Evolutionary Psychiatry, second edition

Challenging a medical model which has supplied few effective answers to long-standing conundrums, Evolutionary Psychiatry proposes a new conceptual framework for psychiatry based on Darwinian theory. Anthony Stevens and John Price argue that psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of ancient adaptive strategies which are no longer necessarily appropriate but which can best be understood and treated in an evolutionary and developmental context. They propose theories to account for the widespread existence of affective disorders, borderline states and schizophrenia, as well as offering solutions for puzzles such as sadomasochism and the function of dreams. This comprehensive introduction to the new science of Darwinian Psychiatry is readily accessible to both the specialist and non-specialist reader. It describes in detail the disorders and conditions commonly encountered in psychiatric practice and show how evolutionary theory can account for their biological origins and functional nature.

John Price, Anthony Stevens

Part I Evolutionary Psychology: An Introduction 1. Historical Background 2. Human Nature: Its Evolution and Development 3. Principles of Psychopathology 4. Attachment, Rank and Psychiatry Part II 5. Affective Disorders 6. Personality Disorders 7. Obsessional Disorders 8. Anxiety and Phobic Disorders 9. Eating Disorders Part III 10. The Borderline State 11. Borderline Personality Disorders Part IV 12. Spacing and Personality Disorders 13. Schizophrenia Part V Reproductive Disorders 14. Reproductive Success and Failure 15. Homosexuality 16. Sadomasochism 17. Paedophilia Part VI Dreams, Treatment, Research and the Future 18. Sleep and Dreams 19. Classification 20. Treatment 21. Research 22. Towards a Science of Humanity