Infectious Madness
Subtitle: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2015
Place of publication: New York, USA
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 292
ISBN-13: 9780316277808
Copyright date: 2015
Description: What causes mental illness? Traditionally, we've blamed bad parenting, stress, trauma, genetics, and brain-chemistry imbalances. But in recent years, a new theory has quietly achieved critical mass. In her astonishing new book, author Harriet Washington reveals that many instances of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's, Tourette's, bipolar disorder, and anorexia are likely caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses. That's right--you can "catch" mental illness. Weaving together cutting-edge research and startling case studies, Infectious Madness shows how strep throat can trigger OCD in a formerly healthy teen, how a pregnant woman's contact with cat litter can lead to schizophrenia in her child, and how gut bacteria that leak into the bloodstream may play a role in autism. Thanks in part to the sheer speed of their reproduction, microbes are beating us at a game of evolutionary chess; we must be vigilant if we hope to protect ourselves and our children from mind-altering infections. Washington shares innovative tactics from the front lines of medicine--like worm therapy, phages (viruses that infect bacteria), and the use of one microbe to fight another--and explains the dangers of carelessness, bad environmental policy, and misinformation. Rich in science, tantalizing medical mysteries, and practical advice, Infectious Madness pulls back the curtain on a new paradigm with profound implications for us all.--Adapted from book jacket.
Table of contents: label: Introduction
title: 3; label: Chapter 1: Germ Theory Redux: The Acquisition of Mental Illness
title: 9; label: Chapter 2: The Fetus as Battleground: Early Exposure and Psychiatric Fate
title: 38; label: Chapter 3: Growing Pains: "Catching" Anorexia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Tourette's
title: 76; label: Chapter 4: Gut Feelings: The Brain in Your Belly
title: 125; label: Chapter 5: Microbial Culture: Pathogens and the Shaping of Societies
title: 158; label: Chapter 6: Winning at Evolutionary Chess: Strategies to Outwit Pathogens
title: 192; label: Chapter 7: Tropical Madness: Infection and Neglect in the Developing World
title: 225; label: Acknowledgments
title: 251; label: Notes
title: 255; label: Index
title: 281