A comprehensive, up-to-date resource providing information about genetic influences on disorders of behavior.

This volume offers a comprehensive and readable introduction to the science and practice of psychiatric genetics. The authors illuminate the complex interplay of genes and environmental factors involved in the causation and expression of frequently encountered disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and Alzheimer disease. Outlining important recent findings, the book describes not only what scientists have learned, but also how these discoveries have been made. Clinicians, students, and researchers will gain the basic knowledge they need to evaluate reports of genetic research, understand implications for treatment, and communicate genetic information to clients and families.

Addressing clients’ questions and concerns about the role of genetics in mental illness. As we learn more about how our biology and genes can play into the development of a mental health disorder, patients and their families are increasingly seeking answers to tough questions about common risk factors, the likelihood of recurrence, the need for genetic testing, and implications for future generations. A practical, go-to resource for all mental health clinicians, this guide explains just how to address these questions and concerns in a way that’s comprehensible and compassionate. Filled with case studies, sample dialogues, and question-and-answer examples, it is an essential roadmap for practitioners, helping them to demystify a complex issue for their clients and equip them with the accurate, reassuring information they need.

Psychiatric Genetics: A Primer for Clinical and Basic Scientists offers a straightforward introduction to the essentials of psychiatric genetics, covering basic epidemiology, recruitment for human studies, phenotyping strategies, formal genetic and molecular genetic studies, statistical genetics, bioinformatics and genomics, pharmacogenetics, the most relevant animal models, and biobanking. Each chapter begins with a list of "take home" points that summarizes content, followed by a brief overview of current knowledge and suggestions for further reading.

Here, leading neuroscientist Nancy Andreasen offers a state-of-the-art look at what we know about the human brain and the human genome--and shows how these two vast branches of knowledge are coming together in a boldly ambitious effort to conquer mental illness. Andreasen gives us an engaging and readable description of how it all works---from billions of neurons, to the tiny thalamus, to the moral monitor in our prefrontal cortex. She shows the progress made in mapping the human genome, whose 30,000 to 40,000 genes are almost all active in the brain. We read gripping stories of the people who develop mental illness, the friends and relatives who share their suffering, the physicians who treat them, and the scientists who study them so that better treatments can be found. Four major disorders are covered--schizophrenia, manic depression, anxiety disorders, and dementia--revealing what causes them and how they affect the mind and brain. Finally, the book shows how the powerful tools of genetics and neuroscience will be combined during the next decades to build healthier brains and minds. By revealing how combining genome mapping with brain mapping can unlock the mysteries of mental illness, Andreasen offers a remarkably fresh perspective on these devastating diseases.

This book discusses in detail the genetic causes and implications, prevalence, physical characteristics, cognitive profiles, speech and language, medical complications, and behaviors of four major syndromes (Down, Williams, fragile X, and Prader-Willi) an

Personalized Psychiatry presents the first book to explore this novel field of biological psychiatry that covers both basic science research and its translational applications. The book conceptualizes personalized psychiatry and provides state-of-the-art knowledge on biological and neuroscience methodologies, all while integrating clinical phenomenology relevant to personalized psychiatry and discussing important principles and potential models. It is essential reading for advanced students and neuroscience and psychiatry researchers who are investigating the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. - Combines neurobiology with basic science methodologies in genomics, epigenomics and transcriptomics - Demonstrates how the statistical modeling of interacting biological and clinical information could transform the future of psychiatry - Addresses fundamental questions and requirements for personalized psychiatry from a basic research and translational perspective