When Mental and Neurological Disorders Clash

How mental health and neurological conditions are intricately linked

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Mental health and neurological conditions are intricately linked, not just because of its impervious impact on the brain but also because of its ability to seep into the mind and wreck all kinds of chaos. 

We have explored the topic of Comorbidities in the past on our blog, and we discussed in a previous article how having a neurological condition can appear alongside or result in (be comorbid) with a mental health illness. In other cases, someone who is diagnosed with a mental and neurological disorder – such as dementia or schizophrenia can also be comorbid with another mental health problem or neurological condition.

Let’s make it simpler: You know those two bickering aunties in your family? Sometimes they get along like peas in a pod whilst at other times they are each other’s mortal enemy and stay away from each other like the plague. Either way, their history is too intricately linked and at any moment they can both come bursting through the door to present you with the latest drama!

Well, that’s similar to the cases of mental health and neurological conditions. They can sometimes present together or cause each other to manifest, and at others they can present on their own for an undefined period of time.

Taking the example of Dementia, which we have covered extensively before here and here, individuals with this disorder can feel the impact of the condition across multiple cognitive processes, including memory, behaviour and emotional processing. They may already feel vulnerable and exposed, but more than that they can begin to distrust their mind and their ability to live a happy life. This may cause them to experience other mental health difficulties, such as depression and self-esteem issues.

Alternatively, consider someone presenting with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This is a hard disorder to live with, and can make the person feel out of control at times. Someone with such a diagnosis may go on to suffer from anxiety, self-harm, depression or even other neurological conditions like cardio-vascular diseases (CVD’s). 

Mental health problems and neurological disorders are becoming increasingly intertwined with time, and this can make it quite overwhelming for someone with a neurological condition to cope on a day-to-day capacity.

As such, if you come across someone with a neurological condition or mental health disorder, then lend out an ear of empathy and a hand of support – because light can shine the brightest when we all bring it together.

Here are some great resources to check out:

• If you are someone with a neurological disorder, click here for advice
• If you are caring for someone with a neurological disorder, click here for support and resources

Inspirited Minds is here for you in many ways if you want to get help.

Do you or someone you know have a lived experience of mental and neurological disorders? Would you like to share? You can do so here in the comments section or by being a guest writer for our blog by emailing info@inspiritedminds.org.uk.