This book has attempted to highlight the importance of emotions in mental illness. Emotional experiences have an important effect on child development and to determine emotional organisation. This emotional organisation influences the perception of the self, others, and the world. Despite the importance of emotions to understand the individuals complexity, cognition has been the most studied mental process in psychiatric illness because it can be easily verbalized. However, the origin of psychiatry and psychology highlights the importance of emotion rather than cognition. On the one hand, the work of Wundt supposed a milestone in the study of emotions in the lab. He is widely regarded as the father of experimental psychology. Likewise, Jaspers gave notes on how the patients themselves felt about their symptoms. Jaspers is widely regarded as the father of the biographical method. Both theses have been considered as reductionist perspectives. On the other hand, the work of Freud supposed another milestone in the study of emotions by means of the unconscious mind. He is one of the founding figures of psychoanalysis. Thus, he proposed interesting macro concepts, but they are not falsifiable. To sum up, paradigms in conflict posit difficulties to understand the complexity of emotions in mental illness. This book tries to bind both micro and macro components in order to understand the complexity of emotions in mental disorders. To this end, a preliminary chapter Affects and Psychoanalytical Theory examines the last contributions of psychoanalysis on emotional states from a macro conceptual perspective. To understand the etiology of emotional organization, the second chapter reviews the literature on Genetics of Emotional Dysregulation. With regards to the importance of emotional organizations, the third chapter highlights the study of Affective Temperament in Mood Disorders. The affective temperaments can elicit certain emotions over others and can determine the course and the illness prognosis. Similarly, negative life events can cause epigenetic changes and elicit biases to negative information. This thesis is explained in the fourth chapter, entitled Emotional World Perception in Depression. From a longitudinal perspective, emotional disturbances can be part of adolescence or can be an indicator of emotional vulnerability to develop a mental disorder. This differential diagnosis between normal or pathological mood is examined in the fifth chapter, Severe Mood Dysregulation in Adolescence. Subsequent chapters examine the last findings on emotions in different mental disorders other than affective disorders. The sixth chapter, The Role of Emotion in Eating Disorders goes further than eating behaviors and focuses on the emotional experience as an underlying mechanism. Similarly, the seventh chapter An Emotional Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders indicates that emotions are not absent, but rather blocked.Therefore, this book will help readers to understand the role of emotion in psychopathology in terms of: i) Macro (psychoanalysis) and micro (research) conceptualizations; ii) the development of emotional organization across a life cycle; iii) the importance of emotional organization in the course of mental illness; iv) the fine frontier between pathological and non-pathological emotions; and v) the reconsideration of emotions as the underlying mechanism of abnormal behavior.

Bringing together treatment and referral advice from existing guidelines, this text aims to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.

Emotion is a basic phenomenon of human functioning, most of the time having an adaptive value enhancing our effectiveness in pursuing our goals in the broadest sense. Regulation of these emotions, however, is essential for adaptive functioning, and suboptimal or dysfunctional emotion regulation may even be counterproductive and result in adverse consequences, including a poor well-being and ill health. This volume provides a state-of-the art overview of issues related to the association between emotion regulation and both mental and physical well-being. It covers various areas of research highly relevant to both researchers in the field and clinicians working with emotion regulation issues in their practice. Included topics are arranged along four major areas: • (Neuro-)biological processes involved in the generation and regulation of emotions • Psychological processes and mechanisms related to the link between emotion regulation and psychological well-being as well as physical health • Social perspective on emotion regulation pertaining to well-being and social functioning across the life span • Clinical aspects of emotion regulation and specific mental and physical health problems This broad scope offers the possibility to include research findings and thought-provoking views of leading experts from different fields of research, such as cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, psychophysiology, social psychology, and psychiatry on specific topics such as nonconscious emotion regulation, emotional body language, self-control, rumination, mindfulness, social sharing, positive emotions, intergroup emotions, and attachment in their relation to well-being and health. Chapters are based on the “Fourth International Conference on the (Non) Expression of Emotions in Health and Disease” held at Tilburg University in October 2007. In 2007 Springer published “Emotion Regulation: Conceptual and Clinical Issues” based on the Third International Conference on the (Non) Expression of Emotion in Health and Disease,” held at Tilburg University in October 2003. It is anticipated that, depending on sales, we may continue to publish the advances deriving from this conference.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) development is a critical foundation for a productive adulthood. Much is known about strategies to support families and communities in strengthening the MEB development of children and youth, by promoting healthy development and also by preventing and mitigating disorder, so that young people reach adulthood ready to thrive and contribute to society. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has significantly strengthened understanding of healthy MEB development and the factors that influence it, as well as how it can be fostered. Yet, the United States has not taken full advantage of this growing knowledge base. Ten years later, the nation still is not effectively mitigating risks for poor MEB health outcomes; these risks remain prevalent, and available data show no significant reductions in their prevalence. Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda examines the gap between current research and achievable national goals for the next ten years. This report identifies the complexities of childhood influences and highlights the need for a tailored approach when implementing new policies and practices. This report provides a framework for a cohesive, multidisciplinary national approach to improving MEB health.