Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science Of How We "Catch" Mental Illness

Author: Harriet A. Washington

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $49.99 AUD
  • : 9780316277808
  • : Little, Brown & Company
  • : Little, Brown & Company
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  • : October 2015
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : United States
  • : 49.99
  • : October 2015
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Harriet A. Washington
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  • : Hardback
  • : 1
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  • : 616.89
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  • : 304
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Barcode 9780316277808
9780316277808

Description

Is it possible to catch autism or OCD the same way we catch the flu? Can a child's contact with cat litter lead to schizophrenia? In her eye-opening new book, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Harriet Washington reveals that we can in fact "catch" mental illness. In INFECTIOUS MADNESS, Washington presents the new germ theory, which posits not only that many instances of Alzheimer's, OCD, and schizophrenia are caused by viruses, prions, and bacteria, but also that with antibiotics, vaccinations, and other strategies, these cases can be easily prevented or treated. Packed with cutting-edge research and tantalizing mysteries, INFECTIOUS MADNESS is rich in science, characters, and practical advice on how to protect yourself and your children from exposure to infectious threats that could sabotage your mental and physical health.

Reviews

"Your views on the causes of mental illness will be forever altered when you read this profoundly humane and transformative book." "Carl Hart, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Columbia University""

Author description

Harriet A. Washington, Shearing Fellow at the University of Nevada's Black Mountain Institute, has been a Research Fellow in Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School and a senior research scholar at the National Center for Bioethics at Tuskegee University She has held fellowships at the Harvard School of Public Health, Stanford University and DePaul University College of Law. She wrote Deadly Monopolies and Medical Apartheid, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Oakland Award, and the American Library Association Black Caucus Nonfiction Award.