Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS 1

Mental Illness

Student’s Name:

Institutional Affiliation:

MENTAL ILLNESS 2

Mentally Illness

The vulnerable population I will be addressing in this paper is the mentally ill. Mental

illness is a common occurrence that is often ignored in the world today. A report by the World

Health Organization showed that around 450 million people in the world have a mental illness

(Auerbach, Mortier, Bruffaerts, Alonso, Benjet, Cuijpers, & Murray, 2018). The highest rate of

mental illness occurs in the United States (Auerbach et al., 2018). Unfortunately, both the

general public and medical professionals have limited knowledge of mental illness, which causes

those affected to go untreated (Auerbach et al., 2018). This paper will discuss the risk factors for

mental illness and some of the interview questions that can be used when interrogating a

mentally ill patient and a professional dealing with mentally ill patients. The professional I will

be interrogating is a therapist working in a mental health institution. I will then interview a

patient who has been receiving treatment from the institution.

Risk Factors

There are different factors that may cause mental illness. Some of the causes of mental

illness include the following:

1. Inherited traits (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). Research has shown that some genes may

predispose an individual to mental illness (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). For example,

someone who has a family history of depression and schizophrenia and depression will

probably develop the conditions due to a genetic predisposition (Johnson & Gillum,

2019).

2. Environmental exposure before birth can also cause mental illness. If a child is exposed

to environmental stressors such as alcohol, drugs, toxins or an infection before birth, he

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or she is more likely to develop a mental condition (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). For

example, alcohol exposure during pregnancy may cause mental retardation.

3. Brain chemistry. The brain contains neurotransmitters which are naturally occurring

chemicals to transmit signals to and from other parts of the body (Johnson & Gillum,

2019). If the neural networks involving the chemicals are compromised, the function of

nerve systems and nerve receptors change, which may cause depression or other

emotional disorders (Johnson & Gillum, 2019).

Stressful life situations. Stressful situations such as the loss of a loved one or job stress 4.

may lead to chronic stress, which may, in turn, affect the body's biological mechanisms

of a person (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). Chronic stress increases the risk of developing

depression and anxiety (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). When the brain senses a stressful

event, it releases neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters include serotonin and

adrenaline. These chemicals cause a release of stress hormones that affect the parts of the

brain that regulate emotions and memory (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). Repeated stress

exposure alters how the memory and emotional systems control stress response (Johnson

& Gillum, 2019). Prolonged stress may also cause a constant activation of the immune

system, which may lead to depression (Johnson & Gillum, 2019).

5. Chronic medical condition. Lifelong mental conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and

HIV/AIDs may cause stress consequently leading to depression (Johnson & Gillum,

2019).

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6. Traumatic experiences. Working in the military or a traumatic occurrence such as an

accident or assault may also lead to mental illness (Johnson & Gillum, 2019). Traumatic

experiences cause short-term stress, which may disrupt the hormones and

neurotransmitters involved in normal stress response. Traumatic events may also cause

the amygdala to become hyperactive, consequently causing post-traumatic stress disorder

(Johnson & Gillum, 2019).

7. Alcohol and drug abuse. If an individual has a predisposition for psychotic illness such as

schizophrenia, the consumption of drugs such as marijuana may trigger the condition

(Johnson & Gillum, 2019). Using drugs may also increase signs of mental illness and

make treatment less effective (Johnson & Gillum, 2019).

8. People with mental illness face various challenges due to their conditions. One of the

main challenge faced by the mentally ill is the lack of proper care systems. In most health

facilities, mental illness is not taken as seriously as other conditions. The reluctance to

attend to mental illness affects the quality of care offered to the mental ill (Rüsch,

Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2015).

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9. Mental illness also affects the daily functioning of the affected individuals. Depression

and other mood disorders may cause lethargy, which may reduce the performance of the

affected individuals (Rüsch, Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2015).

10. Mental illness may also cause a financial burden to the affected individuals and their

families. Some mental conditions, such as schizophrenia are lifelong, thus require regular

care (Rüsch, Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2015). Regular care further may be expensive,

which increases the financial burden of the affected individuals.

Questions for the Professional

1. What is your role in this institution?

2. What is the goal of your institution?

3. What does your organization do to care for the mentally ill?

4. Do you think the strategies used by your organization will help it achieve its goals on

mental wellness?

5. What kind of patients does your institution admit?

6. Do you offer outpatient or in-patient services?

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7. What is the most challenging thing have you faced in your career?

8. Do you think that the government can help promote mental health awareness?

9. How do you deal with job challenges?

10. Do you think your patients are well-informed about their conditions?

11. What strategies have your organization used to increase patient education?

12. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Questions for the Patient

1. Tell me about yourself?

2. When were you diagnosed with the condition?

3. What prompted you to seek medical attention?

4. Do you have family members with a similar condition?

5. What do you think triggered your symptoms?

6. How did your family respond during the initial stage of your diagnosis?

7. Do you have self-care strategies?

8. How would you describe your support system?

9. Has the treatment you have been received alleviated your symptoms?

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10. What has been the most challenging thing since your diagnosis?

11. What do you think would be done to improve the quality of mental health care?

12. Is there anything else you would like to add?

References

Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P., &Murray, E.

(2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College StudentProject:

prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of abnormal psychology, 127(7),

623.

Johnson, L., & Gillum, N. L. (2019). Understanding mental illness.

Rüsch, N., Angermeyer, M. C., & Corrigan, P. W. (2015). Mental illness stigma: Concepts,

consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma. European Psychiatry, 20(8), 529-539.