Author: Thomas G. Schulze
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190221976
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Psychiatric Genetics: A Primer for Clinical and Basic Scientists offers a straightforward introduction to the essentials of psychiatric genetics, covering basic epidemiology, recruitment for human studies, phenotyping strategies, formal genetic and molecular genetic studies, statistical genetics, bioinformatics and genomics, pharmacogenetics, the most relevant animal models, and biobanking. Each chapter begins with a list of "take home" points that summarizes content, followed by a brief overview of current knowledge and suggestions for further reading.
Psychiatric Genetics
Principles of Psychiatric Genetics
Author: John I. Nurnberger
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521896495
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 415
Book Description
A comprehensive, up-to-date resource providing information about genetic influences on disorders of behavior.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521896495
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 415
Book Description
A comprehensive, up-to-date resource providing information about genetic influences on disorders of behavior.
Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics
Author: Peter McGuffin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198564867
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 508
Book Description
From reviews of the hardback:'It is timely to see such an excellent textbook... Aimed at graduate level students, this book is complex enough to be thorough, but clear with enough background to be accessible... the coverage is comprehensive and the flow logical... The text is uniformly well written and achieves a successful integration.' -The Lancet'A good introduction and reference book for professionals interested in psychiatric genetics such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and neuroscientists... the book you want to have on your bookshelf to look up material and obtain a complete and balanced picture of the field.' -Psychological MedicineRevised for paperback edition, with new appendicesGenetics promises to provide one of the most powerful approaches to understanding the functional pathology of the human brain. This book presents a critical review of the evidence for a genetic contribution to common psychiatric conditions and the rarer single-gene disorders that may have psychiatric presentations.The first section of the book introduces the reader to molecular biology and the techniques of molecular genetics. The coverage then moves on to consider the genetics of normal and abnormal development, followed by a look at the genetics of abnormal behaviour in adults. This section includes, amongst others, consideration of personality disorders, schizophrenia and the dementias. The final section considers the applications of the work and covers issues such as counselling and ethics, closing with a look to the future.The editors are internationally renowned figures in this field and they have invited a team of equally eminent chapter authors.Readership: Psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, geneticists, neuroscientists and neurologists
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198564867
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 508
Book Description
From reviews of the hardback:'It is timely to see such an excellent textbook... Aimed at graduate level students, this book is complex enough to be thorough, but clear with enough background to be accessible... the coverage is comprehensive and the flow logical... The text is uniformly well written and achieves a successful integration.' -The Lancet'A good introduction and reference book for professionals interested in psychiatric genetics such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and neuroscientists... the book you want to have on your bookshelf to look up material and obtain a complete and balanced picture of the field.' -Psychological MedicineRevised for paperback edition, with new appendicesGenetics promises to provide one of the most powerful approaches to understanding the functional pathology of the human brain. This book presents a critical review of the evidence for a genetic contribution to common psychiatric conditions and the rarer single-gene disorders that may have psychiatric presentations.The first section of the book introduces the reader to molecular biology and the techniques of molecular genetics. The coverage then moves on to consider the genetics of normal and abnormal development, followed by a look at the genetics of abnormal behaviour in adults. This section includes, amongst others, consideration of personality disorders, schizophrenia and the dementias. The final section considers the applications of the work and covers issues such as counselling and ethics, closing with a look to the future.The editors are internationally renowned figures in this field and they have invited a team of equally eminent chapter authors.Readership: Psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, geneticists, neuroscientists and neurologists
Psychiatric Genetics
Author: Jordan W. Smoller
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585628794
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
As more patients seek information about family risks of psychiatric illness -- an interest likely to increase as gene-identification studies are publicized -- most psychiatrists agree it is their role to discuss these issues but admit they are ill-prepared to do so. Psychiatric Genetics addresses that need as the first book to focus on clinical applications of genetics in psychiatry. It covers issues involved in genetic counseling, the interpretation of familial and genetic information for clinical use, information regarding risks associated with specific psychiatric disorders, risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy, and the ethical and social implications of psychiatric genetic knowledge and research -- including the prospects for genetic testing. While other books have been written for the genetics community, this volume is addressed to practitioners: a clinically relevant resource that can help them understand the often bewildering flood of information about genetics -- information difficult to interpret, let alone integrate into practice -- and enable them to respond to patients' requests to predict the risk of recurrence of psychiatric illness or provide information about reproductive and pregnancy-related issues. Experts from psychiatry, genetic epidemiology, molecular genetics, genetic counseling, cognitive psychology, and ethics focus on issues that have received little attention elsewhere yet are of increasing importance to clinicians. Written at a level that assumes no particular expertise in genetics, the book features these immediately applicable benefits: It offers a framework for understanding and critically evaluating the psychiatric genetic research literature, enabling clinicians to better understand the meaning and limitations of genetic discoveries when patients raise questions about media reports. It provides a resource for clinicians who would like more information about the role and content of genetic counseling, outlining a typical counseling session while demonstrating how risks are estimated and discussed. It summarizes genetic aspects of major psychiatric conditions -- from childhood-onset disorders through psychotic, mood, and anxiety disorders to dementia -- as well as neuropsychiatric manifestations of other genetic disorders. It alerts clinicians to risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy. It covers the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic research and counseling, illustrating the dilemmas that arise with new advances. Whether used as a clinical guide, reference, or ancillary text, this book sets the standard for the application of psychiatric genetic knowledge in everyday practice. Psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, and genetic counselors will find it an essential resource for all patient encounters in which genetic issues arise.
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585628794
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
As more patients seek information about family risks of psychiatric illness -- an interest likely to increase as gene-identification studies are publicized -- most psychiatrists agree it is their role to discuss these issues but admit they are ill-prepared to do so. Psychiatric Genetics addresses that need as the first book to focus on clinical applications of genetics in psychiatry. It covers issues involved in genetic counseling, the interpretation of familial and genetic information for clinical use, information regarding risks associated with specific psychiatric disorders, risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy, and the ethical and social implications of psychiatric genetic knowledge and research -- including the prospects for genetic testing. While other books have been written for the genetics community, this volume is addressed to practitioners: a clinically relevant resource that can help them understand the often bewildering flood of information about genetics -- information difficult to interpret, let alone integrate into practice -- and enable them to respond to patients' requests to predict the risk of recurrence of psychiatric illness or provide information about reproductive and pregnancy-related issues. Experts from psychiatry, genetic epidemiology, molecular genetics, genetic counseling, cognitive psychology, and ethics focus on issues that have received little attention elsewhere yet are of increasing importance to clinicians. Written at a level that assumes no particular expertise in genetics, the book features these immediately applicable benefits: It offers a framework for understanding and critically evaluating the psychiatric genetic research literature, enabling clinicians to better understand the meaning and limitations of genetic discoveries when patients raise questions about media reports. It provides a resource for clinicians who would like more information about the role and content of genetic counseling, outlining a typical counseling session while demonstrating how risks are estimated and discussed. It summarizes genetic aspects of major psychiatric conditions -- from childhood-onset disorders through psychotic, mood, and anxiety disorders to dementia -- as well as neuropsychiatric manifestations of other genetic disorders. It alerts clinicians to risk/benefit considerations related to medication use during pregnancy. It covers the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic research and counseling, illustrating the dilemmas that arise with new advances. Whether used as a clinical guide, reference, or ancillary text, this book sets the standard for the application of psychiatric genetic knowledge in everyday practice. Psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, and genetic counselors will find it an essential resource for all patient encounters in which genetic issues arise.
How to Talk with Families About Genetics and Psychiatric Illness
Author: Holly Landrum Peay
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393706796
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
Addressing clients’ questions and concerns about the role of genetics in mental illness. As we learn more about how our biology and genes can play into the development of a mental health disorder, patients and their families are increasingly seeking answers to tough questions about common risk factors, the likelihood of recurrence, the need for genetic testing, and implications for future generations. A practical, go-to resource for all mental health clinicians, this guide explains just how to address these questions and concerns in a way that’s comprehensible and compassionate. Filled with case studies, sample dialogues, and question-and-answer examples, it is an essential roadmap for practitioners, helping them to demystify a complex issue for their clients and equip them with the accurate, reassuring information they need.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393706796
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
Addressing clients’ questions and concerns about the role of genetics in mental illness. As we learn more about how our biology and genes can play into the development of a mental health disorder, patients and their families are increasingly seeking answers to tough questions about common risk factors, the likelihood of recurrence, the need for genetic testing, and implications for future generations. A practical, go-to resource for all mental health clinicians, this guide explains just how to address these questions and concerns in a way that’s comprehensible and compassionate. Filled with case studies, sample dialogues, and question-and-answer examples, it is an essential roadmap for practitioners, helping them to demystify a complex issue for their clients and equip them with the accurate, reassuring information they need.
Psychiatric Genetics
Author: Marion Leboyer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1592593488
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 266
Book Description
Psychiatric Genetics provides the reader with a complete view of the methodological problems encountered in psychiatry genetics and proposes solutions to commonly occurring questions. The best European and American specialists have given a thorough review on the advantages and disadvantages of genetic epidemiological methods, the way to choose a genetic marker or a clinical interview and how to ascertain patients, unaffected relatives and controls and what should be the criteria to include a case or a control. New phenotypic methods are described focusing on candidate symptom and endophenotype approaches. Examples coming from cognitive neurosciences, biochemistry, electrophysiology and brain imaging techniques are reviewed. This book will serve as an essential handbook for psychiatrists, psychologists, and geneticists involved in the genetics of psychiatric disorders.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1592593488
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 266
Book Description
Psychiatric Genetics provides the reader with a complete view of the methodological problems encountered in psychiatry genetics and proposes solutions to commonly occurring questions. The best European and American specialists have given a thorough review on the advantages and disadvantages of genetic epidemiological methods, the way to choose a genetic marker or a clinical interview and how to ascertain patients, unaffected relatives and controls and what should be the criteria to include a case or a control. New phenotypic methods are described focusing on candidate symptom and endophenotype approaches. Examples coming from cognitive neurosciences, biochemistry, electrophysiology and brain imaging techniques are reviewed. This book will serve as an essential handbook for psychiatrists, psychologists, and geneticists involved in the genetics of psychiatric disorders.
Psychiatric Genetics
Author: Kenneth S. Kendler
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585627062
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
Psychiatric Genetics is a concise reference that presents the complexities of this dynamic field in a clearly written, easily accessible format, with numerous tables and illustrations. Ten expert contributors offer a fascinating view of psychiatric genetics in a text that is thorough and scholarly yet also succinct and accessible. The introduction summarizes the field's four distinct paradigms -- and their interrelationships -- that help us understand the role of genetic factors in the etiology of psychiatric disorders: basic genetic epidemiology, which demonstrates heritability; advanced genetic epidemiology, which explores the nature and mode of action of these genetic risk factors; gene finding, which enables us to infer the probability that a locus in the genomic region under investigation contributes to psychiatric disorder liability; and molecular genetics, which traces the biological mechanisms by which the DNA variant identified using gene finding methods contributes to the disorder itself. Psychiatric Genetics illustrates the importance of Appreciating the complex field of psychiatric genetics -- Presents the major conceptual and statistical issues in psychiatric genetics, including many of the basic principles of both genetic epidemiology and gene finding, as well as a brief review of DNA itself. Detailing the results for one disorder where substantial progress had been made in gene finding and molecular genetics -- Covers schizophrenia, because of the substantial progress made during the past few years. Presenting results for a more typical and common set of psychiatric disorders where most of our information comes from basic and advanced genetic epidemiology and where we are just beginning to make advances using gene finding -- Discusses anxiety disorders, which illustrate these sets of issues. Covering disorders where major advances have been made using basic and advanced genetic epidemiology -- Details substance use disorders, where the paradigm has shifted from sociological to genetic factors and where, in contrast to the genetics of more traditional psychiatric disorders, researchers must consider the inherent conditionality of drug abuse. Investigating the role of genetics in personality disorders -- Focuses on the development of conduct and antisocial behavior and how to incorporate developmental processes into analyses of the role of genetics. Psychiatric Genetics draws students, educators, and practitioners alike into the exciting world of psychiatric genetics with a lively discussion of its broad trends and of the strengths and limitations of its methods to provide true insight into the etiology of psychiatric and substance use disorders.
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585627062
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
Psychiatric Genetics is a concise reference that presents the complexities of this dynamic field in a clearly written, easily accessible format, with numerous tables and illustrations. Ten expert contributors offer a fascinating view of psychiatric genetics in a text that is thorough and scholarly yet also succinct and accessible. The introduction summarizes the field's four distinct paradigms -- and their interrelationships -- that help us understand the role of genetic factors in the etiology of psychiatric disorders: basic genetic epidemiology, which demonstrates heritability; advanced genetic epidemiology, which explores the nature and mode of action of these genetic risk factors; gene finding, which enables us to infer the probability that a locus in the genomic region under investigation contributes to psychiatric disorder liability; and molecular genetics, which traces the biological mechanisms by which the DNA variant identified using gene finding methods contributes to the disorder itself. Psychiatric Genetics illustrates the importance of Appreciating the complex field of psychiatric genetics -- Presents the major conceptual and statistical issues in psychiatric genetics, including many of the basic principles of both genetic epidemiology and gene finding, as well as a brief review of DNA itself. Detailing the results for one disorder where substantial progress had been made in gene finding and molecular genetics -- Covers schizophrenia, because of the substantial progress made during the past few years. Presenting results for a more typical and common set of psychiatric disorders where most of our information comes from basic and advanced genetic epidemiology and where we are just beginning to make advances using gene finding -- Discusses anxiety disorders, which illustrate these sets of issues. Covering disorders where major advances have been made using basic and advanced genetic epidemiology -- Details substance use disorders, where the paradigm has shifted from sociological to genetic factors and where, in contrast to the genetics of more traditional psychiatric disorders, researchers must consider the inherent conditionality of drug abuse. Investigating the role of genetics in personality disorders -- Focuses on the development of conduct and antisocial behavior and how to incorporate developmental processes into analyses of the role of genetics. Psychiatric Genetics draws students, educators, and practitioners alike into the exciting world of psychiatric genetics with a lively discussion of its broad trends and of the strengths and limitations of its methods to provide true insight into the etiology of psychiatric and substance use disorders.
Model Behavior
Author: Nicole C. Nelson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022654611X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
Mice are used as model organisms across a wide range of fields in science today—but it is far from obvious how studying a mouse in a maze can help us understand human problems like alcoholism or anxiety. How do scientists convince funders, fellow scientists, the general public, and even themselves that animal experiments are a good way of producing knowledge about the genetics of human behavior? In Model Behavior, Nicole C. Nelson takes us inside an animal behavior genetics laboratory to examine how scientists create and manage the foundational knowledge of their field. Behavior genetics is a particularly challenging field for making a clear-cut case that mouse experiments work, because researchers believe that both the phenomena they are studying and the animal models they are using are complex. These assumptions of complexity change the nature of what laboratory work produces. Whereas historical and ethnographic studies traditionally portray the laboratory as a place where scientists control, simplify, and stabilize nature in the service of producing durable facts, the laboratory that emerges from Nelson’s extensive interviews and fieldwork is a place where stable findings are always just out of reach. The ongoing work of managing precarious experimental systems means that researchers learn as much—if not more—about the impact of the environment on behavior as they do about genetics. Model Behavior offers a compelling portrait of life in a twenty-first-century laboratory, where partial, provisional answers to complex scientific questions are increasingly the norm.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022654611X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
Mice are used as model organisms across a wide range of fields in science today—but it is far from obvious how studying a mouse in a maze can help us understand human problems like alcoholism or anxiety. How do scientists convince funders, fellow scientists, the general public, and even themselves that animal experiments are a good way of producing knowledge about the genetics of human behavior? In Model Behavior, Nicole C. Nelson takes us inside an animal behavior genetics laboratory to examine how scientists create and manage the foundational knowledge of their field. Behavior genetics is a particularly challenging field for making a clear-cut case that mouse experiments work, because researchers believe that both the phenomena they are studying and the animal models they are using are complex. These assumptions of complexity change the nature of what laboratory work produces. Whereas historical and ethnographic studies traditionally portray the laboratory as a place where scientists control, simplify, and stabilize nature in the service of producing durable facts, the laboratory that emerges from Nelson’s extensive interviews and fieldwork is a place where stable findings are always just out of reach. The ongoing work of managing precarious experimental systems means that researchers learn as much—if not more—about the impact of the environment on behavior as they do about genetics. Model Behavior offers a compelling portrait of life in a twenty-first-century laboratory, where partial, provisional answers to complex scientific questions are increasingly the norm.
The New Genetics of Mental Illness
Author: Peter McGuffin
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
ISBN: 1483164276
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 317
Book Description
The New Genetics of Mental Illness is a collection of papers that discusses the advancement of molecular biology in the context of psychiatry. The book presents papers that are organized thematically. The text first discusses the basics of biology and quantitative models, and then proceeds to covering linkage analysis. Next, the book deals with various mental disorders, including schizophrenia, eating disorders, and developmental disorders. The remaining materials turn their attention to dementia and Huntington's disease. The book will be of great use to researchers and practitioners of behavioral sciences, such as psychology and psychiatry.
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
ISBN: 1483164276
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 317
Book Description
The New Genetics of Mental Illness is a collection of papers that discusses the advancement of molecular biology in the context of psychiatry. The book presents papers that are organized thematically. The text first discusses the basics of biology and quantitative models, and then proceeds to covering linkage analysis. Next, the book deals with various mental disorders, including schizophrenia, eating disorders, and developmental disorders. The remaining materials turn their attention to dementia and Huntington's disease. The book will be of great use to researchers and practitioners of behavioral sciences, such as psychology and psychiatry.
Molecular Genetics and the Human Personality
Author: Jonathan Benjamin
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585627607
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 452
Book Description
In the 1960's and 1970's, personality and mental illness were conceptualized in an intertwined psychodynamic model. Biological psychiatry for many un-weaved that model and took mental illness for psychiatry and left personality to psychology. This book brings personality back into biological psychiatry, not merely in the form of personality disorder but as part of a new intertwined molecular genetic model of personality and mental disorder. This is the beginning of a new conceptual paradigm!! This breakthrough volume marks the beginning of a new era, an era made possible by the electrifying pace of discovery and innovation in the field of molecular genetics. In fact, several types of genome maps have already been completed, and today's experts confidently predict that we will have a smooth version of the sequencing of the human genome -- which contains some 3 billion base pairs Such astounding progress helped fuel the development of this remarkable volume, the first ever to discuss the brand-new -- and often controversial -- field of molecular genetics and the human personality. Questioning, critical, and strong on methodological principles, this volume reflects the point of view of its 35 distinguished contributors -- all pioneers in this burgeoning field and themselves world-class theoreticians, empiricists, clinicians, developmentalists, and statisticians. For students of psychopathology and others bold enough to hold in abeyance their understandable misgivings about the conjunction of "molecular genetics" and "human personality," this work offers an authoritative and up-to-date introduction to the molecular genetics of human personality. The book, with its wealth of facts, conjectures, hopes, and misgivings, begins with a preface by world-renowned researcher and author Irving Gottesman. The authors masterfully guide us through Chapter 1, principles and methods; Chapter 4, animal models for personality; and Chapter 11, human intelligence as a model for personality, laying the groundwork for our appreciation of the remaining empirical findings of human personality qua personality. Many chapters (6, 7, 9, 11, and 13) emphasize the neurodevelopmental and ontogenetic aspects of personality, with a major emphasis on the receptors and transporters for the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Though these neurotransmitters are a rational starting point now, the future undoubtedly will bring many other candidate genes that today cannot even be imagined, given our ignorance of the genes involved in the prenatal development of the central nervous system. Chapter 3 provides an integrative overview of the broad autism phenotype, and as such will be of special interest to child psychiatrists. Chapters 5, 8, and 10 offer enlightening information on drug and alcohol abuse. Chapter 14 discusses variations in sexuality. Adding balance and mature perspectives on how all the chapters complement and sometimes challenge one another are Chapter 2, written by a major figure in the renaissance of the relevance to psychopathology of both genetics and personality; Chapters 15-17, informed critical appraisals citing concerns and cautions about premature applications of this information in the policy arena; and Chapter 18, a judicious contemplation by the editors themselves of this promising -- and, to some, alarming -- field. Clear and meticulously researched, this eminently satisfying work is written to introduce the subject to postgraduate students just beginning to develop their research skills, to interested psychiatric practitioners, and to informed laypersons with some scientific background.
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN: 1585627607
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 452
Book Description
In the 1960's and 1970's, personality and mental illness were conceptualized in an intertwined psychodynamic model. Biological psychiatry for many un-weaved that model and took mental illness for psychiatry and left personality to psychology. This book brings personality back into biological psychiatry, not merely in the form of personality disorder but as part of a new intertwined molecular genetic model of personality and mental disorder. This is the beginning of a new conceptual paradigm!! This breakthrough volume marks the beginning of a new era, an era made possible by the electrifying pace of discovery and innovation in the field of molecular genetics. In fact, several types of genome maps have already been completed, and today's experts confidently predict that we will have a smooth version of the sequencing of the human genome -- which contains some 3 billion base pairs Such astounding progress helped fuel the development of this remarkable volume, the first ever to discuss the brand-new -- and often controversial -- field of molecular genetics and the human personality. Questioning, critical, and strong on methodological principles, this volume reflects the point of view of its 35 distinguished contributors -- all pioneers in this burgeoning field and themselves world-class theoreticians, empiricists, clinicians, developmentalists, and statisticians. For students of psychopathology and others bold enough to hold in abeyance their understandable misgivings about the conjunction of "molecular genetics" and "human personality," this work offers an authoritative and up-to-date introduction to the molecular genetics of human personality. The book, with its wealth of facts, conjectures, hopes, and misgivings, begins with a preface by world-renowned researcher and author Irving Gottesman. The authors masterfully guide us through Chapter 1, principles and methods; Chapter 4, animal models for personality; and Chapter 11, human intelligence as a model for personality, laying the groundwork for our appreciation of the remaining empirical findings of human personality qua personality. Many chapters (6, 7, 9, 11, and 13) emphasize the neurodevelopmental and ontogenetic aspects of personality, with a major emphasis on the receptors and transporters for the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Though these neurotransmitters are a rational starting point now, the future undoubtedly will bring many other candidate genes that today cannot even be imagined, given our ignorance of the genes involved in the prenatal development of the central nervous system. Chapter 3 provides an integrative overview of the broad autism phenotype, and as such will be of special interest to child psychiatrists. Chapters 5, 8, and 10 offer enlightening information on drug and alcohol abuse. Chapter 14 discusses variations in sexuality. Adding balance and mature perspectives on how all the chapters complement and sometimes challenge one another are Chapter 2, written by a major figure in the renaissance of the relevance to psychopathology of both genetics and personality; Chapters 15-17, informed critical appraisals citing concerns and cautions about premature applications of this information in the policy arena; and Chapter 18, a judicious contemplation by the editors themselves of this promising -- and, to some, alarming -- field. Clear and meticulously researched, this eminently satisfying work is written to introduce the subject to postgraduate students just beginning to develop their research skills, to interested psychiatric practitioners, and to informed laypersons with some scientific background.