Larkin 1

Kallista Larkin

Professor. Cassel

ENG.1201

26 March 2022

Acquiring Mental Illness: Treating It

Many people in today's generation have accumulated a mental illness. Mental illness

can be seen as a spectrum. This can range from very minor disorders to very severe. One

who might have a few of the traits of depression might jump to the conclusion that that is

what they have without getting accurately diagnosed. Depending on factors like overall

health or how people were raised has an impact on how severe mental health issues can be.

To be able to maintain mental illnesses, some people are prescribed medicine. With some

changes in lifestyle, one could not even need medicine to help maintain their illness.

People can uncover a mental illness by the situations they put themselves in. The way

people go through life or the way one is brought up in life could alter the severity of a mental

illness for someone. Exposing our bodies to toxins, day-to-day stressors, or going through a

massive life change could be linked to a reason for why one could be diagnosed with a

mental illness. For some people, mental illness is something more commonly found in their

genes. This means that if an ancestor had a disorder, one person down the line could inherit

that disorder and it could be less extreme or it could become more extreme. For example,

people who have autism have statistically shown that it can be traced through genes further

down the line. For the ancestors who have had traces of autism, the generations down the line

have a greater chance for developing the conditions rather than the condition itself. If an
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ancestor or former relative was diagnosed, it could give people a more probable chance of

getting that disorder as well.

Not everyone who has a chemical imbalance in their brain is linked to being

diagnosed with a mental illness. However, there are several types of disorders that an

imbalance in chemicals could lead to. Depression, Schizophrenia, Anxiety, and Bipolar

disorder are all illnesses that can be formed due to the imbalance. Nonetheless, these are not

all due to an imbalance in our brain, the imbalance being a contributing factor. If the

imbalance were the main factor, the medicine the doctors prescribed for said disorders would

be more effective faster. If our neural networks that are working in our brain become

compromised, it could open people up to several different emotional disorders (Mayo

Clinic).

Everybody has different ways when it comes to coping with their mental illnesses.

For some, they go with what they consider the ‘quickest route’ which would be getting

prescribed medication. When one is getting prescribed medicine comes with a few flaws.

Some medications center on a broader disorder overall like depression instead of narrowing

it down to the exact disorder like persistent depressive disorder or atypical depression.

Although these are all types of disorders for depression, they all link to different things

correlating with depression that fluoxetine, a common depression medication, might not fully

resolve. Doctors can narrow down some aspects of disorders but because of the wide ranges
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that the area of mental illness has, it can be hard for researchers and doctors to pinpoint the

exact disorder that an individual might have.

Taking medications could result in severe and even irreversible side effects. A list of

common side effects like headaches, fatigue, weight gain and addiction could be increased

when taking medications. Although with taking medications, symptoms like headaches,

fatigue and weight gain can go away within weeks of taking the medication. If it is not

properly being taken care of, some of these adverse effects may not be able to take a few

weeks to disappear. Addiction is also a quite common and severe effect when prescribed

medication for mental illness. While it can be common for doctors to prescribe a

combination of medication, it could be helpful but it also has a higher chance for increased

addiction. While looking for the correct medication to fulfill one’s needs, many people can

become dependent on needing medication to resolve all their issues (Mental Health

Foundation). While medication is something that is helpful and can fix many issues for

people who suffer with mental illnesses, it is something that should be a temporary fix but

not a permanent solution.

With over 4 decades of drug developments, there still has not been one continuous

proven trace to show 100% accuracy. When treating a mental illness, researchers collectively

agree that there needs to be more of an evidence-based approach when diagnosing mental

illnesses (Friedman). To help build the stability of using drugs to treat and diagnose people,

there needs to be more effective clinical trials to be testing medicine that will be able to

work. It has been shown that some medicine linked with the psychiatric side acts to correct
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imbalanced brain chemistry. Those who are prescribed medication typically use it for a

shorter period until they can get back on the right track.

Being prescribed medicine to treat mental illness only affects most people who are

diagnosed with mental disorders. For the handful that are not prescribed any prescriptions to

treat it, have found other methods to maintain and treat their disorders. Without the proper

attention to a disorder or putting it off until later in life could all lead to an irreversible effect

on the mental illness. These events have all been proven to put people in higher stress level

situations which have been shown to link with physical damage like heart attacks (Barry).

While some people might not care enough to properly treat their disorders, some live in fear

that by noticing the symptoms, they will become stigmatized. Due to a system of outdated

style of treatment, mental illnesses are not being seen as chronic illnesses. For the people

who do tend to their mental health problems have shown increases in their physical and

mental well-being. It has been shown to lower the risk for mental illness and reduce stress

levels.

Trying to find alternatives to lower the risk of a mental illness has been shown to be a

challenge for the people who are unable to get prescribed medications. These alternative

approaches are going to take more time and effort than therapy sessions or medication could

provide. Acupuncture and Meditation are widely known as effective alternatives for reducing

disorders. These healing practices have been shown to be a good balance of the mental,

physical, and spiritual well-being of ourselves. Other people have found Self-Help groups to

be not only effective but also very comforting. Being able to find people who have gone
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through similar experiences in life are able to find more effective ways to give advice. This

method is a great alternative to not necessarily rely on people who do not have much

knowledge of the experience but understand and relate to similar life experiences.

Readjusting the way people exercise and what they put in their body can have an everlasting

effect on the severity of mental issues. By putting more conscious thought into the foods

being consumed, the health benefits behind it can all promote a more positive mindset

(TheraputicSolutions).

With elevated levels of stress, it can raise levels for people with mental disorders. For

some, being in a public area, talking in public or even taking a test could raise their stress

levels and could cause people to have anxiety. Researchers have shown that with prominent

levels of stress could be a correlation to higher risks of people having mental disorders.

People who suffer from social stress could be afraid to be judged and are shown to be more

likely to not take their medicine to treat their disorder (Taher). With the large stigma around

mental health, it can be difficult for many people to feel open or comfortable talking to

others about the issues they face regarding their illness.

Many people struggle to determine the line between what is part of their mental

illness and what they choose to believe to fit the category for their disorder. Some might be

in a group of people who are exposed to mental illness and categorize themselves in that

because they might have similar symptoms. Without getting the proper treatment necessary,

there could be a large group of people who self-diagnose themselves due to not getting the

correct answers from medical professionals. While it is always good for people to seek for
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answers and be aware about the feelings they face regarding their illnesses, they should not

self-diagnose their mental illness. Many symptoms that people have could overlap with many

other symptoms that already exist. For example, someone experiencing a severe headache

might find when researching that it could be a brain turn or when it could just be due to

severe dehydration.

For the people who are showing signs of mental illness, the best decision would be to

get a doctor's perspective to get the proper diagnosis. With many new advancements in

technology, there has been many upgrades to the discovery of mental illness. Due to the

complexity of some disorders, there are some illnesses that that are unable to be detected by

blood work or a scan. With more recent studies, technology can center on certain brain

functions that could lead you to schizophrenia or autism. Psychotherapy has been shown to

decrease depression rates by over 50% (Weir). These advancements allow people to have the

opportunity to get the proper diagnosis they need. Although there is still room for the

unknown and this will not find all the answers people are looking for, it will still be able to

help the people who struggle to find what could detect their mental illnesses.
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People who talk about their mental health issues. (American Psychological

Association)

These charts show the statistics of people who are open to talking about their mental

illnesses with others. Depending on the age range, the graphs show the probability of people

being likely to being open about their illnesses. The older people get, show a higher tendency

to be more open to discussion about what they suffer from. With the younger generation,

they are less likely to talk about it due to the stigma that they are around. Being able to be

more open about disorders allows for people to find others who share similar experiences.

Although for some individuals it can be scary, it allows people to form a group and discuss

some of the issues they might face.

When having a mental illness, it is important to be able to maintain and regulate the

disorder without letting it get worse. Keeping up with not only the mental components of the

disorder but also the physical attributes are all vital to one who suffers with an illness.

Getting prescribed medication from a doctor does not have to be the only alternative for the

individuals who suffer from these disorders. If the disorder is brushed off and bottled up, it is
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only a matter of time before it can grow and get much worse. People could tend to think that

by talking to a therapist, their direct intention is to prescribe medications to regulate the

illness. However, many therapists tend to seek other alternatives before jumping to having to

take medication. Some effective methods therapists use to find other solutions could be

writing thoughts down in a journal daily, being able to change lifestyle habits that appeal to

be healthier for the individual or some might even recommend connecting the mind with the

body. Choosing these routes allows the individual to be open to other alternatives that appear

less extreme and could work more effectively.

Work Cited

Americans Becoming More Open About Mental Health. (2019, May). [Graph]. Survey:

Americans Becoming More Open About Mental Health.

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/mental-health-survey

Barry, Kayla. “Mental Health Is a Part of Being Human.” Pvsmokesignal,

https://pvsmokesignal.com/mental-health-is-a-part-of-being-human/. Accessed 6 Mar.

2022.

Clinic, Mayo. “Mental Illness.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 8 June 2019,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/mentalillness/symptoms-causes/syc-

20374968.

Friedman, Lauren F. “Drugs Aren't Solving Mental Illness. Here's What Might.” Business

Insider, Business Insider, 13 Aug. 2015,

https://www.businessinsider.com/nimhnewpsychotherapy-initiative-2015-7?amp.
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foundation, mentalhealth. (2022, February 14). Medication for mental health problems. Mental

Health Foundation. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-

to-z/m/medication-mental-health-problems

SolutionsTherapeutic. “Understanding Alternative Mental Health Care.” Therapeutic Solutions,

30 Jan. 2021, https://therapeutic-solutions.com/understanding-alternativementalhealth-

care/.

Taheri, Leila, et al. “Treatment Adherence in Patients with Mental Illnesses: The Effect of

Stigma and Spirituality.” Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, vol. 23, no. 4, 2021,

pp. 32–45., https://doi.org/10.12740/app/138429.

“Tedtalks: Ruby Wax--What's so Funny about Mental Illness?” Youtube , TED, 2012,

www.ted.com/talks/ruby_wax_what_s_so_funny_about_mental_illness?language=en.

Accessed 6 Mar. 2022.

Weir, Kirsten. “The Roots of Mental Illness.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological

Association, June 2012, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/roots.

*From Purdue Online Writing