CH00 New perspectives on stress and psychosis - Title and Table of Contents

Abstract

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. <div><br><div><b>Abstract</b> Psychotic disorders remain among the most burdensome and intangible mental illnesses worldwide, perturbing the emotional and social life of those affected, and throwing their surrounding environment into great confusion. Although environmental stress has been repeatedly identified as risk factor for psychosis, the imperative aspect of interaction between a vulnerable individual and its stressful surroundings has remained largely disregarded. Using a combination of prospective, population-based studies, ecological sampling, and neuroimaging techniques, the work presented in the current thesis examines how the stressful environment affects the vulnerable individual, and which mechanisms underlie its transition to illness.</div><div><br></div><div>ISBN 978-90-8570-798-1 © 2012 J.J.E. Lataster, Maastricht, the Netherlands. All rights reserved. <br><i>Connecting the dots: new perspectives on stress and psychosis.</i></div></div