BIOLOGY AND MENTAL ILLNESS

BIOLOGY AND MENTAL ILLNESS

The most honest answer to this question is “No one really knows for sure.” However, this is not an answer you’re apt to hear very often. On this page, I’ll briefly discuss both sides of the issues. First, let me talk briefly about the relationship between biology, mental illness, and emotion.

Biology, Mental Illness and the Emotions

Most emotional states occur in connection with certain processees in the brain which can be measured in terms of electrical activity and presence of certain chemicals. For example, when a person is depressed, we can predict that there are lower levels of a neurotransmitter called Serotonin in the brain. Similarly, we can predict many other activities occurring in the brain based on different emotions or mental illness diagnoses.

This does not necessarily tells us anything about the cause of this pattern.

The Case for a Biological Base of Mental Illness

Baaed on what is stated above, it seems quite obvious why many people would say that mental illness is biologically based. Additionally, research has suggested that people with a family history of mental illness are more likely to have the same or a similar mental illness. This appears to suggest that mental illness has its roots in genetics and biology. But let’s take a look at the other side of the story…

Alternative Views on Mental Illness

One of the first things that you’ll learn if you take a research class is that correlation doesn’t mean causation. In other words, just because two things routinely occur together does mean one is causing the other. A good deal of theory which is supported by research suggests that things which bother us that we don’t deal with may change our biology. For example, say that you are really mad at your spouse. However, you don’t want anyone, including your spouse, to know. So you pretend everything is fine. This may lead to an ulcer, lower back problems, or a variety of other physically experienced symptoms. In psychology, we often refer to these as somatic symptoms. In other words, not dealing with emotional and relational illnesses also changes your biology!