Mood Genes: Hunting for Origins of Mania and Depression (Oxford Paperbacks)

Author: Samuel H. BarondesPublisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.Paperback:ISBN 10: 9780195131062ISBN 13: 978-0195131062We know that the likelihood of developing many physical diseases, such as diabetes, is determined by genes. But can abnormalities in specific genes also play a part in the development of mental disorders? And, if so, can these genes actually be identified and their discovery put to use in prevention and treatment? In Mood Genes, leading psychiatrist and biological researcher Samuel Barondes answers these questions in a way that renders a complex subject both exciting and understandable. Focusing on manic depressive illness, which affects about one percent of the population and has long been known to run in families, Barondes describes the fascinating hunt for genes-called mood genes-that influence the inherited vulnerability to severe mood disorders. He builds the compelling story of this hunt on the histories of two families riddled with manic-depression, explaini