Mental Illness Research Paper Draft

“Defining disease and disorder remains a key conceptual question in philosophy of

medicine and psychiatry, and is currently a very practical matter for psychiatric nosology” (Stein

656). A mental disorder, also called a mental illness, scientifically can be described as a social or

psychological pattern that can negatively affect someone’s life in one of many ways. As defining

the mental illnesses socially remains a pertinent philosophical question, the treatment of these

illnesses is a question in philosophy that is just in important because every person and every

disease is different. There are a variety of symptoms for mental illnesses with each one having its

own set of specific possible symptoms, making mental disorders hard to diagnose in some cases.

Mental disorders define a wide range of conditions that affect behavior, frame of mind, and

cognitive processes and can be caused by a multitude of reasons, such as drugs or genetics.

These illnesses can be managed in many different ways however in most circumstances,

psychotherapy by itself is the best method of treatment but other options like medications, such

as antidepressants, antipsychotics and stimulants, or brain stimulation therapies can play a role in

treating quite a few mental illnesses and diseases.

In order for a mental states to be classified as disorders, they always needs to cause some

kind of cognitive or physical dysfunction. The organization and definition of these mental

sicknesses are key concerns for researchers as well as service providers and especially those who

are identified with a mental disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders (DSM), written and printed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), is a

shared language text that sets the standards for the criteria for the classification of mental

disorders. It is used widely between health practitioners, drug companies, researchers, health

insurance companies and more for a multitude of reasons. According to DSM-5, a mental illness
is “a psychological condition or pattern, that comes about in an individual, and

causes anguish through a painful symptom or ill health, or it increases the danger of passing

away, pain, or disability” (Phillips, 1761). However DSM-5 does exclude normal responses to

scenarios or incidents such as sorrow from death of a loved one, and it also omits irregular

behavior for social, political, or religious reasons not caused by a dysfunction in an individual as

well. Another reliable source for classifying mental illnesses is the International Statistical

Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) Chapter V:

Mental and Behavioral Disorders and this text of classifications is published and maintained by

the World Health Organization. It lists and defines all mental illnesses from organic,

schizophrenic, and mood to neurotic, retardation, and psychological. Both of these lists have a

standardized criteria used for diagnosis of the mental illnesses listed. DSM-5 and ICD-10 have

also purposefully converged their criteria in current versions so that the texts are generally

similar. When discussing the constant revisions in the DSM and ICD, Dan Stein, who earned his

medical PhD from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, comments that the

changes are “…pointing to a willingness to continue to grapple with and reconsider the blurry

boundaries of disease entities, based on growing knowledge and experience” (661). The current

comprehension of mental illnesses is still limited but with all of the research being done, the

understanding is improving every day.

The cause of mental disorders is currently a heavily researched topic, as understanding

the cause of these mental disorders could possibly help treat or prevent them. Drugs and genetics

are two of the largest causes for mental illnesses that researchers agree on. Depression is a major

mental illness that researchers have discovered to be linked to many drugs. In an article talking

about cannabis and mental health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists states that “A study
following 1600 Australian school-children, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that children

who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression”. In an article about the

neuropsychiatric effects of caffeine, Anthony Winston states that “[e]xcessive caffeine ingestion

leads to symptoms that overlap with those of many psychiatric disorders” (432). In an article that

discussed the tests of casual links between alcohol abuse or dependence and major depression

David Fergusson says that “[t]he findings suggest that the associations between [alcohol abuse or

dependence] and [major depression] were best explained by a causal model in which problems

with alcohol led to increased risk of [major depression]” (260). Other mental illnesses like

schizophrenia and psychosis have been linked to substance abuse. A large amount of drugs have

been related with growth of these mental illnesses, such as amphetamines, cannabis, and cocaine.

Five of the most prominent disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit-

hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression and bipolar depression, have been linked to

genetics by the fact that they all share mutual genetic underpinnings. This study shows that a

genetic variant has an effect on the development of numerous illnesses. The results also suggest

that genetics can help the calculation and prevention of mental illnesses. Researching the cause

of mental disorders is very important in understanding mental illnesses so that doctors can help

prevent and treat diagnosed patients.

The management or treatment of a mental illness can be achieved in several ways. It

largely depends on the illness and the individual themselves. The treatment and help for mental

illnesses can be found in psychiatric hospitals, clinics or in other mental health service providers.

There are a number of professions that have been created and have grown that major in the

handling of mental illnesses. The most common sought out treatment for patients is psychiatric

medication. Common medications include: antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers,

antipsychotics and stimulants. Antidepressants are most commonly used in the treatment of

depressions and also an extensive variety of anxiety and other disorders. Anxiolytics are used to

treat disorders related to insomnia and they are also used to treat anxiety disorders. Mood

stabilizers are mainly used in the treatment of bipolar disorders. Antipsychotics are used

commonly for the management of the symptoms of schizophrenia and a few other psychotic

disorders. Stimulants are the most common medication to treat mental disorders and are mainly

used for the management of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In spite of the different

traditional names of these drug groups, there is a lot overlap in the mental illnesses for which

they are actually used to treat. Throughout the last couple decades the use of “off label”

medications has risen dramatically because of their affordability and despite their increased risk

of side effects.

Aside from medication, psychotherapy is a major alternative option for treating or

managing a mental illness that people commonly choose. Psychotherapy is the treatment of

mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means. Some patients prefer psychotherapy

as alternative to medication due to the negative side effects that come with medication. Although

these methods have never been proven to be more effective than medication for helping people

with their mental illness, the different types of psychotherapy has been growing exponentially for

the last century. The most common form of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy and

although it was originally developed to help manage and treat depression, it is now used to help

manage and treat a wide variety of other mental illnesses like schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety

and even eating disorders. The main form of cognitive behavioral therapy assumes that

changing poor or negative thinking leads to a positive change in a person’s mentality and

behavior. The core objectives of cognitive behavioral therapy can be summarized as to not
diagnose a patient with a specific disease, but to look at the patient in one piece and to work with

them and to figure out what needs to be changed or fixed. Up to date versions of cognitive

behavioral therapy have a multitude of various but interconnected methods such as acceptance

and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive processing therapy, relaxation

training, cognitive therapy, stress inoculation training, and exposure therapy.