Age of Onset of Mental Disorders Etiopathogenetic and Treatment Implications

This book presents a thorough and critical review of current  knowledge about  the age of onset of mental disorders. The opening chapters offer information about the impact of the age of onset on the clinical picture, course, and outcome of physical illnesses, and about  the neurobiological implications and correlates of different ages of onset. The impact and correlates of the ages of onset of all the most important mental disorders are then discussed in detail by internationally renowned scientists. The background to the book is the recognition that a better understanding of age of onset makes it possible to estimate the lifetime risk of disorders, helps to elucidate pathogenesis, and facilitates efficient, targeted clinical management. The book will be of value for clinicians, mental health professionals, mental health researchers, epidemiologists, and different stakeholders in the mental health field.

Introduction: Relevance of The Age of Onset of Mental Disorders to Research in Psychiatry and to the Organization of Services for People with Mental Illness (Giovanni De Girolamo, Pat Mcgorry & Norman Sartorius ).- Lessons from Knowledge about the Correlates of the Age of Onset of Physical Illness (Paolo Vineis & Carlotta Sacerdote).- Does The Age of Onset Shape the Clinical Picture, Course, Outcome and the Consequences of Mental Disorders? A Case Study of Schizophrenia (Heinz Hafner).- Neurobiological Implications and Correlates of Different Age of Onsets of Mental Disorders (Nikolaos Koutsouleris).- The Age Of Onset Of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (John Mcgrath, Matti Isohanni & Jouko Miettunen).- The Age of Onset of Bipolar Disorders (Jessica Dagani, Giulia Signorini, & Giovanni De Girolamo), Matthew Large, Olav Nielssen).- The Age of Onset of Unipolar Depression (Allan Young & Nefize Yalin).-

Norman Sartorius was the Director of the Division of Mental Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) and subsequently President of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and then  President of the Association of European Psychiatrists). He is currently President of the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes and a member of the Geneva Prize Foundation, having previously been its President. Professor Sartorius was professor of psychiatry at the University of Geneva and now holds professorial appointments at the Universities of London and Zagreb and at several other universities in the USA and China. He has published more than 400 articles in scientific journals, authored or co-authored a number of books and edited many others. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists of the United Kingdom, of the American College of Psychiatry, of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and of numerous other professional associations. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and honorary member of medical academies in Peru, Mexico and Croatia and holds honorary doctorates from universities in the Cheech Republic, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and the UK. He is also a chief editor of  Current Opinion in Psychiatry and a member of the editorial boards of a number of scientific journals.