Fox News Neil Cavuto’s depiction of depression is so true. Our mind performs tasks constantly – such as thinking, recalling, perceiving, and deciding. So what are the causes of mental illness? It is still uncertain whether or not they are organic, although it is known that organic problems can create disorders involving the mind. Sometimes nerve processes break down or perform abnormally because of injury to or even degeneration of nerve tissues. The commonest of the degenerative diseases is cerebral arteriosclerosis, which hardens the arteries of the brain. Retardation and epilepsy can result from brain injury at birth. An accident to the brain may result in a loss of one or more motor functions. All of these injuries and diseases are classified as organic because brain lesions or severed nerve fibers can be seen under the microscope. A broad range of mental illness stems from unknown causes. Mental illness can affect behavior as drastically as an injured brain.
Psychiatry which is devoted to the study and treatment of the mentally ill, no longer recognizes any clear-cut line between normal and abnormal. A person may be said to be abnormal when his behavior seriously interferes with his work or with his ability to function in society. Most abnormal behavior is classified under two broad types: Neurotic and psychotic. Neurotic behavior is close to the normal end of the spectrum; i.e., it is a milder form of abnormality. The neurotic patient may be abnormal only in certain areas of his life, and elsewhere perfectly rational. He often recognizes his trouble and may be able to contribute to his recovery. A psychosis is far more serious and it makes itself manifest in all aspects of the psychotic’s behavior. A psychotic is a person who has lost some or all contact with reality. The causes of neuroses are now widely assumed to be environmental; i.e., caused by the stresses and strains of life.
All adults and many children encounter stresses; and, it is a rare adult who does not use what is called neurotic defenses to cope with them. There are people who are habitually late, some who are obsessed with tidiness and some who are maddeningly forgetful of appointments. Neurotics use ruses to call attention to themselves or to win praise or to erase unpleasant thoughts from their minds. In general, they do these things because they are timid or suspect they are really untidy and therefore undeserving or wish to avoid something with unpleasant connotations for them. The root of all neuroses is emotional conflict.
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kommonsentsjane 