Associations, causation and model in psychiatry

Causation in the Presence of Weak Associations

Despite their observational nature, epidemiologic studies have been used to make inductive inferences about the causes of human diseases. In this context, I mainly consider the term “cause” in its cognitive (explanatory) meaning, that is, by detecting causal factors and identifying mechanisms of diseases. The development of a theoretical framework for the establishment of causation in the absen...

Editorial: Causation and Causal Explanation in Psychiatry—Beyond Scientism and Skepticism

Causation and Mental Causation

How the mind of a human being can determine the bodily spirits [i.e., the fluids in the nerves, muscles, etc.] in producing voluntary actions, being only a thinking substance. For it appears that all determination of movement is produced by the pushing of the thing being moved, by the manner in which it is pushed by that which moves it, or else by the qualification and figure of the surface of ...

Mutual associations between intellectual disability and epilepsy-related psychiatry disability

Epilepsy is the third-leading cause of psychiatry disability in China, and intellectual disability (ID) is also 1 major type of disabilities in China. This study estimates the prevalence of comorbidities with ID and epilepsy-related psychiatry disability (EPD) and examines mutual associations within ID and EPD.Data were taken from the Second China National Sample Survey on Disability, which was...

Pharmacogenomics approach in psychiatry disorders

Psychiatric disorders are important health issues in the world, and their management is facing some serious challenges. Drugs that are widely used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers, are often associated with many side effects and are adequately effective only in a small proportion of patients. Many factors, including genet...