Evolutionary Psychiatry: How an Evolutionary Framework Increases Patient Engagement, Treatment Effectiveness, and Clinician Wellbeing-View Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

At a symposium chaired by Cynthia Stonington, experts discussed the emerging field of evolutionary psychiatry, emphasizing its potential to offer fresh insights into mental health. The session featured Randy Nesse, a professor emeritus from the University of Michigan known for his work in evolutionary medicine, and Kathy Smith from the University of Arizona, who applies evolutionary principles to psychiatry, particularly in treating perinatal mood disorders and working with LGBTQ+ youth. The symposium introduced evolutionary psychiatry as an approach that uses the science of evolutionary biology to better understand, prevent, and treat mental disorders. Highlighting its difference from other treatment methods, the symposium clarified that evolutionary psychiatry is not about finding the "function" of disorders like depression or schizophrenia but about understanding vulnerability traits that lead to these conditions.<br /><br />The session included discussions on reframing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, through the lens of evolutionary biology, which could help destigmatize these conditions by explaining them as normal responses that become maladaptive. Nesse's talk on emotions explained that bad feelings could be evolutionary defenses, useful in the ancestral environment but often maladaptive in modern settings. This perspective can help patients view their symptoms through a non-stigmatizing lens and explore a wider array of treatments, including addressing lifestyle mismatches and understanding situational contexts.<br /><br />The symposium concluded with case discussions where participants applied evolutionary principles to real-life scenarios, demonstrating how these insights could shift treatment approaches and improve patient-clinician communication, fostering better mental health outcomes.

Keywords

evolutionary psychiatry

mental health

Cynthia Stonington

Randy Nesse

Kathy Smith

evolutionary biology

perinatal mood disorders

LGBTQ+ youth

depression

anxiety

emotional defenses

treatment approaches

patient-clinician communication