Life Events and Psychiatric Disorders
LIFE EVENTS AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS * RITA CHATTERJEE, M.A., M. Phil (Medical and Social Psychology Trainee); MANU ARORA, M.D., D.P.M., Senior Resident; Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi, India. * drmanu2004@rediffmail.com * Citation: Chatterjee, R. & Arora, M. (2005) Life events and psychiatric disorders. Mental Health Reviews, Accessed from <http://www.psyplexus.com/mhr/.html> on
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
Life Events
Researchers have long been interested in understanding how individuals and environments affect each other, primarily so as to describe and explain age – related behaviour and individual differences. One focus has been to study life events. A life event is indicative of or requires a significant change in the ongoing life patterns of the individual. According to Settersten and Mayer (1997), "A life event is a significant occurrence involving a relatively abrupt change that may produce serious and long lasting effects". It refers to the happening itself and not to the transitions that will occur because of the happenings.
Life events can occur in a variety of domains (family, health, and work) and may be age graded (School, marriage and retirement), history graded (war and depression), or non-normative (illness and divorce). Most of the adolescent and adult literature reflects a sociological tradition of assessing the impact of life events as transitions between major roles, age grades, status gains and losses, and so forth.
Turning Points
A turning point is a special life event that produces a lasting shift in the life course trajectory. It must lead to more than a temporary detour. As significant as they are to individual’s lives, turning points usually become obvious only as time passes (Wheaton and Gotlib, 1997).
Three types of life events can serve as turning points (Rutter, 1996): * Life events that either close or open opportunities. * Life events that make a lasting change on the person 's
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
Life Events
Researchers have long been interested in understanding how individuals and environments affect each other, primarily so as to describe and explain age – related behaviour and individual differences. One focus has been to study life events. A life event is indicative of or requires a significant change in the ongoing life patterns of the individual. According to Settersten and Mayer (1997), "A life event is a significant occurrence involving a relatively abrupt change that may produce serious and long lasting effects". It refers to the happening itself and not to the transitions that will occur because of the happenings.
Life events can occur in a variety of domains (family, health, and work) and may be age graded (School, marriage and retirement), history graded (war and depression), or non-normative (illness and divorce). Most of the adolescent and adult literature reflects a sociological tradition of assessing the impact of life events as transitions between major roles, age grades, status gains and losses, and so forth.
Turning Points
A turning point is a special life event that produces a lasting shift in the life course trajectory. It must lead to more than a temporary detour. As significant as they are to individual’s lives, turning points usually become obvious only as time passes (Wheaton and Gotlib, 1997).
Three types of life events can serve as turning points (Rutter, 1996): * Life events that either close or open opportunities. * Life events that make a lasting change on the person 's