Abstract

In psychiatry, the social model recognises the socio-genetic axis of the etiology of mental disorders. Research conducted in the western countries generally indicates that disorders within the range of psychotic and depressive categories affect members of the lower socioeconomic strata. For the needs of this paper, a quasi-experimental research was conducted in order to describe the socioeconomic status of psychiatric patients in Montenegrin society, which can be categorised as transitional, and to underline the socio-etiological axis of the genesis of mental disorders in the aforementioned social context. The control sample consisted of research participants who have not been diagnosed with a mental disorder, whereas the experimental sample consisted of individuals who have been diagnosed with a psychotic or depressive disorder. The results of the study indicate the intertwined nature of social and psychiatric issues within Montenegrin society: psychiatric patients were from families of a lower socioeconomic status, and burdened with a number of socioeconomic issues, such as those of a residential character. Taking into consideration both theoretical and practical knowledge brought about by the social model in psychiatry together with the results of our study, it is our conclusion that the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in a transitional society could be influenced by interventions in the field of social policy.