Mental illness, often seen as a flaw, can be viewed through an evolutionary lens as exaggerated traits that once offered survival benefits. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD, while maladaptive today, may have provided crucial advantages in early human existence. For instance, depression allowed for recuperation through social withdrawal, while anxiety facilitated heightened vigilance to threats. This perspective calls for a paradigm shift in mental health treatments focusing on resilience and adaptation instead of solely on dysfunction and correction.
Many mental health disorders represent exaggerated versions of traits that were once beneficial. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, and schizophrenia may have provided survival advantages in the past.
Understanding mental illness as an evolutionary byproduct rather than just dysfunction compels us to rethink our approach to mental health, focusing on adaptation and resilience.
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