Research Catalog

Title

Schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder : the biological roots of mental illness as revealed by the landmark study of identical twins / E. Fuller Torrey in collaboration with Ann E. Bowler, Edward H. Taylor, and Irving I. Gottesman.

Publication

New York : Basic Books, 1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Torrey, E. Fuller (Edwin Fuller), 1937-

Description

xxvi, 274 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

• Are schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder biological or the result of a traumatic upbringing? Are some people genetically destined to become schizophrenic? This book, the result of a landmark study, provides compelling evidence that both schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder are biologically based diseases of the brain, unrelated to psychological influences.
• E. Fuller Torrey and his colleagues conducted the largest study ever of pairs of identical twins in which one suffered from schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder and the other did not, and discovered that the former almost always have structural and functional changes in their brains. The researchers concluded that while these diseases have a genetic component, they are most likely triggered by an outside biological force, such as a virus, either in utero or in infancy.
• Here is an important contribution to the ongoing debate over the origins of mental illness.
• The book establishes for the first time that the disease may originate very early in life, even though symptoms don't appear until young adulthood. Moreover, the authors show that - contrary to prevailing wisdom - schizophrenia does not change a person's underlying personality. Weaving poignant psychological portraits of twins through the book, the authors show how these case studies support the research findings.

Subjects

• Diseases in twins
• Schizophrenia > genetics
• Bipolar Disorder > genetics
• Diseases in Twins
• Schizophrenia > Genetic aspects
• Manic-depressive illness > Genetic aspects
• Genetics, Medical

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

1. The Politics and Science of Twin Studies -- 2. Are Identical Twins Really Identical? -- 3. Methodology of the Study -- 4. When Does Schizophrenia Originate? -- 5. Are Individuals Who Develop Schizophrenia Different as Children? -- 6. Does Schizophrenia Change the Structure of the Brain? -- 7. Does Schizophrenia Change the Function of the Brain? -- 8. Does Schizophrenia Change the Underlying Personality? -- 9. When Both Twins Get Schizophrenia, Are Their Diseases Similar? -- 10. How Different Are Twins with Bipolar Disorder from Twins with Schizophrenia? -- 11. Triplets and Beyond -- 12. What Do Twin Studies Tell Us About the Causes of Schizophrenia? -- Appendix A: Final Diagnostic Groups -- Appendix B: Neuropsychological Examination -- Appendix C: Neurological Examination -- Appendix D: Personality Inventory for Children.

ISBN

0465017460

LCCN

93032458

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries