Darwinian Psychiatry

This book considers evolutionary theory as central to the discussion of human behavior and discusses ways in which evolutionary concepts can inform psychiatry. The authors discuss the emotions, mood, symptoms, and information processing, and examine how some of the prominent features of mental disorders can be seen as adaptive responses to the environment and life's circumstances.

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Can evolutionary theory explain depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders? The authors re-examine this old question in light of current research and show that evolution may provide the essential framework for understanding both everyday human behavior and a range of mental disorders. Their discussion includes up-to-date research on emotions, moods, symptoms, and mental processing. The authors make a compelling case for the view that prominent features of mental disorders are simply adaptive responses to the environment and life's circumstances and that these responses can only be understood in the context of our long evolutionary past.