What are the evolutionary bases for mental illness? Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression appear to impose severe fitness penalties. What is going on here? Mismatch, hidden infection, balancing selection?

Read the following articles to form your own ideas (the first two will be emphasized in class)

Psychosis and infectious agents

Smoke detector principle

Paradox of heritable mental disorders

genomic imprinting and psychosis

miller 2007 schizotypy

Categories: 1

Joe Alcock

Emergency Physician, Educator, Researcher, interested in the microbiome, evolution, and medicine