Known and unknown about mental illness. The average person is inclined to see the cause of insanity in a random event, emotional excitement, failure, physical illness... clinical research teaches that the influence of such causes is insignificant... E. Kraepelin. German psychiatrist Mental illnesses have different causes and can manifest themselves in different ways. Each individual case requires special treatment methods. The sooner treatment is started, the more effective the result. Therefore, unusual mood swings, changes in character, excessive suspicion, incomprehensibility of actions should alert a person and his loved ones. Psychological notes. The brain of a worm has 23 neurons. The usual weight of the human brain is 1 kg 200 g, the human liver weighs about 1.5 kg. Human the brain is 80% water. Information enters the brain at a speed of approximately 360 km/h. One neuron can interact with 25,000 other neurons. There is no single cause of mental illness. They can be congenital or acquired, resulting from injuries, infections, and can occur in early childhood and old age. Some of the reasons have already been identified by science, others are only assumed. The treatment used varies. Mental illnesses in children also include intrauterine trauma and maternal illness during pregnancy. Some children experience developmental delays. Alcoholism and drug addiction can also be causes of the disease. Mental trauma is often to blame. But with some mental illnesses (for example, schizophrenia), the appearance of symptoms is attributed to the results of mental trauma, while an inadequate reaction is a consequence of the disease. Science also knows other reasons that temporarily cause mental disorders (but not illnesses!). For example, long-term isolation of people alone, without sound and other stimuli. Under such conditions, many (for example, astronauts) experience hallucinations and delusions, which disappeared after the experiment was stopped. With complete artificial isolation, the usual effects on the senses cease. The brain reacts to this with its products. Psychological notes. About 400 different methods and types of therapies are currently used to treat mental illness. Chimpanzees and humans have 90% the same genetic base, but their brains and bodies are completely different, just like perception of the surrounding world and experiences. Thus, the pathological behavior that is reproduced in analogous experiments with animals differs in many respects from the pathology of humans. Thus, in many cases, psychiatry can determine the cause of the disease. Schizophrenia is special in this regard. Over the past 30-40 years, none of the identified causes has been confirmed by science. Currently, most researchers agree that schizophrenia is based on internal, endogenous dysfunctions that disrupt metabolic processes and brain mechanisms. What to do if symptoms of a mental disorder appear in you or a person close to you? First, do not despair. Modern medicine has a wide arsenal of highly effective methods for diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. It is unlikely that your case will be hopeless and treatment will not be successful. Secondly, you need to see a doctor. Remember, the earlier treatment is started, the more effective it is. One cannot hope that the resulting pathological condition will go away on its own. This is impossible. Thirdly, carefully follow the doctor’s recommendations and do not try to adjust the treatment yourself. Trust the doctor's competence. To date, with treatment.