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Many but by no means all conditions labeled as mental illness are "Symptoms" stemming from a yet to be detected or misdiagnosed physical illness. That is especially true in anxiety disorders. There is Phobic Anxiety which can be brought on by traumatic experiences. It can also if a fear of heights be a symptom of Vestibular Dysfunction. The brain is constantly compensating, correcting, and detecting as well as self preservation looking for dangers and expecting appropriate responses. Meaning simply if it sees danger that you may not even understand or be aware of it can trigger anxiety because you did not give a proper response. Climbing a ladder would be a good example. Depression can be cause by infections in ones body such as a simple low grade UTI.

Medicine has become very specialized which has been both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is treatments are much better. The curse is doctors are now missing simple illnesses that end up being refered to mental health.

The older cradle to grave doctor was a General Practitioner. They did surgery, delivered babies, did geriatrics, knew a considerable bit about mental illness as well. Few things got by them. Our old family doctor that delivered me and my sister in the 1950's was our doctor into out late 20's until he retired. He told my parents when I was born I had feet issues. An older Optometrist when I was seven discovered I only had one eye functional vision. Not one eye doctor has picked up on it since not even in my two armed forces enlistment physicals. I have to tell them. Today the closest doctor to be a GP is an Internal Medicine doctor.

I remember the last day I was able to work. The events of it eventually helped me to put the pieces together. I had been having problems related to sounds, vision, and my concentration and had already seen several doctors.

I was a maintenance mechanic. I worked in a large nursing home/retirement home/ assisted living/ and retirement community that spanned fifty acres. I had evening shift and worked alone.

I got a trouble call to go to a retirement home apartment to see about a noise. I went up there and saw a resident I knew walking in the hallway and she was the one who had called. I asked her what was wrong and she was nearly in tears saying please come in here the noise in my room is horrible.

I walked in and it sounded normal o me. So I said Ok take me to the noise so I can see what it is. She took me to the through the wall heat/HVAC unit. I turned it off and she was crying saying of thank you. I went to find the nurse on duty there and told her. She said yeah it's odd she came back today from the hospital like that.

I walked back to the main building to my shop to eat supper. I was leaning back in a chair up against a double door and someone on the other side yelled at someone coming out of the kitchen. You know the old cartoon where the dog walks up behind a cat and barks and the cat goes to the ceiling? That was me. Almost immediately I was losing my ability to concentrate and even except in limited responses communicate.

I called in a relief so I could clock out {we had boilers I could not just leave}, called my dad for a ride home as I was not in any shape to drive myself, and never went back. They diagnosed me as having General Anxiety Disorder. MRI, CT, etc was clear. Neurologist was stumped that meant Shrink was next. They did Anxiety antidepressant protocol and it got much worse.

About two years later I found a book in a second hand store called Phobia Free. I looked at it as I'm skeptical of quack cures and feel good books etc. This guy was a Neurologist/psychiatrist and by happenstance had directly linked Vestibular Disorders to triggering Anxiety Disorders aka panic attacks as well as ADD ADHD type symptoms known today as C.A.P.D.. I bought it, read it, and it changed the course of my treatment after I stood my ground with the Shrinks.

Now what was my point about the older retirement home resident? The poor soul likely had a good old fashioned Inner Ear Infection that GP's knew would literally drive you nuts and the specialist at the hospital missed it. Yes an Inner Ear Infection does make sounds seem much louder. I've always wondered was she taken to a doctor and antidepressants used to treat her as well because she had anxiety? Doctors today due to time constraints caused by HMO's etc don't have the time to do detective work.