Vulnerability-Stress model on Schizophrenia

Running head: VULNERABILITY-STRESS MODEL ON SCHIZOPHRENIA
Vulnerability-Stress model on Schizophrenia
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1VULNERABILITY-STRESS MODEL ON SCHIZOPHRENIA
In general, psychiatric maladies have a fundamental basis of biology. However,
environmental factors play an influencing role on their course with time. There are few
models which helps us to comprehend the basis of psychiatric disorders. The Vulnerability-
Stress model is one of those models. This model involves with two basic factors which are
vulnerability and stress. Vulnerability refers to the proneness of mental illness which is
determined by genetic disposition and early life involvement. On the other hand, stress refers
to the challenging issues faced in everyday life. Stress can be affected by the coping
mechanism, social support and stress handling capability. Vulnerability to develop a
psychiatric disorder varies from person to person as well as its severity (Burns & Machin,
2013). Due to genetic disposition and early life exposure, some people are susceptible to
psychiatric disorder like schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be triggered by the combination of
complicated birth, genetic predisposition, viral infections (CNS), biological stressors and
stress (Cheng, Walsh & Schepp, 2016). The vulnerability-stress model helps demonstrate the
mechanism of schizophrenia for therapy and clinical management. Therefore, in this essay
vulnerability-stress model of schizophrenia will be discussed. Co-morbid disorders,
interventions and recovery of schizophrenia will also be discussed alongside.
Stress is a subjective phenomenon. The effect of same stressors varies from one
person to another depending on their cognitive appraisal. Moreover, an individual can behave
differently to the same stressors over longer period of time, depending on the person’s
adaptability to the stressors. The Vulnerability-Stress model of schizophrenia suggests that
stress have to cross a certain threshold for positive symptoms to occur. From above
discussion it can be said that stress is subjective, so in turn, threshold of stress also become a
subjective parameter. Thus, the threshold become different for each individual and makes it
extremely difficult to determine the threshold value of stress for the occurrence of positive
symptoms for each individual in advance. This problem of subjectivity of stress might nullify

2VULNERABILITY-STRESS MODEL ON SCHIZOPHRENIA
the whole model as it does not have any predictive power. Vulnerability or diathesis is the
increased chance of developing a particular disease or disorders compared to general
population. Schizophrenia’s vulnerability is commonly considered as genetic. Recent
research suggests that it follows polygenic model. Findings of recent research suggest that
this vulnerability may not be particular to schizophrenia rather a widespread vulnerability
towards many of neuropsychiatric disorders. This implies that an individual with history of
schizophrenia not only susceptible to schizophrenia but to bipolar disorder as well. Some
recent researches suggest that vulnerability can be psychological. Evidence suggests that
childhood trauma act as a factor for emergence of schizophrenia in teenage and adulthood.
The vulnerability-stress model of schizophrenia suggests that the occurrence of vulnerability
or/and stress has to be specific to schizophrenia, otherwise positive symptoms would not
reveal. However, there are positive symptoms of schizophrenia which are also present in
other disorders. To tackle this problem, there is a need to identify the difference between non
specific and specific factors of schizophrenia. A particular gene that plays a vital role in
schizophrenia could be a specific factor whereas other genes that play general role can be
considered as non specific factors. In addition with it, symptoms or outcomes that are
commonly associated with schizophrenia can be conceptualized as predisposing factors. The
stress in vulnerability-stress model of schizophrenia might not be unrelated of vulnerability.
It is vital for this model to understand the relation between stress and vulnerability in case of
schizophrenia mainly conceptual and empirical dependence. The requirement for empirical
dependence needs factual association among constructs whereas the requirement for
conceptual dependence needs overlap of definition among the constructs. Evidence from
previous research suggests that in vulnerability-stress model of schizophrenia, stress might be
reliant on vulnerability but this reliance is empirical one rather than conceptual. As a result,
in theory, it can be said that stress can be evaluated independently of vulnerability. Therefore,