Mental Disorders in the Entrepreneurship Context: When Being Different Can Be An Advantage

Abstract

The range of conditions that meet the criteria for a mental disorder are extensive. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 th Edition (DSM-5 [APA, 2013]) lists 157 different mental disorders that vary in severity, permanency, treatment, and responsiveness to therapy. The diagnoses of mental disorders are based on interviews; behavior observations; and various special assessment tools, including questionnaires and behavioral tests (APA, 2013) used by psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, and/or social workers. Unlike in many other fields of medicine, mental disorders are conceived of in terms of syndromes, i.e., clusters of correlated symptoms rather than their underlying causes, which often remain unknown. There is a limited number of studies that have investigated mental disorders in entrepreneurship, which we categorize in terms of job design, occupational choice, neuroscience, and coping/resilience. Job Design, Mental Disorders, and Entrepreneurship Stress has implications for mental health (D'Angelo & Wierzbicki, 2003; Parrish et al., 2011; Schoenfeld et al., 2016). The Job-Demand-Control (JDC) model highlights how job demands and job control influence stress (Karasek, 1979). Entrepreneurship is often associated with high job demands, but because entrepreneurs have high job control, these demands may not lead to high stress (Stephan & Roesler, 2010). Therefore, entrepreneurs may experience less stress over the long run, which can potentially reduce the onset of some mental disorders (see Stephan & Roesler, 2010) or make entrepreneurs otherwise resilient to stress-related mental disorders (Baron et al., 2016).

Entrepreneurial intention among University students in Malaysia: integrating self-determination theory and the theory of planned behavior

“…In this sense, psychological well-being has been found to play a role in entrepreneurship. Some researchers have investigated the role of mental disorders in entrepreneurship (Wiklund et al 2018). They find that people with such disorders are often successful entrepreneurs.…”

Stress Processes: An Essential Ingredient in the Entrepreneurial Process

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Entrepreneurship of people with disabilities in Spain: Socioeconomic aspects

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