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What Triggers Mental Illness?

Mental health issues do not discriminate. They can affect anyone. A mental health issue can make you miserable and cause problems in your daily life, such as at school, work, or in relationships. What are some of the triggers that can cause mental illness? How to prevent it?

Mental health issues or mental health conditions can affect your thinking, feeling, mood, and behavior. They may be occasional or long-lasting. They can affect your ability to relate to others and function each day. If you have been struggling with a newly developing mental health issue or mental health condition, you are wondering what you could have done differently.

You might even be wondering, “What triggers mental illness?” On Call Treatment offers our patients a mental health treatment program to help them better understand any mental health issue they are experiencing. Call our compassionate and expert team at 866.276.1920, and we can answer any of your questions.

What Triggers Mental Illness

Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. For example, there may be a loss in the family, or something traumatic happens, but you get through it eventually. But a mental health concern is different when it becomes a mental health condition when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function.

A mental health issue can make you miserable and cause problems in your daily life, such as at school, work, or in relationships. Most mental health conditions don’t have a single cause for why they happen. Instead, they have many reasons or risk factors. The more risk factors one has, the more likely you are to develop a mental health issue. Sometimes, mental health issues creep up on a person and develop gradually over time. Other times, it doesn’t appear until a stressful event triggers it.

Some mental illness triggers can include:

  • Abuse or trauma
  • Anxiety
  • Chronic stress
  • Death or loss
  • Family history of mental illness
  • Isolation and loneliness
  • Poor nutrition
  • Sleep disorders

If you are concerned that one of these triggers is exacerbating your mental health issue, speaking to a professional can significantly help you and what you are going through.

Types of Mental Health Conditions

Mental health issues come in all shapes and sizes, some of which you may have heard of before. Others, not so much. Here are a few types of mental health conditions:

  • Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias
  • Depression, bipolar disorder, and other mood disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Personality disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia

If you are experiencing mental health issues, you are not alone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five American adults experiences mental health issues in a given year. Give On Call Treatment a call, and we can help you get on the path to wellness.

What Are the Risk Factors for Mental Illness Triggers

There are many risk factors for mental illness triggers. Here are a few examples:

  • Genetics – Mental health conditions often run in the family.
  • Environment – Living in a stressful environment can make you more likely to develop a mental issue. Things like this put a lot of stress on your brain and often trigger a mental health issue.
  • Childhood trauma – Traumatic events during childhood, such as being sexually abused, can impact later in life.
  • Stressful events include losing a loved one or being in a car accident.
  • Negative thoughts – Constantly putting yourself down or expecting the worst can get you in a cycle of depression or anxiety.
  • Unhealthy habits – Such as not getting enough sleep or not eating.
  • Drugs and alcohol – Using drugs and alcohol can trigger a mental health condition. It can also make it harder to recover from a mental health issue.
  • Brain chemistry – A mental health condition involves an imbalance of natural chemicals in your brain and body.

These risk factors don’t just affect who will develop a mental health condition in the first place. They also affect how severe their symptoms will be and when they will experience them.

Can I Prevent Mental Health Condition?

There’s not any sure way to prevent mental health issues. But, if you have a mental health condition, taking steps to control stress, increase your resilience, and boost low self-esteem may help keep your symptoms under control. Follow these steps.

Stay Alert and Pay Attention to Warning Signs

If you have a doctor or a therapist, work together to figure out your triggers and make a plan so that you know what to do if symptoms return. Contact your doctor or therapist if you notice any changes in symptoms or how you feel. In addition, consider involving family members or friends to watch for warning signs.

Stay Up to Date with Your Medical Care

You can’t afford to neglect checkups or skip visits to your primary care provider, especially if you haven’t been feeling well. You may have a new health problem that needs to be treated, or you may be experiencing side effects of medication.

Get Help Immediately When You Need It

Mental health conditions can be harder to treat if you wait until symptoms worsen. Long-term maintenance treatment also may help prevent a relapse of symptoms.

Take Care of Yourself

Getting enough sleep, healthy eating, and regular physical activity are essential. Try to maintain a regular schedule.

On Call Treatment Treats More than Addiction

At On Call Treatment Center, we treat more than substance use. We also treat many different forms of mental health conditions. This is done through our CBT therapy programs. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common and studied forms of psychological treatment.

It is effective for various problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, alcohol, other substance abuse disorders, marital problems, eating disorders, and other severe mental issues. The idea behind cognitive therapy is to form a clear idea of your very own thoughts, expectations, and attitudes. On Call Treatment can help you. Call us at 866.276.1920 to learn more about what triggers a mental illness.