Publisher's Synopsis
The term "biological psychiatry" often puzzles those working in other branches of science and medicine. The word "biology" refers to the study of living things and, therefore, encompasses physiological, biochemical and psychological forms of investigation. In psychiatry, however, it has become conventional to use the term "biological" to encompass phsiological and genetic approaches to psychiatric aetiology in contrast to psychosocial approaches.;"Biological" causes of severe psychiatric disorder have been suspected from the earliest times, and in some periods an excessive focus upon them has led to neglect of psychological and social approaches to treatment, to the detriment of patients.;There is no doubt that the causes of psychiatric illness are complex, and it is unlikely that any single approach, biological or psychosocial, will ever be sufficient on its own. Nevertheless, recent advances in basic science and technological developments have made a significant contribution to the understanding of psychiatric aetiology. This volume reviews the findings of the wide range of scientific approaches to mental illness that now exist, including structural and functional imaging of the brain, molecular genetics, cell biology and metabolic studies.
