Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

• How Schizophrenia Works
• How Bipolar Disorder Works
• How Panic Attacks Work
• Can depression cause heart attacks?
• Why are antidepressants the most prescribed drug in the U.S.?
• Are depressed people more prone to addiction -- and why?
• What causes Stockholm syndrome?

Sources

• Mandell, Wallace. "Origins of Mental Health: The Realization of an Idea." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (March 25, 2010)http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/mh/about/origins.html
• "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General." U.S. Public Health Service. (March 25, 2010)http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
• "Mental Health Center." WebMD. (March 25, 2010)http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/default.htm
• "Mental Illness." Mayo Clinic. (March 25, 2010)http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-illness/DS01104
• National Alliance on Mental Illness. (March 25, 2010)http://www.nami.org