User:Cbmicha/Carol Prescott

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The causal relationship between stressful life events and the onset of major depression:

The aim of the author's study was to assess the extent to which depression is caused by life events. The authors assessed the occurrence of 15 classes of stressful life events and the onset of depression in female twins. Stressful life events were rated on threat and the degree to which the depressive response could have stemmed from the respondent's behavior. The study concluded that stressful life experiences are a substantial contributor to the onset of depression. However, roughly one-third of the connection between these stressful events and the onset of depression isn't directly due to the events themselves. Instead, it was because people who are already at risk for depression put themselves in situations that increase their risk of experiencing these stressful events.

The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Common Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders in Men and Women

Mental health problems and substance abuse problems can be divided into two main categories: one related to how you feel inside, and the other related to your behavior. The purpose of this study was to see if there was a pattern in the way mental health and drug problems often happen together. Are there only a few things like our genes and life experiences that make this happen? Is there a specific pattern that shows these problems are either about how we feel inside or how we act, and if there is, is it because of our genes or the things we go through in life? The authors asked twins about their mental health problems over their whole lives. A special computer program was used to figure out how much of these problems might be because of their shared genes and other factors. The results showed that two main genetic factors contributed to mental health issues. The first one was related to issues like alcohol problems, drug problems, bad behavior, and conduct issues. The second one was related to feeling very sad, and anxious, and having specific phobias. Alcohol and drug problems had a lot to do with genes, but conduct issues were more about the environment people shared. Additionally, one genetic factor was related to internalized mental health syndromes. One genetic factor was about feeling sad or anxious, while the other was about specific fears like animals or situations.