Mental illness is common in the United States and internationally. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older--about 1 in 5 adults--suffer from a diagnosable mental disorderin a given year. When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people. In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developing countries are mental disorders - major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.
The fact is, no one knows for sure. Most current evidence points to a physical component to mental illnesses, and that these illnesses are medical conditions caused by changes in the chemistry of the body and brain. Scans of the brains of people with mental illnesses can show a distinct difference between their brains and those of people without mental illness. Other research has shown link s to a person's physical makeup, and that people who inherit particular combinations of genes may be more likely to become mentally ill. A person's environment has an important effect on their mental health, as well. But no one stressful event or experience is likely the "cause" of a mental illness, and no one can "make" another person mentally ill.
Mental illnesses do not have obvious causes like a broken arm or blindness -- you can't see the broken brain. Mental illness can cause people to behave in ways that are hard to understand and make others uncomfortable or frightened. And when we don't understand something, we often ridicule or fear it. People living with a mentail illness not only neeed to manage their symptoms but have to adjust to a new awareness that others may think or say they are "crazy."
Because of this lack of understanding, people sometimes "blame the victim" when that person shows signs of mental illness. But mental illnesses are not character flaws or signs of personal weakness. Nor are they conditions that will just disappear if a person "thinks positive" or tries to "snap out of it." Anyone who has experienced the agony of a mental illness knows that no person would choose to live their life in this way.
Devaluing mental illness is not acceptable. Don't let this prevent you from getting help. Your illness does not define who you are.