WHAT CAUSES MENTAL DISORDERS?

This was answered by Leslie Alexander, LPN/Mental Health Nurse on Quora "Most mental illness is caused by a combination of factors ranging between the effects of "nature" and "nurture". Nature provides us with genetic markers in our DNA that indicate susceptibility to many mental illnesses such as Bipolar and Schizophrenia, each of which is highly heritable within a family group. The gene may never manifest, or it can be "switched on" by an absence of "nurture", such as in the cases of trauma, neglect, or other environmental factors like drug abuse, malnutrition, or altered body chemical due to disease. Mood disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder, may also have genetic components, but almost always result from trauma or abuse. Ongoing research into mental illness continues to explore it's complex roots, which has resulted in better understanding, but it is unfortunate that mental illness still carries the great weight of social stigma. The loss of mental health or the perception of such can have devastating effects on the ability to enjoy or maintain livelihood that those who suffer from mental illness is still so poorly understood and because mental illness is less obviously treatable. There is a perception of moral weakness in mental health patients, which is undeserved in light of current research-which show that medications and psychotherapy can indeed improve the mental health and quality of life for sufferers.