Darwinian psychiatry and the concept of mental disorder

In this paper, we discuss the concept of mental disorder from the perspective of Darwinian psychiatry. Using this perspective does not resolve all of the quandaries which philosophers of medicine face when trying to provide a general definition of disease. However, it does take an important step toward clarifying why current methods of psychiatric diagnosis are criticizable and how clinicians can improve the identification of true mental disorders. According to Darwinian psychiatry, the validity of the conventional criteria of psychiatric morbidity is dependent on their association with functional impairment. Suffering, statistical deviance, and physical lesion are frequent correlates of mental disorders but, in absence of dysfunctional consequences, none of these criteria is sufficient for considering a psychological or behavioral condition as a psychiatric disorder. The Darwinian concept of mental disorder builds from two basic ideas: (1) the capacity to achieve biological goals is the best single attribute that characterizes mental health; and (2), the assessment of functional capacities cannot be properly made without consideration of the environment in which the individual lives. These two ideas reflect a concept of mental disorder that is both functional and ecological. A correct application of evolutionary knowledge should not necessarily lead to the conclusion that therapeutic intervention should be limited to conditions that jeopardize biological adaptation. Because one of the basic aims of medicine is to alleviate human suffering, an understanding of the evolutionary foundations of the concept of mental disorder should translate into more effective ways for promoting individual and social well-being, not into the search for natural laws determining what is therapeutically right or wrong.     

Validating concepts of mental disorder: precedents from the history of science

A fundamental issue in any branch of the natural sciences is validating the basic concepts for use in that branch. In psychiatry, this issue has not yet been resolved, and indeed, the proper nature of the problem has scarcely been recognised. As a result, psychiatry (or at least those parts of the discipline which aspire to scientific status) still cannot claim to be a part of scientific medicine, or to be incorporated within the common language of the natural sciences. While this creates difficulties within the discipline, and its standing in relation to other branches of medicine, it makes it an exciting place for “frontiersmen” (and women). This is one of the key growing points in the natural science tradition. In this essay, which moves from the early history of that tradition to today’s debates in scientific psychiatry, I give my views about how these fundamental issues can move towards resolution.     

Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation among geographical isolates of Opisthorchis viverrini in Thailand and Lao PDR, and phylogenetic relationships with other trematodes

The present study compared the genetic variation among 14 different geographical isolates of Opisthorchis viverrini sensu lato from Thailand and Lao PDR using sequence data for 2 mitochondrial DNA genes, the subunit 1 of NADH dehydrogenase gene (nad1) and cytochrome c oxidase gene (cox1). Four different nad1 haplotypes were detected among isolates, all of which were identical at the amino acid sequence level. Nucleotide sequence variation among 14 isolates ranged from 0 to 0.3% for nad1. Two different cox1 haplotypes were detected among isolates. These two haplotypes differed at 2 nucleotide positions, one of which resulted in a change in the amino acid sequence. Nucleotide sequence variation among isolates for cox1 ranged from 0 to 0.5%. Comparison of cox1 sequences of O. viverrini to those of other trematodes revealed nucleotide differences of 13-31%. A phylogenetic analysis of the cox1 sequence data revealed strong statistical support for a clade containing O. viverrini and 2 other species of opisthorchid trematodes; O. felineus and Clonorchis sinsensis.     

Crystal formation in cultures of fungi: Dermatophytes and other Hyphomycetes

Summary The present study calls attention to crystal formations in cultures of Dermatophytes and other Hyphomycetes.The reasons for the late discovery of crystal formations in fungus cultures are discussed.The diverse crystallographic forms found up to date in cultures of fungi enumerated are described and illustrated.

---

Zusammenfassung Die gegenwärtige Untersuchung lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Krystallbildung in Kulturen von Dermatophyten und anderen Hyphomyceten.Die Gründe für die späte Entdeckung von Krystallbildungen in Pilzkulturen werden erörtert.Die verschiedenen krystallographischen Formen, die bisher in Pilzkulturen gefunden worden sind, werden beschrieben und illustriert.

---

Résumé La présente étude informe sur la formation des crystaux dans les cultures des dermatophytes et d'autres hyphomycètes.Les raisons pour la découverte tardive des formations des crystaux dans les cultures des cryptogames sont discutées.Les diverses formes crystallographiques trouvées dans les cultures cryptogamiques ont été décrites et illustrées.

---

---

Presented with demonstration at the mid-winter meeting of the Chicago Medical Mycological Society, February 15, 1961.     

Preventive psychiatry: a blueprint for improving the mental health of young people

Preventive approaches have latterly gained traction for improving mental health in young people. In this paper, we first appraise the conceptual foundations of preventive psychiatry, encompassing the public health, Gordon''s, US Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization, and good mental health frameworks, and neurodevelopmentally‐sensitive clinical staging models. We then review the evidence supporting primary prevention of psychotic, bipolar and common mental disorders and promotion of good mental health as potential transformative strategies to reduce the incidence of these disorders in young people. Within indicated approaches, the clinical high‐risk for psychosis paradigm has received the most empirical validation, while clinical high‐risk states for bipolar and common mental disorders are increasingly becoming a focus of attention. Selective approaches have mostly targeted familial vulnerability and non‐genetic risk exposures. Selective screening and psychological/psychoeducational interventions in vulnerable subgroups may improve anxiety/depressive symptoms, but their efficacy in reducing the incidence of psychotic/bipolar/common mental disorders is unproven. Selective physical exercise may reduce the incidence of anxiety disorders. Universal psychological/psychoeducational interventions may improve anxiety symptoms but not prevent depressive/anxiety disorders, while universal physical exercise may reduce the incidence of anxiety disorders. Universal public health approaches targeting school climate or social determinants (demographic, economic, neighbourhood, environmental, social/cultural) of mental disorders hold the greatest potential for reducing the risk profile of the population as a whole. The approach to promotion of good mental health is currently fragmented. We leverage the knowledge gained from the review to develop a blueprint for future research and practice of preventive psychiatry in young people: integrating universal and targeted frameworks; advancing multivariable, transdiagnostic, multi‐endpoint epidemiological knowledge; synergically preventing common and infrequent mental disorders; preventing physical and mental health burden together; implementing stratified/personalized prognosis; establishing evidence‐based preventive interventions; developing an ethical framework, improving prevention through education/training; consolidating the cost‐effectiveness of preventive psychiatry; and decreasing inequalities. These goals can only be achieved through an urgent individual, societal, and global level response, which promotes a vigorous collaboration across scientific, health care, societal and governmental sectors for implementing preventive psychiatry, as much is at stake for young people with or at risk for emerging mental disorders.     

Culture and mental disorder: The case of bebainan in Bali

This is an investigation of bebainan, a disorder which Balinese believe to be caused by sorcery. Most attacks are brief, lasting % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaaSGaaeaaca% aIXaaabaGaaGinaaaaaaa!3778!\[{\raise0.7ex\hbox{$1$} \!\mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 4}}\right.\kern-\nulldelimiterspace}\!\lower0.7ex\hbox{$4$}}\]–1 hour. The most common symptoms are sudden feelings of confusion, crying, screaming and shouting, followed by inability of the sufferer to control his or her actions. Most sufferers are aware of their behavior during an attack, and remember the occurrence afterwards.The investigator interviewed all the members (296 persons) in the compound of the descendants of the former royal family of Klungkung, among whom 27 people had suffered bebainan attacks. The victims, mostly females, offspring of endogamous marriges, experienced their first attack between the ages of 16 and 30. Analysis of the psychological and social pressures acting on these women suggests that bebainan attacks provide sufferers with an opportunity to release feelings of frustration and anger without risk of widespread disapprobation or stigmatization. However, bebainan is not instrumental in altering access to resources within the restricted environment of the royal compound, nor does it empower the victim within this environment in any but the most transitory ways. Bebainan cannot be regarded as a form of psychosis, even of the reactive or atypical type, it is neither an organic mental disorder, nor a form of neurosis. Instead bebainan can be considered a form of dissociation which is only understandable in the local context of Balinese culture.     

Spatial and temporal variations among fish with similar strategies: patterns of reproductive guilds in a floodplain

Seasonal flooding regimes are closely related to the life history of neotropical fish, especially with regard to their reproduction. The classification of fish into reproductive guilds serves to identify broad patterns in reproductive types, which are important in developing management and conservation measures. We tested the hypothesis that the fish reproductive guilds in the Upper Paraná River floodplain exhibit spatial and temporal distributions. Samples were taken each quarter in 2010 from several environments (i.e., biotopes) and rivers of the plain. Fish were categorized into four reproductive guilds based on migration, external fertilization, and parental care. Moreover, the abundance and species richness within each guild were used to evaluate their patterns. Guilds were spatially structured, possibly due to species dispersion as well as the influence of the hydrological and limnological characteristics of the biotopes and rivers of the plain. The Paraná River presented lower analyzed metric values, which demonstrates the negative effects of the dam built upstream of the study area. The guilds also presented temporal structure. During the flood season, the guilds presented similar spatial structures, and the local environmental characteristics led to spatial differentiation in the structure of guilds (i.e., flooding promoted the homogenization of the reproductive guilds).     

Continuities in Insight and Innovation: Toward a Biography of Margaret Mead

A biographical study of Margaret Mead presents a special opportunity for anthropologists to look at the relationship between the personality of a researcher, the researcher's own culture, and the scientific product, because of Mead's own awareness of disciplined subjectivity and the richness of the available scientific and personal record. Concurrently, it will be possible to consider her innovations and conservatisms in family life and organizational structure as expressions of anthropological insight. [ researcher bias, field methods, history of anthropology, innovation, life history ]     

The other in me: interpersonal multisensory stimulation changes the mental representation of the self

Background

Recent studies have shown that the well-known effect of multisensory stimulation on body-awareness can be extended to self-recognition. Seeing someone else’s face being touched at the same time as one’s own face elicits changes in the mental representation of the self-face. We sought to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms and the effects of interpersonal multisensory stimulation (IMS) on the mental representation of the self and others.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Participants saw an unfamiliar face being touched synchronously or asynchronously with their own face, as if they were looking in the mirror. Following synchronous, but not asynchronous, IMS, participants assimilated features of the other’s face in the mental representation of their own face as evidenced by the change in the point of subjective equality for morphed pictures of the two faces. Interestingly, synchronous IMS resulted in a unidirectional change in the self-other distinction, affecting recognition of one’s own face, but not recognition of the other’s face. The participants’ autonomic responses to objects approaching the other’s face were higher following synchronous than asynchronous IMS, but this increase was not specific to the pattern of IMS in interaction with the viewed object. Finally, synchronous, as compared to asynchronous, IMS resulted in significant differences in participants’ ratings of their experience, but unlike other bodily illusions, positive changes in subjective experience were related to the perceived physical similarity between the two faces, and not to identification.

Conclusions/Significance

Synchronous IMS produces quantifiable changes in the mental representations of one’s face, as measured behaviorally. Changes in autonomic responses and in the subjective experience of self-identification were broadly consistent with patterns observed in other bodily illusions, but less robust. Overall, shared multisensory experiences between self and other can change the mental representation of one’s identity, and the perceived similarity of others relative to one’s self.     

Mason-Pfizer virus RNA genome: relationship to the RNA of morphologically similar isolates and other oncornaviruses.

The 60-70S RNA of Mason-Pfizer virus (MPV) was iodinated in vitro and used in both direct and competitive molecular hybridization studies. MPV proviral sequences are present at a frequency of approximately one to two copies per haploid genome in the DNA of experimentally infected human cells. By nucleic acid competition hybridization, MPV RNA was found to be indistinguishable from the RNA of a virus (X381) isolated from a rhesus mammary gland and from RNA isolated from the cytoplasm of AO cells (Parks et al., 1973) and HeLa cells (Gelderblom et al., 1974), both previously reported to produce MPV-related particles. No homology was observed, however, between MPV RNA and the RNA, or the DNA, from two clones of HeLa cells obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. Hybridization of MPV 60-70S RNA to the DNA of normal tissues of humans and to the DNA of 11 other species revealed that MPV is not an endogenous virus of any of these species. Competition hybridization revealed no detectable sequence homology between the RNA of MPV and the RNAs of simian sarcoma virus, murine mammary tumor virus, murine leukemia virus, BUdR-induced guinea pig virus, or avian myeloblastosis virus. These nucleic acid studies substantiate previous ultrastructural and immunological findings that MPV and morphologically similar isolates constitute a distinct group of oncornavirus.     

Egg mimicry by the Pacific koel: mimicry of one host facilitates exploitation of other hosts with similar egg types

When brood parasites exploit multiple host species, egg rejection by hosts may select for the evolution of host‐specific races, where each race mimics a particular host's egg type. However, some brood parasites that exploit multiple hosts with the ability to reject foreign eggs appear to have only a single egg type. In these cases, it is unclear how the parasite egg escapes detection by its hosts. Three possible explanations are: 1) host‐specific races are present, but differences in egg morphology are difficult for the human eye to detect; 2) the brood parasite evolves a single egg type that is intermediate in appearance between the eggs of its hosts; 3) or the parasite evolves mimicry of one of its hosts, which subsequently allows it to exploit other species with similar egg morphology. Here we test these possibilities by quantifying parameters of egg appearance of the brood‐parasitic Pacific koel Eudynamys orientalis and seven of its hosts. Koel eggs laid in the nests of different hosts did not show significant differences in colour or pattern, suggesting that koels have not evolved host‐specific races. Koel eggs were similar in colour, luminance and pattern to the majority of hosts, but were significantly more similar in colour and luminance to one of the major hosts than to two other major hosts, supporting hypothesis 3. Our findings suggest that mimicry of one host can allow a brood parasite to exploit new hosts with similar egg morphologies, which could inhibit the evolution of host defences in naïve hosts.