Mental illness has catastrophic effects on patients, their families, and our society.
These disorders disrupt the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capabilities of individuals and rob them of the ability to function effectively at work, school, or in relationships. Furthermore, the costs of treatment and lost productivity due to mental illness exceeds 200 billion dollars annually. Researchers in psychology and related fields have made great strides in understanding and treating these disorders. However, we still due not fully understand the complex interplay of genetic, epigenitic, biological, developmental, and psychosocial factors that culminate in mental illness. However, this means that in half of the cases, the cotwin will never develop the disorder.