Study shows that immune systems may be associated with mental illness

Research from the University of Gothenburg shows that genes associated with a person's immune system may be linked to the risk of developing mental illness and suicidal behavior.

Previous studies found that inflammation was part of the immune system's way of defending an individual against infection. During this process, inflammatory substances are produced in the body, which may influence mechanisms in the brain involving memory and learning.

Moreover, increased levels of these substances may result in damage to the brain, which could cause mental illnesses. The change in the levels of inflammatory substance in the blood of patients suffering from a mental illness may have been cause by inflammation-related genes affecting the risk of mental illness. Previously, studies found that an illness could lead to a change in levels.

Researchers suggest that some variants of the genes could play a role in the development of mental illness as early as the embryonic stage, when the brain is first forming.

Residential programs for troubled teens can help adolescents who suffer from mental illness or suicidal ideation.