Why mental disorders flourish and wither: Extending the theory of ecological niches

Baptiste Brossard

Social Science & Medicine, 2019, vol. 237, issue C, -

Abstract: Why do some mental illnesses emerge in certain times and places and later disappear? Because it integrates a wide array of social processes and relies on a strong epistemological position, Hacking's theory of ecological niches constitutes the most comprehensive and ambitious attempt to answer this question. However, this theory lacks a convincing definition of its research object (“transient mental illnesses”), a conceptualization of how individuals would “fall ill” as well as a solid methodological framework to form case studies. This article addresses these issues in order to propose an extended theory of ecological niches.

Keywords: Mental health; Mental disorders; Mental illnesses; Ian Hacking; Ecological niches; Sociological theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112445

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