In the past mental illnesses were not considered ‘mental illnesses’. If you were to think differently, act differently, or even see things differently you would be looked at as if you were possessed by the devil. Although some mental illness, like Schizophrenia, are linked to genetics, there are some that are caused by your environmental surroundings. Stress is a big factor of developing mental illness. Everyone handles stress in different ways. Some people try to avoid it by sleeping and having an inactive lifestyle which could lead to depression and others think about their responsibilities too much and start to worry about it more than they should, causing anxiety.

In Susannah Cahalan’s memoir, “Brain on Fire”, she tells her story of how she led a normal life up until she began to have flu-like symptoms. Never had it crossed her mind that she was developing a mental disorder. She had a stable job as a journalist, had a steady relationship, and had her own apartment, what else could she need? It all began with the illusion that her apartment had been infested with insects. She called the exterminator and demanded that it be cleared from top to bottom. Although the exterminator had told her that there was no infestation she insisted that he should go through with his job. As days went on she started to notice that she had changes in her personality. She would rampage through her boyfriend’s apartment when he wasn’t home to see if there was any signs of an affair, something she would’ve never done before. She started to slack on her work duties: not making a deadline, coming in unprepared for a meeting, and having constant writers block. She knew something was going on with her but she simply thought it was a sickness, like melanoma. Things started to get serious when she started having erratic mood swings. One minute she’d be crying her eyes out and the next she would feel normal and be filled with joy. One night she had dinner at her boyfriend’s house and she told him that she wasn’t feeling like herself and that she hadn’t slept for 3 days. Her boyfriend kind of shrugged it off and said that she’ll get enough sleep with him around and to his surprise sleep was not what she got. Although she did fall asleep, in the middle of the night he was awoken by Susannah having a seizure. He called 911 and rushed her to the hospital. It was then when Susannah knew that it was something more than just a simple illness.

Susannah’s symptoms are very common in people who are developing a mental illness: mood swings, personality change, sleep deprivation, and hallucinations. Although it seems like typical symptoms of your common flu medicine it was something so much more. As I continue to read the book, more and more information begins to unravel as to what kind of mental illness she has been diagnosed with, which I still have yet to figure out.

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/02/mental-illness.aspx

http://www.psychiatry.org/mental-health/more-topics/warning-signs-of-mental-illness