Can Mental illness develop over time due to stress etc or is it always there lurking in the brain?

Some argue that people with mental illness possess a biological prredisposition to develop mental illness that is triggered by stress, and some argue against this theory. There is no definitive answer to your question; some psychologists argue yes, and some argue no. The important thing is that you don' beat yourself up because you have a mental illness. It isn't your fault; it's just one of those things. Some of us are unfortunate and develop it; some are lucky and they don't. We just have no idea what causes mental illness truly.

I wish you better, and I hope you're getting good support.

I believe that mental health is a direct result of your environment, and more so, your reaction to it. Stress is not only the leading cause of mental illness, it has actually been proven to be the creator of almost ALL disease. Think about it - the mind controls the body, and if your mind is not calm and well, how can your body be expected to function normally? That's putting it very simply, but studies have actually been going on for quite some time, exploring how this all is related inside the body.

So now, what to do? First of all, sit down with a pad of paper when you can get a good hour of quiet time. If you have to leave the house to go to the park to do it, so be it. Think for a while what the biggest stressors are in your life right now. Be very specific, and write all that you can come up with, even if it seems silly (no one has to see this but you). Then sort them out, making three lists, one for things you cannot change (like where you are living), things you can change (like how you react to the people around you), and one more list for the things you aren't sure if you can change or not. Time will tell on those.

Living in a stressful environment is VERY difficult, and can seem to take everything you have to keep your sanity at times. Find a way to have your own peaceful time to pull yourself together EVERY day, even if its just for ten minutes(but definitely more if possible), even if things "aren't that bad" one or two days, no matter what. This will be your saving grace until you are in a situation that opens up for you to change where you are living (which may be a very long time; I don't know your whole story obviously). If you love to write, or draw, or dance, or spend time with an animal, whatever the things are that give you peace, make sure you give yourself that time every single day. You can do it. No one else is going to make sure that your mental needs are getting met. It's up to you. Good luck. :)

Most mental illnesses have a genetic link but that doesn't mean you are born with that illness or even acquire it in your lifetime. However your chances are greatly increased of developing the mental illness. They usually start of with little signs and get progressively worse. Some are followed by trauma some aren't. Most people are full blown by the time they get diagnosed because most of us think that its all in our heads at first or are to scared to seek help, until it seriously starts affecting our lives. But the answer is yes you can develop it at any time.

Yes, you can be clinically depressed due to stress in your life.

You can become depressed because of a chemical imbalance in the brain, which can be caused by drug abuse. I am not sure, but, you might can have a chemical imbalance without the use of drugs.

Did you know that a bad head injury could cause one to become bi polar later on in life?

Depression/mental illness can also be hereditary. Know that there are meds out there to get the brain back to normal. Good luck... know that millions of people deal with this.

Mental illness isnt always in the brain,its most likely cause by other emotions cause yourself to believe you have one,cause be stress,social depreciation and cut off,depression and other problems.

Youve got to talk about it and let it out cause likely you will feel better and safer around those who know.

Physically speaking, both, still Me ha is perfectly right.

Anyways, relax that the human mind/soul is *incredibly* resilient when you allow it to.

Hope you get to feel good when the illness worry gets pushed away pretty quick now. Because that's a good idea, to free yourself to have more useful thoughts. That's what makes peolpe healthy in the mind and everywhere else, anyway.