Neurobiology of Mental Illness

Advances in molecular and cellular biology and in the basic neurosciences are now bringing the revolution in molecular medicine to the field of psychiatry. This is the first comprehensive text to chart that progress. In 70 clear and concise chapters it describes the current state of knowledge about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and shows how this information has the potential to dramatically improve treatment and ultimately lead to prevention. The text has been written by world-renowned experts in basic neuroscience and the pathophysiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. It begins with a succinct overview of the basic neurosciences followed by an evaluation of the tools that are available for the study of mental disorders in humans. The core of the book is a series of consistently organized sections on the major psychiatric disorders that cover their diagnostic classification, molecular genetics, functional neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and pharmacology, neuroimaging, and principles of pharmacotherapy. Chapters are written in a clear style that is easily accessible to practicing psychiatrists, and yet they are detailed enough to interest researchers and academics. Both as a textbook and a reference work, Neurobiology of Mental Illness represents a uniquely valuable resource for psychiatrists, neuroscientists, and their students or trainees, and those studying psychotic disorders, substance abuse disorders, psychiatric disorders in children, and miscellaneous diagnostic entities.