Life events and the onset of neurotic illness: an investigation in general practice

Synopsis New cases of neurotic illness identified during one month by each in turn of eight general practitioners in a London borough were investigated by means of standardized clinical and social interviews. When compared with a matched control group of consulting patients, the index group was found to have experienced significantly more life events during the three months before the onset of illness. Events particularly associated with neurotic illness were unexpected crises and failure to achieve various life goals. The distribution of events suggested that serious, threatening events have an important aetiological role; minor events appear to play a small contributory part which may become critical when the morbid risk is already high. The problems of method involved in this type of investigation are discussed.