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Evolutionary Approaches to Depression: Prospects and Limitations

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Evolutionary Thinking in Medicine

Abstract

Evolutionary psychiatry regards human minds as, to a significant extent, shaped by processes of natural selection and aims to explain why we are vulnerable to mental disorder. This chapter provides a short introduction to the field and explores two evolutionary approaches to depression, which is a commonly discussed condition in evolutionary psychiatry. After examining some of the advantages and challenges of these approaches, the chapter will conclude by indicating how evolutionary psychiatry can yield practical benefits in the form of clinical applications.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy Department, University of Memphis, Memphis, USA

    Somogy Varga Ph.D.

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  1. Somogy Varga Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Somogy Varga Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford, United Kingdom

    Alexandra Alvergne

  2. Oxford, United Kingdom

    Crispin Jenkinson

  3. Paris, France

    Charlotte Faurie

Glossary

Rumination

A way of responding to distress that is characterized by a compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of distress and their possible causes and consequences. Usually, the rumination in individuals with depression is negative in valence

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Varga, S. (2016). Evolutionary Approaches to Depression: Prospects and Limitations. In: Alvergne, A., Jenkinson, C., Faurie, C. (eds) Evolutionary Thinking in Medicine. Advances in the Evolutionary Analysis of Human Behaviour. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29716-3_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29716-3_22

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29714-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29716-3

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