Evolutionary psychiatry
Subtitle: a new beginning
By: Anthony Stevens and John Price.
Contributors: Price, John, 1930-
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1996
Place of publication: London; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 267
Subjects: Mental illness -- Etiology.; Genetic psychology.; Mental illness -- Genetic aspects.
Description: "Challenging a medical model which has supplied few effective answers to long-standing conundrums, Evolutionary Psychiatry proposes a new conceptual framework for psychiatry based on Darwinian theory." "Anthony Stevens and John Price argue that psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of ancient adaptive strategies which are no longer necessarily appropriate but which can best be understood and treated in an evolutionary and developmental context. They propose theories to account for the widespread existence of affective disorders, borderline states and schizophrenia, as well as offering solutions for puzzles such as sadomasochism and the function of dreams." "This comprehensive introduction to the new science of Darwinian Psychiatry is readily accessible to both the specialist and non-specialist reader. It describes in detail the disorders and conditions commonly encountered in psychiatric practice and shows how evolutionary theory can account for their biological origins and functional nature."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.