Moleküle und Psychosen: Der biologische Ansatz in der Psychiatrie

Scientific American Library Series #44

by Samuel H. Barondes

Millions of Americans suffer from extreme fearlessness, depression, the inability to distinguish the imagined from the real, and a host of other disabling symptoms. In Molecules and Mental Illness , Samuel Barondes explains the biological foundations of mental illnesses and the impact of recent findings on the pharmacological treatment of those illnesses. One of the few psychiatrists with formal training in molecular biology, Barondes offers an unusual perspective on the symptoms and treatment of mental illness. Passages written by patients and their families, describing their illnesses, the frustrations of being diagnosed, and the concessions and adaptations they make are interspersed with Barondes' text and provide a human counterpoint. With biological research playing an increasingly important role in modern psychiatry and the treatment of patients, Molecules and Mental Illness is a timely, important book for patients and professionals alike.

Genres: Science, Psychology, Biology

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Samuel H. Barondes , M.D. is Jeanne and Sanford Robertson Professor and Director of the Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. A leading authority on the application of molecular biology to psychiatry, he is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and recently served as Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Reviews

[Peter Prokopiev]

Contains sublime examples of scientifiezed thinking such as:

“There is reason to believe that complex human personality traits are also influenced by the concerted action of a number of particular genes.
This is, of course, more difficult to study in humans than in mice, since human mating is determined by caprice rather than experimental design.”

And also this, which is just plain cruel:

“Schizophrenia is a very expensive disorder.” […] The reason why schizophrenia is such a huge financial and social problem is that it strikes you g people and renders them nonproductive ans troublesome…”

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal book. Covers the foundation of psychotherapy and molecular biology on their own and then merges their stories as they are destined to be. The examples, illustrations, and figures all further supplement the understanding of the written material. This book was a great introductory to the field of molecular psychiatry and am excited to delve deeper into Barondes' other novels and other books pertaining to the field.