Molecules And Mental Illness (Scientific American Library)

Millions of Americans suffer from extreme fearlessness, depression, the inability to distinguish the imagined from the real, and a host of other disabling symptoms. In Molecules and Mental Illness, Samuel Barondes explains the biological foundations of mental illnesses and the impact of recent findings on the pharmacological treatment of those illnesses.

One of the few psychiatrists with formal training in molecular biology, Barondes offers an unusual perspective on the symptoms and treatment of mental illness. Passages written by patients and their families, describing their illnesses, the frustrations of being diagnosed, and the concessions and adaptations they make are interspersed with Barondes' text and provide a human counterpoint. With biological research playing an increasingly important role in modern psychiatry and the treatment of patients, Molecules and Mental Illness is a timely, important book for patients and professionals alike.