A thought...

This morning a thought occurred to me... [Disclaimer] I don't know if this is truth or fiction, but here's the thought:

Mental Illness: Could it be, in part, due to our coping mechanisms that we have formed from our early years in life?

My coping skills weren't so great - ignorance & stuffing can't make for a mentally healthy life later down the road! Assuming I believe the above thought, I would say, from first hand experience, that I played a part in my own depression- it didn't just "happen".  Had I learned how to cope in healthy ways, not in ways that served me as a child, I might have learned to deal with events in my life and not stuff or ignore my pain inside, thus not letting my emotions get bottled up for so long before I snapped and didn't want to feel anymore!  

I know I'm a better person for having "snapped" and have learned how to communicate and expose my feelings in a healthy manner.  I joke now that the bottle I once had, where my emotions were stuffed, has been reduced to a saucer- not meant to hold very much!

I am aware of people being genetically pre-disposed to mental illness (as I was one of them), but you can't change your genes.  You can however learn to cope no matter what stage you're at in life.  New skills can be introduced at any time in your life (healthy & unhealthy).  How we internalize our thoughts and feelings can change the chemicals in our brains right?  If we can let something bother us, eat away at us (like worrying can) and it affects our physical bodies, i.e., tight muscles, ulcers, headaches why not the chemicals in our brains?

I like to hear your thoughts too... please post a comment.