A broad definition can cover mental disorder, mental retardation, personality disorder and

Social influences have been found to be important, including abuse, bullying and other negative or stressful life experiences. The specific risks and pathways to particular disorders are less clear, however. Aspects of the wider community have also been implicated, including employment problems, soc

Evolutionary psychology may be used as an overall explanatory theory. Attachment theory is another kind of evolutionary-psychological approach sometimes applied in the context for mental disorders. A distinction is sometimes made between a "medical model" or a "social model" of disorder and related disability. Genetic studies have indicated that genes often play an important role in the development of mental disorders, via developmental pathways interacting with environmental factors.