Question

Steph has been feeling blue lately. Ever since her boyfriend broke-up with her last month, she doesn’t enjoy things like she used to and is frequently sad. She is concerned that she might be developing depression. She calls her mom to ask her what she thinks, as her mom has experienced several major depressive episodes in her lifetime. Explain how the diathesis-stress model of mental illness would apply to this situation. Be sure to define the diathesis-stress model overall, identify the diathesis, the stressor, and how they would combine to produce psychopathology in the current example.

Answer 1

The diathesis-stress model explains that the psychological disorders develop when a diathesis[ biological or innate disposition to the disorder] is triggered by a stressful event. It has three dimensions

• Biological inheritance [diathesis]
• Vulnerability to develop a psychological disorder [at risk]
• Pathogenic stressor

In the case

• The biological inheritance from the mother who has already experienced major depressive episodes.
• The vulnerability/risk to acquire a disorder [gentics influnce]
• The stressful event- a breakup with the boyfriend.