Foundations of Biochemical Psychiatry

Foundations of Biochemical Psychiatry provides information pertinent to the development of biochemical psychiatry, including biochemical studies of psychiatric patients before and after pharmacological intervention and genetic studies. This book discusses the development of biochemical psychiatry as a significant experimental and conceptual approach to understanding mental illness. Organized into 24 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the neurochemical processes involved in the elaboration of a behavior and the extent to which alterations in those processes are responsible for behavioral differences. This text then discusses the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia, including common symptoms, natural history, and subtypes. Other chapters consider the contribution of genetic factors to the etiology of schizophrenia. This book discusses as well the similarities among hallucinations, dreams, and primary process thinking. The final chapter deals with the factors that may influence the neuroendocrine system. This book is a valuable resource for psychiatrists, neuropharmacologists, neurobiologists, behavioral biologists, and psychoanalysts.