This article examines the three theories of mental disorders. I will describe them briefly, talk about the causes of mental illness, explain how each theory approaches intervention, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each theory. The biological theory of mental and psychiatric disorders revolves around the brain and states that these disorders are diseases, or illnesses that cause disruptions in the brain to produce the effects of the disorder. This theory states that the brain has specific physical, chemical, or structural problems that cause abnormal behavior. With the increase in technological and pharmaceutical advances, intervention has taken the course of chemical treatment of ailments. Biological theory focuses on the function and dysfunction of the brain, known as neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics. Psychiatrists focus on the role of neurotransmitters and how they influence human behavior, which leads to a very broad definition of treatment, namely psychiatric drugs. These drugs correct dysfunctions in the brain by changing the amount of neurotransmitters. However, these drugs are not effective in diseases such as schizophrenia, where the drug only suppresses the symptoms and not the disorder itself. (Schwartz and Corcoran, 64-88). A weakness of chemical treatment of disorders is understanding the dosage, whether the patient responds to the treatment in a predictable manner, and whether there are other external factors that may influence the treatment. Sometimes a treatment works for a while and then stops working. There are also other side effects of treatment that can cause other problems. The strength of this type of treatment is that there is some control over the disorder through balancing the... center of the card... many facets and forms of treatment. Additionally, sometimes side effects from treatments can cause further complications or have no lasting effects. Often a combination of these theories is used to treat mental disorders. But it is fascinating that the human brain can be influenced by chemical and sociological factors and that treatments can also occur through chemical and sociological methods. Works Cited Hoermann, Simone, Corinne E. Zupanick, and Mark Dombeck. "Cognitive-behavioral theory of personality disorders". - Personality disorders. Np, nd Web. 27 February 2014. Schwartz, Sharon, Cheryl Corcoran, Christopher Peterson, and Peggy Thoits. "Chapters 4, 5 and 6." A handbook for the study of mental health: social contexts, theories and systems. By Teresa L. Scheid and Tony N. Brown. Second ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. 64-124. Press.