Nature or Nurture? How to Better Understand the Roots of Mental Illness

Mental illness.

Several decades ago, merely mentioning these words was enough to hush lively dinnertime conversations. Additionally, those who felt depressed or suicidal felt such a stigma over their condition that they rarely sought help.

Even today, mental illness carries some stigma, particularly in certain circles. However, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals understand brain science much more than they did half a century ago—or even ten years ago. Scientists can actually see brain synapses fire off during a bipolar episode.

In turn, brain science makes it possible to talk more freely about mental health than in the past. We now know more …read more