Conditions such as autism, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are usually considered as purely-detrimental mental ‘illnesses’, comparable to other sorts of medical disorders.  Are they? What are their causes? How are they related to one another, and to ‘normality’?  Recent advances in genetics, neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology are re-casting psychiatric conditions in new light, and guiding new ways to study and treat them.  Our goal will be to better understand the nature of mental illnesses, their causes, and their consequences for individuals, families, and communities.

Dr. Bernard Crespi joined the Department of Biological Sciences in 1992.  He received his PhD from the University of Michigan, and conducted postdoctoral work at Oxford and Cornell Universities. Dr. Crespi is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary approaches to medicine, especially as applied to psychology and psychiatry. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada.