Life Events and Psychiatric Disorders: Controversial Issues

This collection of essays gives a critical evaluation of current research on the relationship between life stress and the origin of functional mental disorders. The disorder of depression is especially emphasised and its division into a biological and a psychosocial type is considered. The contributions centre on controversial issues in relation to psychiatric diagnosis, the measurement of life stress, and the possible nature of the causal link between life stress and the onset of functional mental disorders. A vulnerability model which encompasses both psychosocial and biological factors is discussed.