Factors determining the Development of Mental Health Conditions
Factors determining the Development of Mental Health Conditions
Factors determining the Development of Mental Health Conditions
There is a genetic basis for most mental health conditions as shown by the presence of a predictable pattern of inheritance. For instance, there is a 50% chance of developing bipolar disorder if one of the parents has a history of the disease (Levine, 2018). The presence of mental health conditions is correlated to the distortion of the neuroscience of the brain. For example, schizophrenia develops following the increase in dopamine levels in the brain.
The behavioral and cognitive functioning is often distorted in mental health conditions. For instance, the development of depression is often preceded by a feeling of worthlessness and low mood. The emotions of such a patient are likely to be distorted with higher chances of feeling low and unhappy. Developmentally, mental health patients are likely to have a history of trauma. For instance, the presence of maltreatment by seniors in the formative age (Sala, 2019).
The social factors implicated in the development of mental health conditions include the inability to form friends and the lack of social support from family. A single patient who lives alone at home and unable to form close relations is more likely to go into depression compared to the one with adequate social support (de Figueiredo, 2021). The presence of cultural beliefs such as a lack of appreciation for mental health conditions increase the chances of delayed diagnosis and treatment. Interpersonal factors determine the onset of mental health conditions and the speed of progression of the disease process. For example, the lack of interpersonal skills including communication makes it hard for the person to share inner feelings. Such a person is more likely to get a mental health condition compared to those who readily share what they are going through in life.
References
de Figueiredo, C. S., Sandre, P. C., Portugal, L. C. L., Mázala-de-Oliveira, T., da Silva Chagas, L., Raony, Í., … & Bomfim, P. O. S. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents’ mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 106, 110171.
