Can my mental illness be cured?

Depending on the type of diagnosis you present with, some mental illnesses are better managed than others but also dependent on the conditioning of your past, severity and duration of the illness, biological mechanisms, and its functionality in your life. Several key factors do play a role in the alleviation of symptoms.

However, the brain has been shown to be plastic and malleable with effort and the right management. Therapy has been shown to alter and change the structural aspects of the brain over time, showing more strength and more connections in the brain. This is done because of the interpersonal relationship with the therapist, being in a safe, empathic environment. Therapy also introduces new ideas and concepts, aims at integrating psychological processes that have been severed due to hurt and trauma, which help the individual to relearn old patterns to build new patterns via awareness. Therapy can help one revisit childhood wounds as an adult so one can reprocess them creating better insights and alternative attributions. Coping and learning how to deal with daily stressors also influences your brain matter as well.

So mental illness can be managed to the extent of the individuals conscious effort, willingness to work on the issues over a long period of time in therapy and having flexible biological configurations that allow for healing.