Disorders of behavior represent some of the most common and disabling diseases affecting humankind; however, despite their worldwide distribution, genetic influences on these illnesses are often overlooked by families and mental health professionals. Psychiatric genetics is a rapidly advancing field, elucidating the varied roles of specific genes and their interactions in brain development and dysregulation. Principles of Psychiatric Genetics includes 22 disorder-based chapters covering, amongst other conditions, schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, Alzheimer's disease, learning and developmental disorders, eating disorders and personality disorders. Supporting chapters focus on issues of genetic epidemiology, molecular and statistical methods, pharmacogenetics, epigenetics, gene expression studies, online genetic databases and ethical issues. Written by an international team of contributors, and fully updated with the latest results from genome-wide association studies, this comprehensive text is an indispensable reference for psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and anyone involved in psychiatric genetic studies.

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 clinical use, information regarding risks associated with specific psychiatric disorders, risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy, and the ethical and social implications of psychiatric genetic knowledge and research -- including the prospects for genetic testing. While other books have been written for the genetics community, this volume is addressed to practitioners: a clinically relevant resource that can help them understand the often bewildering flood of information about genetics -- information difficult to interpret, let alone integrate into practice -- and enable them to respond to patients' requests to predict the risk of recurrence of psychiatric illness or provide information about reproductive and pregnancy-related issues. Experts from psychiatry, genetic epidemiology, molecular genetics, genetic counseling, cognitive psychology, and ethics focus on issues that have received little attention elsewhere yet are of increasing importance to clinicians. Written at a level that assumes no particular expertise in genetics, the book features these immediately applicable benefits: It offers a framework for understanding and critically evaluating the psychiatric genetic research literature, enabling clinicians to better understand the meaning and limitations of genetic discoveries when patients raise questions about media reports. It provides a resource for clinicians who would like more information about the role and content of genetic counseling, outlining a typical counseling session while demonstrating how risks are estimated and discussed. It summarizes genetic aspects of major psychiatric conditions -- from childhood-onset disorders through psychotic, mood, and anxiety disorders to dementia -- as well as neuropsychiatric manifestations of other genetic disorders. It alerts clinicians to risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy. It covers the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic research and counseling, illustrating the dilemmas that arise with new advances. Whether used as a clinical guide, reference, or ancillary text, this book sets the standard for the application of psychiatric genetic knowledge in everyday practice. Psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, and genetic counselors will find it an essential resource for all patient encounters in which genetic issues arise.

Schizophrenia is a widely investigated psychiatric condition, and though there have been claims of gene "associations," decades of molecular genetic studies have failed to produce confirmed causative genes. In this book, Joseph focuses on the methodological shortcomings of schizophrenia genetic research. His findings have major implications not only on how we understand the causes of schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, but also on how we understand the causes of human behavior in general. Chapters explore the differing theoretical concepts of schizophrenia, molecular genetic research around schizophrenia, family, twin, and adoption studies, and non-medical prevention and intervention strategies. Prominent researchers and studies in the field are discussed and critiqued comprehensively throughout. This book is essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists, behavioral scientists, and anyone interested in the causes of human behavior.

Psychiatric genetics has become ‘Big Biology’. This may come as a surprising development to those familiar with its controversial history. From eugenic origins and contentious twin studies to a global network of laboratories employing high-throughput genetic and genomic technologies, biological research on psychiatric disorders has become an international, multidisciplinary assemblage of massive data resources. How did psychiatric genetics achieve this scale? How is it socially and epistemically organized? And how do scientists experience this politics of scale? Psychiatric Genetics: From Hereditary Madness to Big Biology develops a sociological approach of exploring the origins of psychiatric genetics by tracing several distinct styles of scientific reasoning that coalesced at the beginning of the twentieth century. These styles of reasoning reveal, among other things, a range of practices that maintain an extraordinary stability in the face of radical criticism, internal tensions and scientific disappointments. The book draws on a variety of methods and materials to explore these claims. Combining genealogical analysis of historical literature, rhetorical analysis of scientific review articles, interviews with scientists, ethnographic observations of laboratory practices and international conferences, this book offers a comprehensive and detailed exploration of both local and global changes in the field of psychiatric genetics.

From reviews of the hardback:'It is timely to see such an excellent textbook... Aimed at graduate level students, this book is complex enough to be thorough, but clear with enough background to be accessible... the coverage is comprehensive and the flow logical... The text is uniformly well written and achieves a successful integration.' -The Lancet'A good introduction and reference book for professionals interested in psychiatric genetics such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and neuroscientists... the book you want to have on your bookshelf to look up material and obtain a complete and balanced picture of the field.' -Psychological MedicineRevised for paperback edition, with new appendicesGenetics promises to provide one of the most powerful approaches to understanding the functional pathology of the human brain. This book presents a critical review of the evidence for a genetic contribution to common psychiatric conditions and the rarer single-gene disorders that may have psychiatric presentations.The first section of the book introduces the reader to molecular biology and the techniques of molecular genetics. The coverage then moves on to consider the genetics of normal and abnormal development, followed by a look at the genetics of abnormal behaviour in adults. This section includes, amongst others, consideration of personality disorders, schizophrenia and the dementias. The final section considers the applications of the work and covers issues such as counselling and ethics, closing with a look to the future.The editors are internationally renowned figures in this field and they have invited a team of equally eminent chapter authors.Readership: Psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, geneticists, neuroscientists and neurologists

Psychiatric genetics is an exciting new discipline that explores how our minds and behavior are influenced by our genes. Increased interest in this area of medical genetics has been sparked by advances in molecular genetic techniques, the genome project, the neurosciences, the role of genes in somatic diseases, and the linking of specific genes with complex mental disorders. This Handbook is the definitive resource on this complex, and sometimes controversial, new field.

An edited volume that looks at the state of psychiatric genetics and how to chart a path forward. In this edited collection, experts from psychiatric and statistical genetics, neurobiology, and clinical psychiatry investigate whether and how to pursue the discovery of additional genetic risk factors for mental illnesses. Using the existing knowledge and frameworks of genetic risk factors, they look at how a better understanding of the biology that underlies mental illnesses can improve and enhance the care that patients receive.

This is a major international textbook for psychiatrists and other professionals working in the field of mental healthcare. With contributions from opinion-leaders from around the globe, this book will appeal to those in training as well as to those further along the career path seeking a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of effective clinical practice backed by research evidence. The book is divided into cohesive sections moving from coverage of the tools and skills of the trade, through descriptions of the major psychiatric disorders and on to consider special topics and issues surrounding service organization. The final important section provides a comprehensive review of treatments covering all of the major modalities. Previously established as the Essentials of Postgraduate Psychiatry, this new and completely revised edition is the only book to provide this depth and breadth of coverage in an accessible, yet authoritative manner.

THE BOOK OF LIFE, KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE provides the reader simple, commonsense, unorthodox answers and explanations on or about the WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHY of issues of life and existence, such as the: Beginning of the Universe; Earth-like and extrasolar planets; Human Being; Religions & Religious issues such as: Bible; 'God'; Jesus; Virgin Mary; Adam & Eve; Angels, Devils, Satan, Hell, Heaven, Confession, Sins, Blasphemy, Apostasy, Celibacy, Mysticism, Superstition, Mythologies, Religious Mythologies; Psychological issues such as: Out-of-Body and Near-death Experiences; and Hallucinatory, Psychoactive and Ethnogenic Drugs. Once you have started to READ this Book, you will NEVER want to stop reading!