especially as his mother often compared him to Phil. Today, Tom is 31 years old and living in Douala. He left his village in the hope of better opportunities but, even though his education is quite good, he can barely make a living from the money he is earning. Tom is currently in a relationship, but things changed over the course of time making it feel as if they would live parallel lives. Most of the time, Tom feels frustrated and as if life would pass him by. Thoughts like “I’m a complete waist”, “nobody really needs and cares about me” and “everything I’m doing is just nonsense and worthless” often occur to him. He sees no point in life, feels ashamed and as a consequence, is even more avoiding social contact. Earlier, he accepted going out with his partner from time to time but convincing him got more and more difficult and, thus, his partner is now leaving without asking Tom anymore. As a result, he feels even more lonely and unfulfilled.

This example is to illustrate the different influencing factors leading to an increasing severity of depression. Tom’s shy character trait gets negatively reinforced by his environment in his early childhood. Being compared to his brother, even by his mother, raises doubts and is, thus, leading to a low self-esteem. As a result, he is even less likely to open up to others, especially when it comes to personal problems. Even though this makes him more vulnerable, the real depression is only triggered by negative life events, in this case the frustration concerning the personal career as well as the emotional break up of Tom’s partner. Tom’s negative feelings and thoughts are in turn reinforcing a behaviour that leads into an even deeper depression. To get out of this vicious circle Tom would need to break this negative pattern of self-destructive thoughts and to engage more into society and regular activities again.

Find more information

Podcats

Articles

Find professional help