Genetics of Mental Disorders: A Guide for Students, Clinicians, and Researchers [Hardcover]

Stephen V. Faraone (Author), Ming T. Tsuang (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1572304790 | ISBN-13: 978-1572304796 | Publication Date: May 21, 1999 | Edition: 1

This book provides a comprehensive and readable primer on the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors in mental disorders. Rendering technical concepts accessible, and laying to rest common myths and oversimplifications, the book describes what (and how) scientists have learned about the causation and expression of such frequently encountered disorders as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and Alzheimer disease. Clinicians and students gain the basic knowledge they need to evaluate the literature in this rapidly developing field, understand implications for treatment, and communicate genetic information to clients and families. Throughout, special attention is given to the critical ethical and professional concerns raised by emerging technologies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This primer on psychiatric genetic methodology will be a valued reference for those who remain mystified by quantitative and molecular genetics. The text is ideally suited for upper-level undergraduates, clinical psychology graduate students, psychiatric residents, mental health practitioners, and scientists with limited expertise in behavioral genetics." --William G. Iacono, PhD, Distinguished McKnight University Professor Director, Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Training Program, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

"Genetics of Mental Disorders is exquisitely written for psychiatrists-in-training or those who are unfamiliar with genetic principles and their applications to research and patient care. This text will begin to prepare clinicians for the employment of genetic understandings and new technologies with their patients. This lucid and precise summary succeeds in making a complex topic accessible. It is a pleasure to read and should be on the bookshelf of every psychiatrist-in-training." --Barbara Biesecker, MS, Genetic Counselor, Co-Director of the Section of Genetic Counseling Research and Training, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of Health

About the Author

Stephen V. Faraone, PhD, is currently Associate Professor of Psychology in the Harvard Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and Director of Research, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ming T. Tsuang, MD, PhD, DSc, is currently Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Superintendent and Head of the Harvard Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center; and Director of the Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics jointly sponsored by the Harvard Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

Debby W. Tsuang, MD, MS, is currently Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Washington. She is also a research investigator in the Veterans Affairs Mental Illness Research, Clinical and Education Center (MIRECC), based at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

Long Bios
Stephen V. Faraone earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa and completed postdoctoral training in psychiatric epidemiology and genetics at Brown Medical School. He is currently Associate Professor of Psychology in Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and Director of Research, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Faraone is Associate Editor of Neuropsychiatric Genetics and maintains a research program in the genetics of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Ming T. Tsuang is internationally known for his studies of the psychiatric epidemiology, nosology, and genetics of schizophrenia and mood disorders. Subsequent to receiving his MD from National Taiwan University, he earned his PhD in psychiatry and DSc in epidemiology and genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. Currently, Dr. Tsuang is Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Superintendent and Head, Harvard Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center; and Director of the Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics jointly sponsored by the Harvard Schools of Medicine and Public Health. He is also Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Linkage Study of Schizophrenia at the Brockton/West Roxbury VA Medical Center. He serves as Editor of Neuropsychiatric Genetics and continues to pursue epidemiological and genetic studies of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. Dr. Tsuang is a Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and of the Academia Sinica of Taiwan. He was also elected Fellow in the American College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Psychiatrists of the United Kingdom. For his contributions to psychiatric genetics, Dr. Tsuang was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics.

Debby W. Tsuang received her MD and MS (Psychiatric Epidemiology) from the University of Iowa. She completed her geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the University of Washington, with an emphasis on genetics of dementia. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Washington. She is also a research investigator in the Veterans Affairs Mental Illness Research, Clinical and Education Center (MIRECC), based at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Dr. Tsuang serves as an ad hoc reviewer for several journals in geriatric and general psychiatry and medical genetics. Her research focuses on the genetics of Alzheimer disease, Huntington disease, and schizophrenia.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (May 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572304790
• ISBN-13: 978-1572304796
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,543,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, scholarly, but fully accessible for lay readers ., June 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genetics of Mental Disorders: A Guide for Students, Clinicians, and Researchers (Hardcover)

Students, clinicians and researchers who study the genetic roots of mental disease will find this an involving overview which provides a comprehensive introduction to psychiatric genetics. From the contributions of genes and environment to mental health to genetic predispositions and transmission links, Genetics of Mental Disorders offers chapters which sound detailed and involved, but which can be absorbed by lay readers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start, July 20, 2003

By 

Matthew Allen Butkus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genetics of Mental Disorders: A Guide for Students, Clinicians, and Researchers (Hardcover)

I'm still making my way through this book, but what I've seen so far has offered an interesting explanation of the mood disorders. To be sure, mood disorders are not entirely determined by genes - there are environmental factors to be considered as well, as twin studies have shown. However, suggestions that there are genes which can predispose individuals to mood and thought disorders is compelling; this explanation can provide an answer for many questions that pure environmental accounts cannot. It makes for a worthwhile read.

In reply to an earlier reviewer, I would note that the past month has seen announcements concerning potential marker genes for bipolar disorder and depression-triggers, lending some credence to the premise of the book.

4 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How about some real evidence?, March 12, 2001

By 

steve terranova (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genetics of Mental Disorders: A Guide for Students, Clinicians, and Researchers (Hardcover)

This is another in the long line of books and articles claiming that mental illnesses are largely genetic. This claim is made despite the fact that not a single gene has been found to be linked to a mental disorder (at least not one that wasn't refuted a few years later). I guess the idea is to put out a bunch of studies making claims and, by the time the studies are refuted, you can crank out some new ones. My favorite passage in this book goes as follows: "Recent linkage analysis studies have replicated initial reports of positive linkage to chromosome 6 markers in families with schizophrenia. Although there are several negative studies, the evidence implicating the short arm of chromosome 6 is the strongest to date for schizophrenia." "Several negative studies"? That sounds quite uncompelling to me. If you are going to assert that mental illnesses are genetic and human beings can be reduced to genetic robots...