Most Common Psychiatric Disorders Share Genetic Roots
Diverse mental illnesses may actually represent variations on a common theme rather than separate disorders.
Szalavitz's latest book is Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential — and Endangered. It is co-written with Dr. Bruce Perry, a leading expert in the neuroscience of child trauma and recovery.
Maia Szalavitz
Maia Szalavitz is a neuroscience journalist obsessed with addiction, love, evidence-based living, empathy and pretty much everything related to brain and behavior. She is the co-author of Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential — and Endangered (Morrow, 2010) and The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (Basic, 2006), both with Dr. Bruce D. Perry. Her 2006 book, Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids (Riverhead, 2006) is the first book-length exposé of the “tough love” business. Szalavitz has been published in TIME Magazine, the New York Times, Elle, Scientific American Mind, the Washington Post, New Scientist and Psychology Today, among many others. She has been awarded the American Psychological Associations Division 50 Award for Contributions to the Addictions and the Media Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Articles from Contributor
Just Say No to Talking About Your Own Drug Use with Your Kids
Parents who talk to their kids about their own, past drug may not be helping their kids to avoid drugs.
More Sex Partners Linked to Higher Risk of Drug Addiction, Alcoholism
And the risk is especially great for women, according to new research.
Watching How the Brain Speaks
Most of us take it for granted, but a new brain map shows how complicated speaking actually is.
Why Girls May Be Protected Against Autism
Boys outnumber girls when it comes to autism diagnoses, and researchers may have uncovered one reason why.
How Stress Gets Under the Skin: Q&A With Neuroscientist Bruce McEwen
Brain Map: President Obama Proposes First Detailed Guide of Human Brain Function
To navigate something as complex and dynamic as the brain, a map would help.
With Age Comes Happiness
Wisdom may come with age, but does happiness follow suit?
Can a Brain Tumor Turn You Into a Gambler?
Former San Diego mayor Maureen O’Connor’s attorneys argued this week that a tumor contributed to her betting more than $1 billion and losing $3 billion over a decade.
Q&A: What Really Goes on In Drug Rehabs
In a new book, author Anne Fletcher reveals the good and the bad state of care in drug rehab facilities.
Why Married People Are Smug and Singles So Carefree
A study may explain why people are so convinced that their relationship status is the best
Can You Hear Me Now? Training the Brain to Hear Better
Improving hearing, especially in a loud environment, is just like any other skill — it takes practice.
How to Terrify the Fearless
A rare genetic condition that leaves people unable to feel fear provides clues about which regions in the brain regulate the emotion — and which may not.
