Upon receiving this assignment, I knew I wanted to research this topic. At a very young age, I developed a keen interest in the brain and its main purpose in our body. I was thoroughly influenced by my dad on the subject of the brain because of his background in neurology and extensive knowledge about each pathway and how each of them intersect as they work together to make our brain function to the best of its ability. As I grew older and developed my beliefs and values, I found myself growing an attachment to the whole subject. I found myself feeling empathy to those that suffered from mental illness. I knew the road to recovery was not always easy. My fondness for this subject can be identified by personal experiences. At fifteen years old, in 2012, I went through my very first surgery. It took place on my lower back, and afterwards, I thought the healing process would be fine. Over the next two years, I had to have 4 more surgeries, and as a result of this, I had suffered from periods of depression and anxiety. In 2014, I had my final surgery, and the toll the overall process took was draining. Because of my own experiences, I would not say I am completely "qualified" to speak on behalf of everyone suffering from mental illness, but I know of some of the emotional, mental, and physical tolls an illness can take on one's body.

In the first source, an informative article entitled "Information about Mental Illness and the Brain", a researcher defines mental illness and goes on to explain the effects of particular diseases in our brain. He describes the different basic brain functions and the selectiveness of each neurotransmitter. The author of this article stresses the importance of understanding and treating mental illness and even goes as far to speak of the overall stigma caused by various mental illnesses. The author has his best interests invested in each section of the article as it delves deeper into of the topics stated in the article. Though the author that wrote the article is not presented, the source is completely viable. The information is presented on the website for the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The NCBI is a research organization and one that provides information about biomedicine and the human genome. This article is an excerpt taken from a study conducted at the National Institutes of Health. 

The second source, albeit similar to the first, speaks a bit more in depth of the regions of the brain that are affected by mental illness. Entitled "Many Mental Disorders Affect the Same Brain Regions" by Tanya Lewis, the author claims that amongst 6 widespread psychiatric disorders, all shared one thing in common: the regions of the brain that were initially affected. The areas affected, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (or the dACC), right insula, and left insula, all showed a loss of gray matter. All areas show a link to how an individual actually functions in life. This information is valuable because this makes the treatment processes and the therapies needed applicable to one another. Though not presented in the article, Tanya Lewis is a staff writer, with a background in biomedical engineering, at Live Science. This builds credibility with the reader because it shows she has extensive knowledge on the subject. 

"The Roots of Mental Illness" by Kirsten Weir, the third source, talks of the new tools included in genetics and biomedical image processing that can decode the underlying biology of many mental disorders and illnesses. These images can take closer looks at our genetic makeup and depict different disease pathways. Like the last source presented, it is valuable because it shows the progress science has made in order to decipher each disorder. The article does show bias as Lewis focuses mainly on the claim of mental illnesses being due to brain dysfunction and less on the other perspective, that disorders are just based on the chance of imbalance of one's day-to-day personality traits. Despite the bias, Kirsten Weir's writings are viable. Weir is a writer for the APA, or the American Psychological Association. The APA is comprised of researchers, educations, and clinicians in the United States and is the basis of all things psychology. 

The research question asked in the beginning of the essay is arguable because many can believe that there is no prevalent difference in function or tissue of the brain. There are and will be many disagreements about one's biological makeup when affected by mental disorders. As stated in the last source, many believe illnesses are caused by normal personality traits. These different articles do not hinder my views on mental illness. These articles only help expand my knowledge on mental illness. If I were to revise my initial research question, I would rephrase it as "how do mental disorders affect each region of the brain?" After rephrasing the question, this would provide a clearer and more effective answer. 

