What is the diathesis model?

In the case of psychological disorders such as depression, the cause is never only genetic or environmental, but complex interaction between them. The DIATESIS-STRESS model is a way to understand the interaction between genetics and the environment in causing mental diseases. According to this model, people inherit genetic tendency to mental disorder - diathesis - on which environmental stimuli - stress - cause this disorder to appear.

The diathesis model shows the inheritance of vulnerability to a specific state, such as depression, anxiety or addiction. For a more vulnerable person, less stress in the environment is necessary to induce mental illness. A person with very low vulnerability can withstand high stress without the development of a mental disorder.

For example, many soldiers go to war and are experiencing traumatic events, but not all develop mental illness such as post -traumatic stress Disobrisal (PTSD). This is because some soldiers have genetic predisposition to PTSDwhile some don't. In persons with genetic vulnerability, it is much more likely that PTSD will cause a traumatic event. Soldiers with less genetic vulnerability can experience the same event without the development of the same disorder.

The diathesis model shows how genetic inheritance can have a great effect on behavior. Scientists estimate that approximately half of the personality traits and the cognitive abilities of the person is caused by genetics. The rest can be caused by a number of environmental and developmental factors.

In the case of mental diseases, it is often much more complicated than the isolation of a single gene that is responsible for this disorder. In most mental disorders, many genes have a low effect and the cumulative influence of all these genes is what leads to mental hospital. This can very difficult to explore the genetic background behind a psychological disorder.

The

diathesis-stress model shows that genes are only part ofThe picture in the case of a psychological disorder. Environmental effects are equally important in the way of mental illness. These environmental stressors can be very different from man to person, which makes it more difficult to insulate one particular cause or factor for mental illness.

Biological influences, such as the excitement of the nervous system in a stressful situation, can be one type of environmental stress listed in the diathesis-stress model. Social and developmental influences, such as the way man has been brought up and how people around them react to the stressor can also play a big role.