Description
Book SynopsisOver the last two decades, spurred particularly by the decoding of the genome, neuroscience has advanced to become the primary basis of clinical psychiatry, even as environmental risk factors for mental disorders have been deemphasized.
In this thoroughly revised, second edition of Nature and Nurture in Mental Disorders, the author argues that an overreliance on biology at the expense of environment has been detrimental to the field—that, in fact, the "nature versus nurture" dichotomy is unnecessary. Instead, he posits a biopsychosocial model that acknowledges the role an individual's predisposing genetic factors, interacting with environmental stressors, play in the etiology of many mental disorders.
The first several chapters of the book provide an overview of the theories that affect the study of genes, the environment, and their interaction, examining what the empirical evidence has revealed about each of these issues.
Subsequent chapters apply the integrated model to a variety of disorders, reviewing the evidence on how genes and environment interact to shape disorders including:
• Depressive disorders
• PTSD
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders
By rejecting both biological and psychosocial reductionism in favor of an interactive model, Nature and Nurture in Mental Disorders offers practicing clinicians a path toward a more flexible, effective treatment model. And where controversy or debate still exist, an extensive reference list provided at the end of the book, updated for this edition to reflect the most current literature, encourages further study and exploration.
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Part I: Theory
Chapter 1: Historical Overview
Chapter 2: Genetic Predispositions
Chapter 3: Environmental Stressors
Chapter 4: Gene-Environment Interactions
Chapter 5: Diagnoses, Disorders, and Traits
Part II: Mental Disorders
Chapter 6: ADHD and Conduct Disorder
Chapter 7: Schizophrenia
Chapter 8: Depressive Disorders
Chapter 9: Anxiety Disorders and OCD
Chapter 10: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Chapter 11: Eating Disorders
Chapter 12: Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Chapter 13: Personality Disorders
Part III: Implications
Chapter 14: Clinical Implications
Chapter 15: Implications for Prevention and Further Research
References
