It has been nearly a century since the term "schizophrenia" was first used to describe what was then considered a hopeless and incurable disorder of thought and emotion. Schizophrenia is still baffling to both scientists and the general public, but it is no longer considered hopeless. Significant advances have been made on several fronts in fathoming and combating this debilitating mental illness-from genetics to neuroscience to the psychosocial aspects of the disorder.
The August issue of the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, published by the Association for Psychological Science, is a state-of-the-art summary of the latest research on every facet of schizophrenia. Edited by Emory University psychological scientist and schizophrenia expert Elaine Walker, the issue includes overviews of prenatal factors; neurological development; prognosis and recovery; brain abnormalities; social cognition and functioning; and promising new avenues for treatment on these various fronts.
In this special issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science:
Neurodevelopment and Schizophrenia: Broadening the Focus
Elaine Walker, Dan Shapiro, Michelle Esterberg, and Hanan Trotman
Prenatal Factors in Schizophrenia
Suzanne King, Annie St-Hilaire, and David Heidkamp
Current Research on the Genetic Contributors to Schizophrenia
Michael F. Pogue-Geile, and Jessica L.Yokley
Schizophrenia Course, Long-Term Outcome, Recovery, and Prognosis
Thomas H. Jobe and Martin Harrow
Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities in Schizophrenia
Katherine H. Karlsgodt, Daqiang Sun, and Tyrone D. Cannon
Ventral Hippocampus, Interneurons, and Schizophrenia: A New Understanding of the Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Its Implications for Treatment and Prevention
Anthony A. Grace
Social Factors in Schizophrenia
Jill M. Hooley
Social Cognition in Schizophrenia
Michael F. Green and William P. Horan
Cognitive Functioning and Disability in Schizophrenia
Philip D. Harvey
Emotion in Schizophrenia: Where Feeling Meets Thinking
Ann M. Kring and Janelle M. Caponigro
Psychosocial Treatments for Schizophrenia
Jean Addington, Danijela Piskulic, and Catherine Marshall
New Opportunities in the Treatment of Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia
Mark A. Geyer