Main description:

Over 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.

Contents:

PrefaceIntroductionPart I: TheoryChapter 1: Historical OverviewChapter 2: Genetic PredispositionsChapter 3: Environmental StressorsChapter 4: Gene-Environment InteractionsChapter 5: Diagnoses, Disorders, and TraitsPart II: Mental DisordersChapter 6: ADHD and Conduct DisorderChapter 7: SchizophreniaChapter 8: Depressive DisordersChapter 9: Anxiety Disorders and OCDChapter 10: Posttraumatic Stress DisorderChapter 11: Eating DisordersChapter 12: Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders Chapter 13: Personality Disorders Part III: ImplicationsChapter 14: Clinical ImplicationsChapter 15: Implications for Prevention and Further ResearchReferences