Evolving Psychiatry

Daniela Sieff talks about the difficulties and differences of rearing children in hunter gatherer societies and how child maltreatment can follow. She considers what this means for understanding, prevention and social intervention in the modern world.  This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Maternal Negativity and Child Maltreatment: How Evolutionary Perspectives Contribute to a Layered and Compassionate Understanding' by Daniela Sieff. It is chapter 16 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Annie Swanepoel discusses why ADHD and autism may be unusually problematic in the modern world, the evolutionary reasons for them, and how an evolutionary perspective has affected her treatment of children and families with these conditions.  This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Evolutionary Perspectives on Neurodevelopmental Disorders', authored by Annie Swanepoel, Michael J. Reiss, John Launer, Graham Music and Bernadette Wren. It is chapter 15 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Annie Swanepoel discusses trauma and its effects through an evolutionary lens: when trauma is a useful signal, why it is exasperated in certain modern situations and what this means for understanding, treating and preventing trauma.   This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Evolutionary Perspectives on Childhood Trauma', authored by Annie Swanepoel, Michael J. Reiss, John Launer, Graham Music and Bernadette Wren. It is chapter 14 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Robin Dunbar discusses alcohol, its history with humans and primates, why it's so useful for bonding, and how novel circumstances have pushed it into being a drug of abuse.  This episode is based on a chapter titled 'The Social Function of Alcohol from an Evolutionary Perspective', authored by Robin Dunbar. It is chapter 13 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Paul St-John Smith talks about substance abuse, the propensity for humans to seek out substances, and how an evolutionary perspective can help us understand substance use and abuse.   This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Substance Abuse and Evolution' by Paul St John-Smith and Riadh Abed. It is chapter 11 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Riadh Abed discusses eating disorders, the various evolutionary pressures which may lie behind tendencies towards them, and mismatches in modern environments which encourage them. This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Evolutionary Perspectives on Eating Disorders', authored by Riadh Abed and Agnes Ayton. It is chapter 11 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press. The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt or Riadh Abed @RiadhAbed1

Matthew Large tackles the difficulty of predicting suicide, the reasons evolution couldn't solve the problem of suicide, and what this means in psychiatric practice. This episode is based on a chapter titled 'On the Randomness of Suicide: An Evolutionary, Clinical Call to Transcend Suicide Risk Assessment', authored by Cas Soper, Pablo Ocejo and Matthew Large. It is chapter 9 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press. The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt

Severi Luoto considers depression, its various forms and causes, and how we can subtype and understand them from an evolutionary perspective. He finishes on future connotations for prevention and treatment. This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Evolutionary Perspectives on Depression' authored by Markus J. Rantala and Severi Luoto. It is chapter 8 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press. The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt and Severi Luoto @SeveriLuoto

Randolph Nesse's second interview covers anxiety of all kinds; why are humans so vulnerable to it, where it is helpful and harmful, and his experience treating patients with anxiety whilst informed by an evolutionary perspective.   This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Anxiety Disorders in Evolutionary Perspective', authored by Randolph Nesse. It is chapter 7 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press.  The video form of this episode is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y98HdH2zsBA The book is available for purchase here:   via Cambridge University Press: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/evolutionary-psychiatry/2A1862AA7A2D78F946A34475D98425EB  via Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolutionary-Psychiatry-Current-Perspectives-Evolution/dp/1316516563/  You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt and Randolph Nesse @RandyNesse

Randolph Nesse considers why humans are so vulnerable to mental disorders of all kinds. Evolution hasn't shaped us to be happy, or healthy, and there are all sorts of reasons why our minds veer into the states we call disorder. He also notes the usefulness of this perspective for clinicians and patients. This episode is based on a chapter titled 'Why Do Mental Disorders Persist? Evolutionary Foundations for Psychiatry', authored by Randolph Nesse. It is chapter 6 in the book 'Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health", published by Cambridge University Press. The book is available for purchase here via CUP or on Amazon. You can follow Adam Hunt on Twitter @RealAdamHunt and Randolph Nesse @RandyNesse