aetiological factors
Last reviewed 01/2018
- genetic variability: concordance for neurosis in monozygotic twins is 40%, in dizygotic twins in 15%.
- early experience: although this is likely, there is very little understanding about how early experience might contribute to a vulnerability to neuroses.
- stress: stressful events (which could not be the result of the neurosis itself) occur more commonly than expected in the three months before the onset of neuroses.
Whether or not stressful events lead to the onset of a neurosis may depend on inherited aspects of the individual's personality, early experiences in life or on factors in the patient's current circumstances.