The given article, titled “The Development of Mental-Physical Comorbidity,” is written by Kate M. Scott. This article was included in one of the publications of Cambridge University Press, titled “Global Perspectives on Mental-Physical Comorbidity in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys” in the year 2009. As is evident from the title, the author tries to establish the reasons for the co-occurrence of mental and physical disorders.
Talking about the ‘antecedent model,’ the author suggests that mental and physical disorders act as risk factors for each other. But mental disorders are more likely to occur due to physical disorders rather than the other way round. Referring to the ‘consequence model,’ the author suggests that diseases like brain disorders and asthma can give rise to depression. So, it might be understood that mental disorders are a consequence of physical disorders.
But this does not undermine the role of mental disorders; as catalysts for physical disorders. The author illustrates the cases of obesity and smoking and suggests that a person can become obese or resort to smoking as a result of his/her prevailing mental stress. But the fact remains that such situations can be ‘bidirectional’ as well. This means, for example, that an obese person can be prone to mental stress as well; so, it works both ways.
The author also relates the ‘latency effects’ to mental disorders among some people. The author attributes various reasons to the mental and physical disorders that some people experience. In instances where pregnant mothers have poor nutrition and stress, the newborns are prone to physical disorders that might result in mental disorders at a later stage.
In addition to the ‘latency effects,’ the prevailing environment and circumstances during childhood also act as key factors in shaping the mental condition at later stages of life. Factors such as the ‘socio-economic circumstances,’ also referred to as ‘pathways,’ have a great influence on the future life of children. This and various other factors, when combined, act as a cumulative disadvantage at various stages of life. The author further suggests that the ‘allostatic load’ refers to the combined effect of the latency effects and the pathways on a person’s life.
Personal Reflection
The childhood environment has a great impact on the lives and performance of children. The most important among the childhood environments is probably the family situation. Children, who are part of families where there are continuous brawls, are expected to have mental stress during their adulthood. Children from financially unsound families are also prone to unsound future. Education plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s future.
Having appropriate education facilitates better prospects, but children who are unable to acquire proper education (due to various reasons) might end up accepting small-time jobs, and such circumstances might result in mental stress. It is quite possible that when the ambitions of a person are not achieved, he/she may come under depression.
Considering the mental and physical comorbidity, it is understood that both disorders have a direct impact on each other. Physical disorders such as disabilities are a reason for mental stress and depression. Most physically disabled people are not able to compete with normal people in physical activities, and as such, they are ought to have an inferiority complex, which ultimately results in hypertension. The reverse effect (mental to physical) is evident in cases where people having stress and depression (due to various reasons) might harm themselves physically or develop diseases such as obesity or become addict to smoking (that ultimately results in health problems).