Pregnancy and Birth
Environmental events surrounding pregnancy and birth have been linked to an increased development of mental illness in the offspring. This includes maternal exposure to serious psychological stress or trauma, conditions of famine, obstetric birth complications, infections, and gestational exposure to alcohol or cocaine. Such factors have been hypothesized to affect specific areas of neurodevelopment within the general developmental context and to restrict neuroplasticity.
People with developmental disabilities, such as mental retardation, are more likely to experience mental illness than those in the general community.
Read more about this topic: Causes Of Mental Disorders
Famous quotes containing the words pregnancy and/or birth:
“If pregnancy were a book they would cut the last two chapters.”
—Nora Ephron (20th century)
“No body can conceive that nature ever intended to throw away a Newton upon the occupations of a crown. It would have been a prodigality for which even the conduct of providence might have been arraigned, had he been by birth annexed to what was so far below him.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)