Causes
Numerous
factors have been linked to the development of mental disorders. In
many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause currently
established. A common view held is that disorders often result from
genetic vulnerabilities combining with environmental stressors (Diathesis-stress
model).
An eclectic
or pluralistic mix of models may be used to explain particular disorders.
The primary paradigm of contemporary mainstream Western psychiatry is
said to be the biopsychosocial (BPS) model - incorporating biological,
psychological and social factors - although this may not be applied
in practice. Biopsychiatry has tended to follow a biomedical model,
focusing on "organic" or "hardware" pathology of
the brain.
Psychoanalytic
theories have been popular but are now less so.Evolutionary
psychology may be used as an overall explanatory theory. Attachment
theory is another kind of evolutionary-psychological approach sometimes
applied in the context for mental disorders. A distinction is sometimes
made between a "medical model" or a "social model"
of disorder and related disability.
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