All individuals living on the planet are born with a specific gene pool. Some of those genes are inherited, and others are not. Each individual may have thousands of different genes, but only a small handful of these genes determine what one is going to be. Those few genetic characteristics that make up a person’s personality, physical prowess, and intelligence are collectively known as heredity. However, environmental factors such as life experiences, social situations, and relationships play a role in shaping his or her personality. For example, a child who has experienced physical violence at home, where he or she witnessed his or her mother being physically abused by their father, or had an abusive parent themselves may grow up acting the same way. In this sense, heredity has been shown to account for more than 99% of the variation in human behavior, but it also accounts for less than 1% of the variance in a given trait [1]. The remaining variation is caused by the environment. Thus, when an individual learns about the genetics of certain traits by studying family history, they can begin to understand how genetic predisposition and environment interact to create personality disorders.
Mental health, simply defined, is the state of mind of an individual. It refers to the balance between emotions and thoughts. People think differently than they do because of differences between the brain and other organs, brain chemicals, and hormones. These chemical or hormonal changes have long been considered to affect mental functioning, and they have begun to be studied as potential causes of psychological problems. Research shows biological and environmental factors such as hormones are directly associated with mood disorders. Hormones can act both within and without the body. Hormones in the bloodstream regulate almost every bodily organ from digestion to blood pressure. Similarly, hormones are found throughout the body. They have a wide range of functions, including regulating metabolism and controlling the immune system. When one wants something to happen, their hormone will respond accordingly by causing the desired outcome in a very complex way. Researchers have found that hormones that regulate the development of sexual behaviors are important in preventing early sexual abuse, but there is evidence that some hormones can stimulate early sexual abuse. This can occur through low levels of testosterone and cortisol, which affect the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis [2]. This response of the pituitary gland (responsible for production of cortisol) causes a decrease in arousal while simultaneously increasing stress [2]. Low levels of cortisol may therefore cause depression.
A major area of research has focused on the relationship between mental health and the developing brain. Most studies link mental health problems to changes in activity in the brain as children develop. The most significant research focusing on mental health has been conducted since the 1970's. According to Drs. Richard Selkoe, M.D., Ph.D. & Susan K. Taylor, Ph.D. of Yale University and Harvard Medical School, "The bulk of the current work has been performed in adults over the past 30 years, mostly in medical settings [3][4]. To date, more than three quarters of all psychiatric research in adult populations is of a clinical nature. Although many researchers have focused on brain imaging techniques, it seems clear that additional methods are needed to better understand the biology of mental health." Recent findings show that the prefrontal cortex that governs emotional processes may play a significant role in maintaining healthy emotional regulation [4]. Neuroscientists are currently looking into ways to determine if neurotransmitter pathways may be involved in promoting positive emotion [5]. If so, then this could explain neuroscientific explanations for why people experience depression, especially among the elderly, and why chronic depression symptoms decrease with age [6]. Other areas examined during recent study include the amygdala, hippocampus, amygdala circuitry, and corticotropin releasing hormone [7]. A review of the literature of psychiatric conditions indicates that the primary goal of treatment is to alleviate symptoms of common psychiatric conditions [7]. Studies of patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD show that depressive symptoms are the most common symptom of psychotic disorders followed by anxiety symptoms [8]. While older men were found to report higher scores on self-reported measures of mood, overall somatic symptoms, psychosomatic symptoms (e.g., pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance), and cognitive function than older women, younger males reported greater severity of depressed mood than females [9]. Older men with chronic depression were found to demonstrate worse symptoms in cognitive performance and somatic symptoms than younger men, who demonstrated improved cognitive performance [10]. On the other hand, younger women demonstrated worse somatic symptoms than older women on assessments of cognitive function [11]. Depression may reflect functional deficits in cortical representations that take hold in the later stages of maturational development and are associated with larger size of cerebral regions that are sensitive to activation patterns [12][13][14][15]. Several studies report structural changes in cortical, amygdala and hippocampal regions associated with chronic depression [16][17], highlighting the importance of these regions in the pathological etiology of depression. More recently, studies have used biomarkers to identify subclinical differences in the pathophysiology of depression. These include markers of inflammation (e.g., C-reactive protein, cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) [18], oxidative stress (e.g., alpha-lipoic acid) [19] and alterations of brain structure (e.g., white matter, gray matter volume [20][21]). Several studies have highlighted the value of brain scans in identifying patients who do not meet criteria for depression or bipolar disorder. One study demonstrated that use of MRI scans predicts risk for future episodes of depression with 85-95% accuracy [22]. Another study using data from 998 patients who completed two yearly annual diagnostic evaluations found that individuals diagnosed with mood disorders were significantly younger than non-clinical controls and showed smaller total brain volumes than non-clinical control subjects [23]. There is still work to be done to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the biologic correlates of depression, but it is likely that biological and environmental factors are interrelated. The relationship between environmental factors and mental health problems is thought to involve abnormalities in neuronal networks [24]. A study using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed decreased connectivity in the inferior frontal gyrus and increased connections in inferior frontal gyrus in individuals with untreated depression [25]. Brain scans reveal structural changes related to the presence of depression [26], suggesting that changes in neural network pathways may be associated with depression.
There is compelling evidence that the interaction between genetics and the environment contributes substantially to the prevalence and impact of mental health disorder. Environmental factors can significantly increase the risk of developing or worsening mental illness, and vice versa can also influence its course. Understanding the effect of genetic and environmental factors on human behavior is part of our national security agenda in the United States, specifically efforts to prevent terrorist attacks or acts of war of aggression, where knowledge of the individual’s family history can provide insight for effective prevention efforts. Many people have faced traumatic childhood experiences that have affected their present and future perceptions of life. This often leads them down a road of behavioral change. Understanding that many people go through dramatic events in their lives (e.g., losing a loved one, being rejected), while also experiencing good ones (e.g., getting accepted into a group, receiving a promotion, becoming successful at school), can help us better understand whether particular circumstances can actually lead individuals down another path of mental illness, as well as understand what we need to do to protect our nation from a series of violent conflicts. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 15 to 24. Suicide rates have been rising in recent decades [27]. Currently, close to 10 million Americans attempt suicide annually. About 20 million of these attempts result in a suicide attempt. Of those attempting suicide, roughly 3.5 percent die before reaching their destination. As noted earlier, family members of suicide casualties may be first responders to a variety of suicidal tendencies. With the number of suicides continuing to rise, it is critical that we learn more about the dynamics of interactions between individuals and groups of individuals. In order to achieve that goal, I intend to study several aspects of interpersonal communication, namely the interaction within families, peer relationships, and peer involvement in social organizations and recreational activities. My ultimate goal is to understand how society influences social and cultural norms to affect the mental health of individuals. To accomplish this goal, I intend to conduct detailed interviews with parents, siblings, and friends, as well as questionnaires and structured observation. Data that will be collected will be analyzed to compare and contrast the responses of participants. I will also analyze quantitative statistical data. I expect to collect both qualitative and quantitative information to support my ideas. This project will allow me to explore the dynamic links between social interactions and mental health. Information provided here will ultimately serve my professional goal, which is to enhance human understanding and address public concerns regarding mental illness. Through this endeavor, I hope to contribute to enhancing public understanding of mental health.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628361/. Accessed May 3, 2017
[2] Linton RA, Giddens BH, Williams CA, Stith JA, Schloss D. Longitudinal correlations of cortisol exposure and PTSD in adolescent girls and boys. JAMA Psychiatry. 2007;61(5):426-430. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.2957. Accessed March 21, 2014 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5501058/. Accessed August 22, 2015 [4] Brown DR, Visscher EM, Pinto JA, Ewles JC, Roberts AC, Campbell WL. Association between prenatal maternal psychopathology and child outcomes in infancy. Social Development 81 (2006): 531
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