Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist?

[AnnieK401]

11. I am torn about this. I have a cousin that I am very close to who has been diagnosed

with Bi-Polar disorder. I also have a close friend that has a brother who has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. My cousin has attempted suicide and been hospitalized numerous times. She is morbidly obese and still lives with her parents at 48. She answered the phone in her father's business until it closed recently. Now she has applied for disability, and should be accepted easily. My friends brother is unable to care for himself and is now in a nursing home. He receives a small monthly payment from SSI, which goes to pay for his care. Both are heavily medicated, and yes the meds do have side effects that make it hard or impossible for them to function. I am sure the brother of my friend must have some kind of chemical/organic problem with his brain. With my cousin I believe that her environment could have contributed greatly to her "illness." I use the word "illness" for lack of a better term. Point being that I would have had a hard time surviving in her family, and believe me I am a survivor. That being said, her parents did raise 3 other, seemingly "normal" children. At least they are functioning fairly well, even highly. They all have families, jobs, etc. One even made it through Yale Law school and has a great job with a law firm. All came from the same environment. Still, bottom line I wouldn't dismiss this latest statement out of hand, but I still believe that there are real biological causes behind some or many cases of mental illness.