Exploring Mental Disorders: A Comparison of Explanations and Therapies

This essay provides a comparative analysis of genetic, environmental, and chemical explanations for mental disorders. It delves into the complexities of how these factors contribute to the development of mental illnesses. Furthermore, the essay evaluates the effectiveness of various therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Existential Therapy, in managing and treating mental health disorders. Additionally, it examines the role of relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene practices, and exercise as complementary treatments for improving mental well-being. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of personalized treatment plans and the collaborative efforts of medical professionals and family members in supporting individuals with mental health challenges.

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MENTAL DISORDERS AND ILLNESSES IN PATIENTS
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Introduction
In the clinical environment, there are several causes for mental disorders. Kemp (2019) denotes
that these can be explained in terms of genetic makeup of an individual, chemical related case, or
even environmental. This essay compares the various explanations of mental illness from a
genetic, environmental and chemical perspective. It further discourses on the different types of
therapies and treatments that may help in the treatment and management of mental health
concerns.
Comparison of Genetic, Environmental, and Chemical Explanations of Mental Disorders
and Illness
Genetic Explanation
Mental disorders are identified as multi-factorial inheritance disorders. This implies that an
amalgamation of numerous genes, working together with environmental aspects, may source a
genetic illness, comprising behavioral, conferring to the National Human Genome Research
Institute. Genetics Home Reference similarly elucidates that while illnesses do spread in
families, there is no absolute form of inheritance. An individual with an active family account of
mental disorder might be at great jeopardy for having one; nonetheless, it is not definite.
Tentative particular elements and capricious genetic influences make it challenging to ascertain
if an individual accedes to a disorder undoubtedly. One might have a great active depression, for
instance, while a sibling has a small case or no indications of depression entirely. The National
Institutes of Health proposes that mental illnesses may undoubtedly run in families, and likewise
share genes and resemblances biologically. These disorders comprise autism, bipolar disorder,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and major depression.

Mental Disorders And Illnesses In Patients 3
Environmental Explanation
As a multi-factorial disorder, mental illness arises owing to environmental conditions. Aspects
like trauma, emotive harm, drug abuse and likewise being subjected to a shock in the womb
could make an individual vulnerable to a mental disorder. A newspaper issued by the National
Center for Biotechnology Information pinpoints investigation that a female’s psychosomatic
agony while expectant could disturb fetal behavior and kid growth. Research shows that maternal
apprehension and melancholy, for instance, may reason augmented jeopardy for neuro-
developmental and psychological disorders in kids. Furthermore, science commentator Annie
Murphy Paul, in the course of an interview with Scientific American, denotes to a concept
suggesting that the impacts of the stress hormone cortisol could upsurge the possibility that
apprehension and melancholy in a female reason the baby’s development of a psychological
disorder.
Chemical Explanation
Mental illness experts consider a discrepancy in brain chemicals is also a contributing factor to
the growth of numerous disorders (Journal of Clinical Psychology 2018, p. 2052). Investigators
are uncertain that this discrepancy obstructs the brain's capacity to transfer communications from
neuron to neuron and for the brain's connecting to work routinely. Consequently, the mind might
not interconnect appropriately with the body, and an individual might start to indicate symptoms
of psychological illness. Various chemicals have been linked with a range of mental illnesses.
Excess acetylcholine leads to depression whereas less in the hippocampus leads to dementia. Too
much Dopamine results in schizophrenia, while too little causes particular kinds of grief, tremors
found in Parkinson's syndrome and muscular severity. Excess adrenaline leads to anxiety.

Mental Disorders And Illnesses In Patients 4
Evaluation of CBT, Solution-Focused, and Existential Therapies of Mental Health
Disorders and Illness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a conversation therapy that may assist one in managing
their issues by shifting the manner one thinks and behaves. It is usually used in the treatment of
depression and anxiety but may be beneficial for other psychological and physical well-being
complications. CBT is centered on the notion that one’s contemplations, moods, physical senses,
and deeds are interrelated, and that undesirable contemplations and moods may snare one in
a spiteful series. CBT purposes of assisting one handle devastating issues in a more optimistic
approach by breaking them down into reduced fragments. An individual is taught how to
transform these undesirable patterns to mend their feelings. Kemp (2019) claims that, not like
several other talking therapies, CBT handles an individual’s present concerns, rather than
concentrating on problems from one’s past.
CBT has been known to be an operational approach to treating various mental health disorders.
Besides anxiety and depression, CBT may similarly assist individuals with post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). CBT may be as operational as a
suppository in treating particular mental health issues, but it might not be practical or appropriate
for everybody.
Solution-Focused Therapy
While solution-focused brief therapy recognizes current complications and bygone causes, it
principally reconnoiters a person's present resources and prospect expectations, assisting them in
anticipating and using their powers to realize their objectives. This is a method of psychoanalysis

Mental Disorders And Illnesses In Patients 5
centered on solution building instead of problem-solving. The therapy is instituted on seven
simple viewpoints and conventions, which are; change is equally continuous and definite,
emphasis on what has a likelihood to be replaced, patients should desire to change, patients are
the authorities and plan their objectives, patients have means and their powers to resolve and
overcome their complications, therapy is short-range, and emphasis on the imminent and past is
not necessary (Franklin, Bolton and Guz 2019, p. 142).
These perceptions are vital building blocks in the materialization of the solution-focused method.
When individuals form their objectives in psychological well-being treatment, they may
concentrate on the advancement and grow in the course of recovery. The resourcefulness of the
method spreads to the range of problems it may assist with. These consist of communication
problems, trauma and apprehension, substance and alcohol abuse, behavioral complications,
eating complaints, and relationship problems. Once therapy is done, patients have the necessary
implements to resolve impending difficulties that will arise every day.
Existential Therapy
Existential therapy centers on every person as an exceptional individual besides the varieties that
form their lives. The psychotherapist enables the patient to take accountability for their choices
and craft the present and prospect they want. Similar to other methods of psychoanalysis,
existential therapy may assist ease anxiety, humiliation, remorse, and other problematic
sensations through accurate self-assessment. Similarly, this methodology bluntly meets the
certainties of life such as demise, purposelessness, loss, and anguish and aims to uphold positive
experiences, relations, and feelings.

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According to Furnham and Swami (2018), existential therapy inspires patients to; assess their
principles, philosophies, and state, accept their confines in addition to the prospects for their
lives, find importance and drive in their lives, cultivate more operational means of
communicating.
Existential therapy may be considered operational for adolescents and grown-ups who are
besieged to make confident life decisions and assent the magnitudes of these decisions. Denotea
(2019) supports that this might comprise persons trapped with dependence, apprehension,
melancholy, and a wide variety of mental and behavioral concerns.
As with most kinds of therapy, existential therapy is furthermost favorable for a person who is
ready to participate in accurate self-evaluation. Persons who are unwilling to look for
significance or who would choose to get an instant reprieve from the indications of their
complications might not be suitable for existential therapy.
Evaluation of Relaxation, Sleep Hygiene, and Exercise Treatments of Mental Health
Disorders and Illness
Relaxation
Relaxation is a condition where one feels composed and can handle their pressure or
apprehension. Relaxation lessens stress and the indications of psychological health disorders
like melancholy, and schizophrenia. Relaxation similarly has other associated health benefits,
including decreasing one’s heart speed, blood pressure and breathing frequency,
decreasing muscle rigidity and chronic aching, refining attentiveness, and mood,
decreasing tiredness, lessening rage and frustration (Van Deurzen 2019, p. 15). Relaxation skills
center on muscle slackening or breathing. An illustration is progressive muscle easing, where

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one tense then relax diverse muscle sets. Other skills consist of visualization, where one creates a
psychological image of a soothing habitation for them; profound breathing, where one refocuses
their concentration on their breath; hypnosis; reflection, and mindfulness
Sleep Hygiene
Mental illness may make turn one into a night owl. Insomnia results in extreme fatigue. For
instance, one’s sleep pattern could be like three days of virtually no sleep with the following day
comprising of only two hours of non-restorative sleep, and the spiteful series could go on further
into a month and onto the subsequent. All these are due to the amalgamation of psychiatric
suppositories or an individual’s mental disorders themselves. According to Yoshioka, Reavley,
Rossetto, and Nakare (2016), sleep hygiene refers to the suggested ways to stimulate good sleep
quality; for when sleep ‘escapes.' Some sleep hygiene routines proposed by therapists consist of
the following;
One’s bed ought to be used for rest and nothing else, limitation of caffeinated drinks and nicotine
consumption eight hours before bedtime, taking mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Koffel et al.
(2018) also denote that while out of bed, creating a sleep routine, going to bed and waking up at
the same time every day and avoiding naps in the course of the day. Regular exercise may have
an intensely positive influence on melancholy, apprehension, ADHD, and more. It likewise
releases pressure, improves retention, assists one sleep healthier, and lifts one’s general
temperament. And one does not need to be a fitness enthusiast to realize the benefits. Research
shows that moderate quantities of exercise could make a change.
Exercise

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Exercise is a natural and operational anti-anxiety management. It releases pressure and trauma,
lifts physical and psychological vitality, and improves health through the discharge of
endorphins. Research shows that exercise could cure minor to moderate depression as efficiently
as an antidepressant suppository—but minus the undesirable effects obviously. Besides relieving
depression signs, studies likewise show that keeping an exercise program may avert one from
reverting.
Exercising habitually is one of the stress-free and furthermost operational methods to lessen the
signs of ADHD and advance attentiveness, enthusiasm, retention, and temperament. Physical
action instantly increases the brain’s dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels—all of
which touch concentration and responsiveness (Koffel, Kuhn, Petsoulis, Erbes, Anders,
Hoffman, Ruzek and Polusny 2018, p. 12). In this manner, exercise works in almost the same
way as ADHD suppositories such as Ritalin and Adderall. Examples of exercises include
cycling, aerobics or gym, yoga, and running.
Conclusion
Some therapies may work for certain individuals and fail to work for others. Patients with mental
health issues should find what works for them and pursue them. The process also calls for
effective care from the relevant medical practitioners, an aspect that requires the involvement of
patient-centered strategies and family members of the patient.

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List of References
Denotea, L 2018, ‘Pilot evaluation of a web‐based acceptance and commitment therapy program
to promote mental health skills in university students’, Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 74,
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Franklin, C, Bolton, KW & Guz, S 2019, ‘Solution-focused brief family therapy’, in APA
handbook of contemporary family psychology: Family therapy and training., Vol. 3., APA
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139–153, viewed 31 March 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
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