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What Causes Mental Health Disorders?

June 28, 2024

If you are living with a mental health disorder, it’s normal to ponder, “Why me?” and “Why did this happen?” We don’t totally comprehend why certain people develop mental disorders, but experts have identified some contributing traits. Once you have a greater understanding of the potential causes of mental disorders near Yorktown Heights, it’s easier to find the treatment you need and feel less alone.

What Causes Mental Health Disorders In Yorktown Heights And The US?

There is no conclusive way to figure out what has led to a mental health disorder. You can have comparable life experiences to someone else and develop a disorder that hasn’t impacted them. Or, perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a mental affliction that your relatives don’t have. But, experts have pinpointed certain traits that have direct correlations to mental health disorders. If you have a psychiatric condition, you could empathize with one or more of these causes of mental health disorders.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that happen prior to the age of 18. These might include:

  • Violence and physical abuse
  • Witnessing violence
  • Having a family member attempt or die from suicide
  • Living with an individual with a drug or alcohol addiction
  • Living with a person who has an undiagnosed mental health disorder
  • Splitting from parents or family members
  • Housing or food insecurity

The detrimental repercussions of these events might stick with you throughout your life. Even if you have a more stable, safer life in adulthood, the strain and damage caused by ACEs might lead to psychiatric conditions.

Chronic Medical Conditions

Suffering from and managing a chronic, life-threatening medical concern may be hard on you. It may be discouraging, scary, and exhausting. So, it isn’t surprising that people with chronic physical illnesses are at a higher risk for mental ailments, too. If you’re battling consistent anxiety or depression as a result of a long-term illness, this could be a logical justification.

Alcohol Or Drug Use

Alcohol, prescription drugs, and illicit drugs all have powerful chemicals that change how you feel. That’s why some people use these mind-altering substances and how they become afflicted by substance use disorders. But these chemicals could change your brain chemistry, causing imbalances that persist even once the substance isn’t being used. If your brain chemistry is changed like this, it might precipitate mental health disorders.

Social Isolation

People are social animals. Even introverted individuals require a bit of human connection to survive. If you endure a rather secluded life with few rewarding interactions or relationships with others, it will impact your mental health.

Chemical Imbalances

Our mental, emotional, and physical well-being are all linked to chemicals found in our bodies. If those chemicals get out of whack for whatever reason, we may endure adverse ramifications. If there is not an evident cause of your psychiatric disorder, it may be that the neural chemicals that manage your moods are out of balance. Elements like genetics and your way of life can lead to these imbalances, but most of the time, physicians aren’t sure why a patient is undergoing this regular cause of mental health disorders near Yorktown Heights.

Why Is The Cause of Mental Disorders Important?

So why does the cause of your mental disorder matter? You could never pinpoint the precise cause of your condition, but these factors may help enlighten you as to what it is. At that point, you and your medical provider will have less trouble figuring out how to treat your disorder. For example, prescribed medicines can help with chemical irregularities, and therapy may be best to help you work past childhood experiences.

Identifying likely causes of mental illness may also assist you in making necessary lifestyle changes to help you steer clear of future disorders. You could also feel less alone understanding others have similar experiences.

Learn More About Mental Health Disorders And Treatment

The Counseling Center At Yorktown Heights is your trusted local source of mental health treatment. We offer compassionate outpatient guidance when you need assistance diagnosing or managing a psychiatric condition. Call 914-977-0608 today or fill out the contact form, and we’ll answer right away to consult on your mental health needs.