Recognition and Prevention of Major Mental and Substance Use Disorders

Edited by Ming T. Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., William S. Stone, Ph.D., and Michael J. Lyons, Ph.D.
American Psychopathological Association

2007
429 Pages
Editorial Reviews

ISBN 978-1-58562-308-2
Item #62308

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Description
Contents
Editorial Reviews
Contributors
About the Authors

Recognizing that favorable clinical outcomes are associated with earlier initiation of treatment—and even more ideally with prevention—this volume addresses the current status of early intervention in, and prevention of, major mental and substance use disorders. A team of distinguished participants addresses this problem at many levels—from the DNA molecule to public policy—in order to show how prevention efforts should be informed by a better understanding of etiology and by a knowledge of indicators of vulnerability.

In considering the current standing of etiological knowledge, Recognition and Prevention of Major Mental and Substance Use Disorders addresses issues that are critical precursors to the prevention of mental disorders and offers an understanding of factors that contribute to the disorders' development. The contributors review genetic methodologies and current findings in mental disorders, with an emphasis on schizophrenia, and then show how biological and psychosocial environmental variables may affect vulnerability. Chapters devoted specifically to lessons in prevention drawn from recent research into schizophrenia discuss the implications of prodromal studies and relationships between stress, critical periods, and the development of the disorder. The book includes contributions from NIH representatives on how basic scientific understanding of mental disorders can be translated into public policy. It also features chapters that describe cutting-edge projects in prevention research for Alzheimer's disease, drug dependence, antisocial behavior, and posttraumatic stress disorder—each providing compelling accounts of how existing knowledge can be adapted to promising prevention efforts. Among the volume's contributions:

New data on the role of substance abuse—particularly marijuana and psychostimulants—in increasing vulnerability to schizophrenia
Review of vulnerability factors for several relevant disorders, examining stress and its concomitant psychobiological responses and the contribution of cognitive factors to vulnerability to depression
Intriguing approach for translating successful treatment methods for schizophrenia into efforts to prevent the transition from the prodrome of the disorder to the full-blown illness
Program for prevention of antisocial behavior that can be implemented as early as the first grade
Secondary prevention efforts for posttraumatic stress disorder, with a focus on pharmacological interventions

Each chapter reviews clinical implications of the research presented, contributing to a volume that will benefit clinicians and researchers who share the goal of preventing these debilitating conditions. This multidimensional, interdisciplinary work represents a major step toward cutting the social costs of these disorders—and, more important, their untold cost in human suffering.

Contributors
Introduction
Part I: Etiology of Major Mental and Substance Use Disorders
Chapter 1. Genetic Risk Factors for Mental Disorders: General Principles and State of the Science
Chapter 2. Environmental Determinants of Psychosis: A Focus on Drug Abuse
Chapter 3. Social Environment and Psychiatric Disorders: A Historical Review Presented on Receipt of the Paul H. Hoch Award
Part II: Vulnerability to Major Mental and Substance Use Disorders
Chapter 4. Psychobiology of Resilience to Stress: Implications for Prevention of Anxiety
Chapter 5. Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: Implications for Prevention
Chapter 6. Vulnerability to Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders
Part III: Prevention: Lessons From Schizophrenia
Chapter 7. Treatment of the Schizophrenia Prodrome
Chapter 8. Adolescent Neurodevelopment: A Critical Period for Preventive Intervention
Chapter 9. Toward Prevention of Schizophrenia: Early Detection and Intervention
Part IV: NIH Perspectives on Prevention
Chapter 10. Prospects for the Prevention of Mental Illness: Integrating Neuroscience and Behavior
Chapter 11. Drugs and Alcohol: Treating and Preventing Abuse, Addiction, and Their Medical Consequences
Chapter 12. Alcoholism: Developmental Patterns of Drinking and Prevention of Alcohol Use Disorders
Part V: Challenges for the Near Future
Chapter 13. Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease: Principles and Prospects
Chapter 14. Five Facts About Preventing Drug Dependence
Chapter 15. Prevention of Aggressive Behavior Through Middle School Using a First-Grade Classroom-Based Intervention
Chapter 16. Conceptually Driven Pharmacological Approaches to Acute Trauma
Index

Ming T. Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D, D.Sc., is University Professor at the University of California; Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Behavioral Genomics in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla; Adjunct Professor and Director of the Harvard Institute of Epidemiology and Genetics in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts; and Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center Academic Division of Public Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

William S. Stone, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center Academic Division of Public Sector Psychiatry; Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Harvard Medical School Training Coordinator at the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics in Boston, Massachusetts.

Michael J. Lyons, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of Clinical Programs in the Department of Psychology at Boston University; and Chief of Twin Studies at the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics in Boston, Massachusetts.

I found this to be an intriguing book, helpfully focusing a large body of work that I would not likely other wise have been able to digest. The articles are clearly written, in the main, and with mindfulness of the audience, which includes clinicians not familiar with the details of much of the basic science recounted here. It is a commendably useful text, to be read for its evident importance to our understanding of a critical and expanding area of investigation.—The American Journal of Psychiatry, 1/30/2008

Overall, this is a nice review of research into the still young field of prevention in psychiatric illness. The overarching clinical emphasis is on improving outcomes through earlier interventions. The book is probably essential reading for anyone in this field of research, but it provides less practical clinical guidance on the topic than one might desire.—Doddy Enterprise, 1/30/2008