First published in 2000, the Textbook of Psychiatry for Southern Africa 2e is a textbook for medical and allied health care students in Southern Africa. As a trusted resource for medical students in their clinical years, the Textbook of Psychiatry 2e is a key reference for doctors during their internship, community service, and in practice. Undergraduate students in allied professions, including Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Logopaedics, Psychology, Nursing, and Pharmacy will find it invaluable, as will postgraduate students studying the Diploma in Mental Health and Master's Degrees in Clinical Psychology, Public Health, Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine. Representing the work of thirty-six expert contributors from thirteen institutions, the book covers community-based primary health care and offers a South African, multicultural perspective on psychiatric disorders. It adopts a biopsychosocial, developmental and multisectoral approach, within a primary health care context, to build a holistic understanding of psychiatric care in a developing country. In addition, the book includes comprehensive coverage of special topics, including women's disorders, cultural psychiatry, HIV/Aids and psychiatric services; while case studies illustrate the complexity of disorders.

Drawing on evidence from across the behavioural and natural sciences, this book advances a radical new hypothesis: that madness exists as a costly consequence of the evolution of a sophisticated social brain in Homo sapiens.

Having explained the rationale for an evolutionary approach to psychosis, the author makes a case for psychotic illness in our living ape relatives, as well as in human ancestors. He then reviews existing evolutionary theories of psychosis, before introducing his own thesis: that the same genes causing madness are responsible for the evolution of our highly social brain.

Jonathan Burns' novel Darwinian analysis of the importance of psychosis for human survival provides some meaning for this form of suffering. It also spurs us to a renewed commitment to changing our societies in a way that allows the mentally ill the opportunity of living.

The Descent of Madness will be of interest to those in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, sociology and anthropology, and is also accessible to the general reader.

Drawing on evidence from across the behavioural and natural sciences, this book advances a radical new hypothesis: that madness exists as a costly consequence of the evolution of a sophisticated social brain in Homo sapiens.

Having explained the rationale for an evolutionary approach to psychosis, the author makes a case for psychotic illness in our living ape relatives, as well as in human ancestors. He then reviews existing evolutionary theories of psychosis, before introducing his own thesis: that the same genes causing madness are responsible for the evolution of our highly social brain.

Jonathan Burns' novel Darwinian analysis of the importance of psychosis for human survival provides some meaning for this form of suffering. It also spurs us to a renewed commitment to changing our societies in a way that allows the mentally ill the opportunity of living.

The Descent of Madness will be of interest to those in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, sociology and anthropology, and is also accessible to the general reader.