Why Do Mental Disorders Persist? Evolutionary Foundations for Psychiatry
dc.contributor.author | Nesse, Randolph M. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-03-02T22:37:34Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-03-02T22:37:34Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Nesse, R. M. (2022). Why Do Mental Disorders Persist? Evolutionary Foundations for Psychiatry. In R. T. Abed & P. St John-Smith (Eds.), Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health (pp. 84–100). Cambridge University Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.isbn | 978-1-316-51656-0 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/175861 | en |
dc.description.abstract | Discovering why natural selection has left humans vulnerable to mental disorders will make psychiatry more sensible and effective, but defining the appropriate objects and kinds of explanation remains challenging. Asking how a disorder increases fitness is a mistake; disorders are not adaptations and they do not have evolutionary explanations. The correct objects of explanation are the traits that make all members of a species vulnerable to a disorder. Task 1 is to describe the evolutionary origins and functions of the traits involved. Task 2 is to describe the proximate processes that result in the disorder. Task 3 is to discover why natural selection left the traits vulnerable to malfunction. Five main kinds of explanation need to be considered: stochasticity, path dependence, mismatch, trade-offs that benefit the individual and traits that benefit gene transmission at a cost to the individual. Depression, addiction, eating disorders, autism and schizophrenia are used to illustrate the opportunities and challenges of framing and testing hypotheses about vulnerability. Multiple explanations are often needed for a single disorder, frustrating the wish for simplicity. However, recognising the fundamental differences between organic and designed systems offers opportunities for resolving – or at least understanding – some enduring controversies in psychiatry. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.publisher | Cambridge University Press | en_US |
dc.rights | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International | * |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ | * |
dc.subject | Evolutionary psychiatry, Evolutionary medicine, emotions, evolution, Mental disorders, Social psychology | en_US |
dc.title | Why Do Mental Disorders Persist? Evolutionary Foundations for Psychiatry | en_US |
dc.type | Book chapter | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Psychiatry | |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Health Sciences | |
dc.description.peerreviewed | Peer Reviewed | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | psychiatry | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationother | Arizona State University | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampus | Ann Arbor | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175861/1/Nesse Why do mental disorders persist Evolutionary Psychiatry 2022.pdf | |
dc.identifier.doi | https://dx.doi.org/10.7302/6995 | |
dc.identifier.source | Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health | en_US |
dc.description.mapping | 7777ddbb-18db-4464-8a0e-24105b22efe6 | en_US |
dc.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-1768-0949 | en_US |
dc.description.filedescription | Description of Nesse Why do mental disorders persist Evolutionary Psychiatry 2022.pdf : Main chapter | |
dc.description.depositor | SELF | en_US |
dc.identifier.name-orcid | Nesse, Randolph; 0000-0003-1768-0949 | en_US |
dc.working.doi | 10.7302/6995 | en_US |
dc.owningcollname | Psychiatry, Department of |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.