The riddle of melancholia has stumped generations of doctors. It is a serious depressive illness that often leads to suicide and premature death. The disease's link to biology has been intensively studied. Unlike almost any other psychiatric disorder, melancholia sufferers have abnormal endocrine functions. Tests capable of separating melancholia from other mood disorders were useful discoveries, but these tests fell into disuse as psychiatrists lost interest in biology and medicine. In the nineteenth century, theories about the role of endocrine organs encouraged endocrine treatments that loomed prominently in practice. This interest faded in the 1930s but was revived by the discovery of the adrenal hormone cortisol and descriptions of its abnormal functioning in melancholic and psychotic depressed patients. New endocrine tests were devised to plumb the secrets of mood disorders. Two colorful individuals, Bernard Carroll and Edward Sachar, led this revival and for a time in the 1960s and 1970s intensive research interest established connections between hormone dysfunctions and behavior. In the 1980s, psychiatrists lost interest in hormonal approaches largely because they did not correlate with the arbitrary classification of mood disorders. Today the relation between endocrines and behavior have been disregarded. This history traces the enthusiasm of biological efforts to solve the mystery of melancholia and their fall. Using vibrant language accessible to family care practitioners, psychiatrists and interested lay readers, the authors propose that a useful, a potentially live-saving connection between medicine and psychiatry, has been lost.

Mental Health, Diabetes and Endocrinology examines the main areas of clinical overlap between endocrinology and mental health to address key clinical conundrums. Drawing on the most recent developments from literature and clinical practice, this book gives specific attention to the main areas where clinical conundrums and treatment challenges arise across endocrinology, psychiatry, psychology and primary care. Common challenges in this area include depression which can impact on the person's ability to self-care and to adhere to treatment with consequences for their morbidity and mortality; 'diabulaemia' associated with high mortality rates; obesity and associated mental disorders; cognitive impairment and mental capacity; anti-psychotic medications and their endocrine sequelae; and specific setting-related considerations. Mental Health, Diabetes and Endocrinology is a useful resource for the overlapping conditions across these specialities, and provides clinically-focussed evidence-based resources for all health care professionals who encounter these issues.

Endocrine imbalances can cause a whole host of physical and mental health problems. Yet, there is currently no definitive source of information that shows how hormones can bridge the gap between mental health and medical health modalities. This book is a bold crossover between the disciplines of medical and mental health, exploring the understanding that some of the major mental diagnoses belong not only to the field of mental health but also to that of medicine. Clients with depression, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, infertility, suicidality, anger and rage, fatigue, apathy, cognitive impairments, confusion, eating disorders, and poor body image may actually be presenting symptoms of hormonal disorders. Beginning with patient stories that display the devastating effects of misdiagnosis and the struggle to obtain the correct treatment, it provides members of the mental health profession with an authentic understanding of the impact of endocrine imbalances and disorders. With contributions from some of the world's most respected physicians, psychiatrists and psychotherapists, it provides accurate medical and psychological information about hormone imbalances and disorders, how to recognise the signs in patients, and how to treat them effectively. A comprehensive resource that provides all the information needed to identify endocrine disorders in patients successfully; this book will be of immeasurable value to clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers, doctors, nurses and mental health clinicians.

This 1986 volume of the Handbook of Psychiatry covers that area of psychiatry contiguous with general medicine, and in particular neurology. It raises general issues especially with respect to fundamental problems of the mind-body relationship, and deals with medical disorders related to psychiatry. The topics discussed include ischaemic heart disease, peptic ulcers, bronchial asthma, renal failure, endocrine disorders and ageing as well as neuropsychiatry. There is also an account of selected aspects of severe subnormality, concentrating on the practical management of the severely handicapped child and adult. Throughout this volume the contributors provide a clinically relevant account of their topics. The volume will continue to hold value as a comprehensive survey of the medical history of mental disorders associated with somatic illness.

The mind-body connection is one of the hottest topics in medicine today, documented by enormous amounts of data regarding hormone effects on the brain and behavior. Yet it is only now -- with the debut of this thought-provoking volume -- that we find an up-to-date, sophisticated reference that focuses on the clinical relevance of behavioral endocrinology and is written for practicing clinicians and researchers. This wide-ranging volume shows how the principles and emerging findings of psychoneuroendocrinology can inform modern clinical practice and lead to new breakthroughs in future science and practice. Here, leading authorities -- internationally respected researchers and practicing clinicians -- review empirical findings in their areas of expertise, highlight the clinical significance of these findings, and provide, wherever appropriate, clinical guidelines for the management of patients. Beginning with a lively history of psychoneuroendocrinology (including its many false starts), this book continues on to discussions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormone system, the gonadal hormone system, and the thyroid hormone system from each of the three paths generally used for psychoneuroendocrinological investigation: Alterations in endogenous hormone levels observed in primary psychiatric illness Psychiatric concomitants or sequelae of hormonal dysregulation in primary endocrinologic illness Behavioral effects of exogenously administered hormones or hormone antagonists (both the study of the side effects of hormonal medications and the use of hormones and hormone antagonists as psychotropic medications) An unmatched diversity of topics reveals the full breadth and depth of this volume: diabetes mellitus, corticosteroid effects on mood and cognition, Cushing's syndrome and Addison's disease, oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement therapy, psychiatric illness associated with the menstrual cycle and perimenopause, postpartum behavioral changes, anabolic/androgenic steroid use, and a thorough review of thyroid function in psychiatric disorders. Particularly fascinating are sections on the role of neuropeptides and hypothalamic-releasing factors in psychiatric illness, the use of laboratory tests and imaging procedures in evaluating hormonal function in psychiatric patients, the place of newer "alternative" hormonal medications such as melatonin and DHEA in therapeutics, and a provocative and compelling final chapter on the role stress plays in precipitating illness. Designed for both clinician and researcher-scientist, this richly informative guide will also prove an invaluable addition to graduate courses in neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, the biological basis of behavior, and consultation psychiatry. Neuroscientists/neurologists, endocrinologists, obstetricians/gynecologists, internists, family practitioners, nurses, and interested laypersons round out the wide audience for this remarkable volume.

This is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference work to date on the core issues in affective disorders: etiology, pathogenesis, mechanisms of action, and effective management. Active and major investigators in the field have contributed to the volume, ensuring the quality and currency of the material. A critical assessment of the most recent genetic findings is included.