Mental Illness and Human Evolution | Health Line

What is the role mental illness in the evolutionary development of human beings? They are responsible for its success?

Undoubtedly mean mental illnesses such as schizophrenia , AD (H) D , autism , depression or bipolar disorder great suffering for patients and also for their partners, families and friends. Not infrequently cause severe mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, to isolation, social and early termination of employment. But geneticists assume that mental disorders play a significant role with regard to the evolutionary development of mankind, and we have to thank for it may even those that we came to the forefront of human evolution.

Why are mental illnesses are not extinct?

Mental illnesses are very common. About a quarter of the population living in industrialized countries suffers from a severe mental illness, and about half in the course of his life by making a. If anyone in his life mentally ill is partly determined by genetic influences. But why are they in the course of human history is not already extinct if they can limit a person?s life in the worst case so strong that they can not participate in social life, yet care for themselves and need to be well looked after as in some cases is the case of schizophrenia or autism? Therefore go some scientists believe that the genetic predisposition favoring mental illness also imply benefits.

Exaggerated autistic a key technology in the Stone Age?

The scientist Penny Spiking of the University of New York, suggested that as the accelerated development of sophisticated tools was about 100 000 years ago triggered by people with autistic characteristics. Autistic people are healthy people often think in terms of logic and precision. The precision and the amount of standardized technological sophisticated tools that emerged at this time, points to the invention of people with such characteristics. At the same time, there was about the same time a step change in the field of artistic creation.

Shamans suffered from bipolar disorder?

Shamans took over the role of spiritual leader in the hunter-gatherer societies. These were to highly creative and unusual people who fell partly into trance-like states in which they heard the voices of ghosts or had similar symptoms that would meet modern diagnostic criteria according to the characteristics of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Creativity and mental illness

There are several studies that show relationships between genes that promote Schizophrenic and bipolar disorder, but at the same time provide for a higher creativity. The neuroscience Daniel Nettle from Newcastle University was able to prove with the help of a study that artists and schizophrenics have similar properties. Both artists and schizophrenics are prone to delusions, mood swings and difficulty concentrating. Many famous artists and writers suffered from bipolar disorder, including, for example, Ernest Hemingway, they should in this group as much as 10 to 40 times more frequent than in the general population.

Through a study at Vanderbilt University in Nashville has also been demonstrated that people who are under a schizophrenic disorder suffered, were said to be affected by even famous people such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Vincent van Gogh, more creativity in solving given tasks showed. The study should be mentally and discreet persons diagnosed as schizoid people consider such unusual things that you can do with everyday items such as toothbrushes, eating utensils and other household appliances. The schizophrenia subjects showed in solving this task much more creative. However, just the schizophrenia disorder brings, especially in severe cases, considerable disadvantages for those concerned to mental disability.

Women with aggressive obsessions puerperal

Quite a few women suffer from postpartum depression, and in this context often in terrible thoughts, her newborn hurt you like this to shake or throw against the wall. But Katherine Wiser found that women who suffered such a terrible idea, especially caring dealt with their babies. The babies of these women, who tended to develop terrible aggressive thoughts towards them had, therefore, because of the associated caring behavior, a higher chance of survival, and therefore probably also the inclination toward such thoughts bustard, but was passed on to the next generation.

Depression and AD (H) D

The SERT gene that provides for the regulation of serotonin level, can occur as long or short variant in humans. It protects the wearer of the combination long / long before depression. Support the combination of long / short or short / short are indeed more prone to depression, but it ensures that people with this genetic variant are able to deeper emotional feelings, allowing them to be in a favorable environment to develop excellent communication and social skills. Stress makes these people more vulnerable to depression.

Simultaneously positive and negative, can have a particular variant of the gene DRD4 7R that influenced the risk of developing AD (H) D. However, it does not only AD (H) D from, but also ensures that carriers of this gene variant have a higher energy level than others. For migratory populations such as the Amazonian Indians, this meant a great advantage, which was also evident in studies which 80 percent of them are actually carriers of this gene variant.

Mental illness and prenatal diagnosis

Genetic research permits already in an embryo to determine whether due to his genetic inheritance, there is a risk of later developing schizophrenia, autism or other mental health problems. But should these scientific advances are actually used to embryos with genetic predisposition? Quite apart from whether such a procedure would be ethically acceptable, even this supposed progress could well mean an evolutionary step backwards.

Source: http://health-line.com/mental-illness-and-human-evolution.html

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