Table of Contents

5 Causes of Psychiatric Illness

1. Existence of Society
   Society provides the framework against which behavior is judged, allowing us to label actions as normal or abnormal. Without a community to compare against, it becomes challenging to define deviations.

2. Existence of Culture
   Culture, with its own set of rules and traditions, shapes our understanding of mental health and acceptable behavior. Deviations from these norms can lead to an increase in psychiatric diagnoses.

3. Mathematical Concept of "Normality"
   Normality is inherently statistical, requiring a baseline to identify deviations as abnormal. This concept underpins how psychiatric disorders are classified as variations from societal norms.

4. Existence of an Educational System
   Structured academic environments often uncover conditions like ADHD through systematic evaluation. In settings without formal testing, such conditions might not be recognized at all.

5. Presence of High-Level Intelligence and Cognition
   Advanced cognitive abilities can sometimes be accompanied by psychological challenges, with schizophrenia being an extreme example. This may be seen as a genetic side effect of heightened intelligence and creativity.