Quoting Allen Esterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Personally, I am a bit wary about evolutionary explanations for mental > disorders such as severe depression or OCD. My inclination is to think > (crudely, I�m sure) that the problem may be simply [sic] that something�s > gone wrong with the functioning of the relevant part of the brain. Not > exactly a theory, but there you are. On the other hand, where there is > evidence of an appreciable hereditary disposition, such as with > schizophrenia and (I think) OCD, there is space for an evolutionary > hypothesis about why mental disorders that cause obvious disadvantages for > normal functioning should have survived in an appreciable proportion of > the population. > As far as I've been able to determine, the latest thinking on OCD is pretty clearly focused on neurtransmitter disruption rather than a particular brain area that is affected, although the frontal lobes do seem to be good candidates. As I understand it, the evidence comes from studies that show that SSRIs and other drugs that block or mimic neurotransmitters--perhaps even in the dopamine system (as might be hypothesized with schizophrenia as well)-- help to alleviate symptoms. So it would seem that in some disorders, such as OCD, there is a combination of effects across neurotransmitters and we just beginning to understand the interactions of these systems.
Anyway that's my two cents and I will gladly stand corrected since I am not a neursocience person by specialty. As to the evolutionary issue: I think the hard thing about disorders such as schizophrenia is that it doesn't manifest itself clearly as a distinct and identifiable disorder until a person has reached reproductive age. Other disorders (most forms of depression, OCD) are not debilitating enough to be highly singled out. So many people can and do have children, and pass on the genetic link before anyone knows how disorganized they are in their mental state. Furthermore, in our societies, having such a diagnosis and a full blown disorder of even great severity does not preclude one from reproducing and passing on the link. I *don't* want to start a discussion on the ethics and morality of such. Either way. But it may explain how such links persist over long periods of time since we often surmise that many of the 'witches' of by- gone eras were probably suffering from some psychopathology or other. Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
