AETIOLOGY OF MENTAL
ILLNESS
WITHIN THE POPULATION AND FACTORS
WHICH MAY INFLUENCE MENTAL HEALTH
AND MENTAL ILLNESS
CAUSES OF MENTAL
DISORDERS
Mental health conditions can be classified according to :
-Nature
Biological
- Psychological
- Social
- Environmental
-According to effect (4Ps)
1. Predisposing factors
2. Precipitating factors
3. Perpetuating( maintaining factors)
4. Protecting factors
PREDISPOSING FACTORS
Predisposing factors are operating from early in life,
that determine a person’s vulnerability to causes
acting close to the time of the illness.
Personality is always an essential element that help
to explain why the patient responds to certain
stressful situations and reacts in a particular way.
E.g. genetic abilities, environment in utero, trauma
at birth as well as social and psychological factors in
infancy and early childhood.
PRECIPITATING AND
PERPETUATING FACTORS
PRECIPITATING FACTORS
Events that occur shortly before the onset of a
disorder and appear to have induced it e.g. physical
disease, drugs, loss of a job, changing residence.
PERPETUATING FACTORS
These factors prolong the course of a disorder after it
has been provoked e.g. social circumstances like
marital discord, overprotecting parents.
PROTECTING FACTORS
Prevent the person from breakdown or relapsing
They include religion, Loving family,
marriage,job etc.
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
Biochemical disturbance
Genetics
Many major psychiatric disorders have shown to have
strong heredity predispositions.
Such as Schizophrenia, major depressive disorders
and Bipolar disorder
Infection can cause brain damage which may result
in mental illness
BIOLOGICAL FACTOR
Poor nutritional status: lack of nutrients in the
body expose to infection which may results in
brain disease
Exposure to toxins: Carbon monoxide may
cause toxicity in brain and cause mental
disorder
BIOLOGICAL FACTOR
A structural change in the brain (localized or
diffuse) accompanies a particular kind of mental
disorder.
Injury or lesion in brain can cause dementia, other
psychiatric disorders associated with organic
lesions such as ADHD
Brain defects or injury may occur at birth or even at
older age
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Psychosocial theories of etiology
(1) Psychoanalysis :
The central feature is the concept of unconscious mind
which is characterized by – divorce from reality, being
dynamic and being in conflict with the conscious mind.
It
is important in the etiology of disorders like depression
and anxiety disorders.
These originate from failure to pass normally through 3
stages of development ( oral, anal, genital) .
(2) Learning theories- Experiences in childhood and later
in life give rise to mental disorders E.g. child abuse,
post-traumatic events
(3) Cognitive theories – Symptoms and behavior are
produced and maintained by maladaptive ways of
thinking
An important loss such as the loss of a parent
Poor ability to relate to other people
Negligence resulting from weak family relationship
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
CONT.
Stress ,including coping abilities
Drug and substance abuse
CHEMICALS
Neurotransmitters imbalance play a key role in many
mental illness such as bipolar, mood disorder as well
as depression
Decreased Dopamine- Depression, tremors found in
Parkinson's disease
Increased dopamine-Schizophrenia
Decreased serotonin-Depression
Increased Acetylcholine-Depression
Decreased Acetylcholine in hippocampus-Dementia
CHEMICALS
Increased Norepinephrine-Depression
Decreased Norepinephrine-Schizophrenia
Decreased GABA-Anxiety disorders
Increased Adrenalin-Anxiety or anxiety
disorders
SOCIAL FACTORS
Social sciences
Many of the concepts used by sociologists are
relevant to psychiatry disorders
For example Life events- migration, unhappy
marriage, problems at work
Family factors- lack of social support, criticism
and overprotection within the family.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Atmosphere around us
Exposure to viruses, toxins, alcohol or drugs in
utero can be linked to mental disorders
Stressful working environment e.g. noise
Natural and man-made disastrous e.g.
earthquakes or wars can cause PTSD
Climate change
SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS
They influence peoples feelings, values,
beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and interactions
Disorganized families
Lack, unequal or poor education
Lack\poor health care services
Gender discrimination
Issues of poverty, discrimination and
unemployment
SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS
Cultural and religious teachings often
influence beliefs about origins and nature of
mental illness and shape attitudes towards
the mentally ill
Cultural context shapes types of stressors an
individual is likely to experience
Also culture affect choice of coping strategies
that an individual utilizes in any given
situation
SUMMARY
Causes of mental illness are diverse in nature
In some cases, genetics seem to dominate, in other
cases, environment explains all
In some situations, it is a combination of both nature
and environment as they both
Model people to be who they are and how they
adapt to different stressors in their lives
More than one factor is necessary for someone to
develop mental illness
THE END
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