Mental and Behavioral Health Problems

Mental and behavioral problems can be caused by a variety of factors. Some, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, are generally inherited. While these conditions usually develop during adolescence or early adulthood, in some cases they can be activated later in life following major life changes or substance abuse. Others can be the result of environment. For instance, trauma, problematic familial relationships, stress, and an endless variety of other factors can all contribute to mental and behavioral problems.

The prognosis for mental and behavioral problems differs from person to person. Generally, people with mental and behavioral problems benefit from therapy, or in some cases, medication. There is a wide variety of different therapies and medications available, and each have differing levels of success with different people. It is important to remember that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. For instance, depending on the individual, they may benefit more from group or family therapy, whereas others require individual therapy or a combination of the three. Likewise, different medications will affect different people differently due to variation in body chemistry, so the same medication may be used on different people with the same diagnosis, and achieve vastly different results. Usually the process of treating mental and behavioral problems begins with an educated guess, then is refined over time.