These common mood disorders appear to share an underlying diathesis whereby mechanisms that predispose individuals to depression and anxiety for example, contribute to the development of a range of chronic physical health conditions across the life span. A greater understanding of this common underpinning diathesis is needed to better develop preventive interventions and well as treatments. Our original GENIAl model lays the foundations from which these underpinning mechanisms can be better understood (Kemp et a al. 2017).