Stress and Epigenetics in Suicidediscusses the central role of epigenetic modifications in suicidal behavior. As early-life stress and an individual's ability to cope with such stressors, combined with psychological factors, social factors, and existential and cognitive factors can predispose young people to suicidal behavior and put them at added risk of suicidal behavior later in life, this book provides readers with an overview of the neurobiology of stress, an introduction to the epige...

In 1996 Joseph LeDoux's The Emotional Brain presented a revelatory examination of the biological bases of our emotions and memories. Now, the world-renowned expert on the brain has produced with a groundbreaking work that tells a more profound story: how the little spaces between the neurons—the brain's synapses—are the channels through which we think, act, imagine, feel, and remember. Synapses encode the essence of personality, enabling each of us to function as a distinc...

"This is a highly entertaining book about a very serious topic. Beautifully written, funny and organized in a way that students and the general public will understand complex notions about stress."- Sonia Lupien, Director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress, University of Montreal"Perfect for my stress and cognition module, accessible and informative, great level of detail."- James Byron-Daniel, University of the West of Eng...

The revolution in psychiatry that began in earnest in the 1960s led to dramatic advances in the understanding and treatment of manic-depressive illness. Hailed as the most outstanding book in the biomedical sciences when it was originally published in 1990, Manic-Depressive Illness was the first to survey this massive body of evidence comprehensively and to assess its meaning for both clinician and scientist. It also vividly portrayed the experience of manic-depressive illness from the per...

The biological and psychological basis of pet therapy / animal-assisted therapy and what this means for practice "A comprehensive, scientific foundation for human-animal therapy." (Judith Solomon) In recent years, the ancient symbiosis between humans and their pets has entered a new phase, marked by the burgeoning clinical specialty of human-animal therapy. This approach uses the relationship between humans and their (mainly) mammalian pets to support the growth of emotion regulation, soci...

Everything clinicians need to know about the emotional well-being of kids.With the number and type of mental health issues in kids on the rise, and as more and more clinicians and counselors are being pushed to the front lines of defense, now more than ever there is a need for a comprehensive, practical resource that guides professionals through the complexities of child and adolescent mental health. This practical, comprehensive book answers that call.

Schizophrenia remains an enigma to many clinicians, despite recent progress in the scientific understanding of its causes, symptoms and potential treatments. Whilst the DSM-IV and ICD-10 classification systems have provided a reasonably reliable set of diagnostic criteria for 'schizophrenia', the validity of the construct remains elusive, and clinicians and researchers need to be wary about accepting these as definitive. Indeed schizophrenia remains a clinical diagnosis, based on certain s...

We remember the admonition of our mothers: “Treat others as you want them to treat you.” But what if being nice was something we were inclined by nature to do anyway? Renowned neuroscientist Donald Pfaff upends our entire understanding of ethics and social contracts with an intriguing proposition: the Golden Rule is hardwired into the human brain.Pfaff, the researcher who first discovered the connections between specific brain circuits and certain behaviors, contends that the basic...

Bipolar disorder is one of the most common and disabling conditions affecting humankind. It is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide, affecting millions of people. The illness is complex and dynamic, so that many individuals are misdiagnosed for years and clinicians struggle with identifying the most appropriate and successful treatment. Because it is complex and common, people suffering from bipolar disorder seek help from clinicians of all types - from psychiatrists, fami...

As more patients seek information about family risks of psychiatric illness -- an interest likely to increase as gene-identification studies are publicized -- most psychiatrists agree it is their role to discuss these issues but admit they are ill-prepared to do so. Psychiatric Genetics addresses that need as the first book to focus on clinical applications of genetics in psychiatry. It covers issues involved in genetic counseling, the interpretation of familial and genetic information for...

How to understand your clients' true illnesses, not just their DSM checklists.Though the DSM discusses the criteria for mood disorders in absolute terms—either present or absent—professionals are aware that while such dichotomies are useful for teaching, they are not always true in practice. Recent genetic data support clinicians' longstanding recognition that a continuum of mood disorders between unipolar and bipolar better matches reality than a yes/no, ...

A Life Course Approach to Mental Disorders examines the interplay of social and biological factors in the production of a wide range of mental disorders throughout life, from the peri-natal period through to old age. The aging into adulthood of numerous birth cohorts, especially over the past twenty years, has provided increasing evidence that mental disorders previously perceived to emerge in adulthood may have their origins early in life. This book brings together, in a single r...