Ortiz 1

Valeria Ortiz
Fogelson
Composition
19 April 2016

The Causes of Mental Illness and the Effect of Art

Mental illness is often glamorized in American society, with the stigma that is associated
with these real and crippling disorders portrayed in the media asedgy and visionary. What is
often forgotten is that this a serious disease, one that affects one in five adults in the United
States and 20% of youth ages 13 to 18 in a given year, as published by the National Alliance on
Mental Illness. Specifically, adolescents are the ones more susceptible to feelings of depression
and anxiety, as it is a critical time for personal emotional and social growth. These afflictions can
be caused by a plethora of factors, both unpremeditated or predisposed. Because mental illness is
such a prevalent disease, it is important to understand the different methods and techniques used
to help treat the affliction, such as art and creative expression. For example, the use of art and
creative expression in teenagers in general have been proven to increase test scores, teacher and
student attendance, graduation rates and decreased discipline problems (Department of
Education, p. 3, 1994) and that is only in teenagers without mental illnesses. With this in mind, it
is important to know the causes of mental illnesses within teenagers and analyse the effects that
this has on their general quality of life, as well as the effects art and self expression can have on
those with mental disorders.
Mental illnesses are categorized by an individual's inability to think, feel or react, or
relate with others on a daily basis (NAMI, 2016). Illnesses such as these are caused by many
different factors. Often some individuals are predisposed to suffer from a mental disorder, as

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long as it is genetic, or they can also be caused when your brain is privy to an unbalanced
amount of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. However, as scientists keep learning more and
more about the human mind, it has become more apparent that mental illnesses seem to be
directly correlated with the environmental stressors that are experienced daily. There are many
circumstances that can produce psychosocial stress, such as, sexual abuse, falling victim to
crime, or the breakup of a relationship. A study funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse
(illustrated in Figure 1) found that among
more than 1,400 adult females, childhood
sexual abuse was associated with increased
likelihood of drug dependence, alcohol
dependence, and psychiatric disorders later
in adulthood (Zickler, 2002). Despite this,
experts assume that these circumstances are not what actually trigger these illnesses. In fact,
when events such as these occur it incites more primal reactions, such as feelings of loss or
danger which are what physically push victims towards a mental breakdown (Schmidt, 2007).
This is a trend seen in a variety of different scenarios, such as the aforementioned sexual abuse.
The same factor applies to teenagers, especially now in the 21st century where the average
teenager is confronted with social environments that have become increasingly demanding as the
years go by.
While mental illness is a well known affliction, it is not as commonly known that
teenagers are at just a large possibility of developing a mental illness over time as those of an
older age. Because their brains are still developing, adolescents are particularly more prone to
depression and more likely to engage in risky behaviors than either younger children or adults

Ortiz 3
(Schwarz, 2009). On top of this, the presence of external stressors only work to increase the
possibility of mental illness within teenagers. The most common stressors faced by teens include
demands of school or work, unsafe living conditions, unstable home environment, bullying,
obesity, chronic illness, overly high expectations, negative thoughts and self-doubt (Iliades,
2013). In a study done by the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, the scientists used
mice to best study how specific genes when exposed to stress trigger specific indicators for
mental illness. The scientists found that while the presence of certain genes does increase an
individual's probability of developing a mental illness, that alone is not enough to cause this
disorder. When comparing the mice to human adolescents, the scientists were able to discern
how adolescent brains may be more sensitive to the stress hormone cortisol and may feel its
effects more brain (Iliades, 2013). Akira Sawa, MD, PhD, psychiatry professor at John Hopkins
University as well as lead researcher on the study, found that the most common type of mental
illness in young adult...triggered by stress are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression,
and substance abuse. This study just served to prove how malleable the teenage mind truly is.
Notwithstanding, despite these risks, this same trait makes them more receptive to the positive
influences of youth development strategies, social and emotional learning, and behavioral
modeling (Schwarz, 2015).
Understanding the outliers and factors that ultimately develop mental illnesses within
teenagers is critical, especially when any possible treatments and/or therapies are proposed. Art
as a mental stimulus has been used for centuries, and its effects on mental illness patients are
quite extensive. It is important to note that art is not a concrete method used to cure individuals
of mental illness. There have been some studies that have not found evidence that (art therapy)
leads to improved patient outcomes when offered to most people with schizophrenia

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(Collingwood, 2015). However, it is undeniable that art stimulates the brain in more ways than
one. The four most popular main types of art therapy include music engagement, visual arts,
movement based expression as well as expressive composition. These four methods were
analyzed in a review that explained the reaction between art and healing. Each method had its
own special effect on the human brain. Music has been shown to calm neural activity in the
brain, which has the potential to reduce anxiety and restore effective funcas the capacity to quell
feelings of anxiety and depression. Visual art is a powerful way for teenagers to express their
feelings through tactile involvement(which works to) facilitate verbal communication and
cathartic release (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010). Movement based art has been shown to greatly
relieve stress and anxiety. And finally, expressive composition has been shown to improve
control over pain and depression- curiously, there is not a single theory that explains why this
occurs. Being that writing occurs on multiple levels- cognitive, emotional, social and
biological it is very difficult to pinpoint exactly why this phenomenon occurs. In one trial,
medical patients were told to write about any topic in the world, over the course of 9 weeks. In
this study, the results showed that there were greater improvement in control over pain, and
depressed mood when compared to those who did not write consistently (Pennebaker, 1997). So
even though these methods are not direct cures, it is clearly a healthy ways for teenagers, as well
as all those who have a mental disorder, to express their inner selves, and release their stores of
anxiety and so on.
Art has always transcended the wall of time and has remained steadfast a medium for
which visionaries and artists have imparted some of the most beautiful pieces of art human
civilization has ever seen. Many of these pieces were created by famous painters, many of whom
actually had mental disorders. Artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Beethoven, Edvard Munch and so

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on, all were considered to be mentally unstable; yet they all managed to live with their
afflictions with the simple stroke of a brush or sound of a key. Despite the numerous studies that
have disproved the power of art within teenagers who suffer from mental illness, it is clear that
art therapy has the capacity to be a helpful intervention that can stabilize overwhelming
emotional states within teenagers, and humans, no matter what the age.

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