Ebook: Advances in Schizophrenia Research 2009

Advances in Schizophrenia Research 2009

Edited by Wagner F. Gattaz and Gerardo Busatto

Schizophrenia stands as a major psychiatric mystery: devastating to patients and families, resistant to treatment, burdened by stigma, causes unknown. As interest and research in the disorder continue worldwide, new sources for comprehensive reviews of cutting-edge studies are of growing importance. The leadoff volume of Advances in Schizophrenia Research 2009 fills this need with welcome innovation and scientific rigor.

Presenting papers from the recent Symposium on the Search for the Causes of Schizophrenia, leading scientists offer latest findings, promising theories, relevant controversies, and emerging frontiers, in areas as varied as commonalities with other psychotic disorders and the impact of social factors on rehabilitation. Whether one’s interest is in prevalence, genetics, risk factors, neuropathology, diagnostic boundaries, or treatment options, the discussion includes a number of intriguing and informative perspectives.

A sampling of the topics covered:

• Incidence and outcome of schizophrenia: the view from around the world.
• Schizophrenia: neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, or both?
• The molecular genetics and proteomics of schizophrenia.
• Marijuana use: distraction from the issues, or key to the disease?
• Antipsychotic drug treatment: facts and fiction
• The case for schizophrenia as cognitive disorder.

This wide-ranging coverage makes Advances in Schizophrenia Research 2009 a reference for professionals in clinical psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and other mental health workers, promoting more nuanced understanding of the disease, providing deeper insights into its management, and inspiring new possibilities for practice and research.

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Schizophrenia remains an important challenge to psychiatry, with its causes and underlying brain mechanisms yet to be fully revealed. Currently available treatments are neither universally effective nor without unwanted effects. These aspects, together with the high prevalence of schizophrenia, its often debilitating nature, and the associated family and social burden, make this mental disorder one of the most complex public health issues of our times. The purpose of the Advances in Schizophrenia Research series is to provide comprehensive periodic reviews of the wide range of research studies carried out around the world, with the dual purpose of solving the schizophrenia puzzle, and providing clues to new forms of treatment and prevention for this disorder. A special feature of the series is its broad scope, virtually encompassing all fields of schizophrenia research: epidemiology and risk factors; psychopathology; diagnostic boundaries; cognition; outcome and prognosis; pathophysiology; genetics; pharmacological and psychological forms of treatment and rehabilitation; community care; and stigmatization.