THE UNBALANCED MIND

The roles of genetics and personal experiences in the development of mental disorders has long been debated in psychiatry. Freud argued that although hereditary factors predisposed certain individuals to "anxiety neuroses," they could not completely account for the symptoms he observed in his patients. With the advances in today's genetic research, many believe that the symptoms seen in disorders such as schizophrenia and manic depression will ultimately be attributed to DNA and the brain's biochemistry. Yet Leff, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, convincingly argues that genetics alone cannot completely explain the cause of psychiatric disorders and that there is good evidence supporting the role of the "social environment" in the genesis of mental illnesses. He cites studies, and while the results of one analysis cannot be taken as "proof," Leff's review of the evidence concerning the role of city life and socioeconomic status in the epidemiology of schizophrenia shows, in a balanced fashion that does not discredit biological-based research, how taking account of social relationships is essential to understanding and healing mental illness. First published in the U.K., this book is accessible to a general American audience. Although it does not explain which social factors contribute most to the onset of mental illnesses, it provides a striking counterpoint to biological determinism. Those with an interest in the relationship between the social world, genetics and the problems of mental life will enjoy this. (Nov.)