A New Paradigm for Mental Disorders
Circadian Entropy, Causality in Research, and Chronotherapies for Mental Illness
Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide1.
The most pressing ones are different by age, but as we learn more about them, we learn they are related. It turns out, having one mental disorder is highly predictive of later having another.
So, someone diagnosed with a developmental disorder in childhood is likely to be diagnosed with an affective disorder in adulthood, and ultimately, a neurodegenerative disorder in their elder years.
Scientists looking for a common pathology have found one factor common to every single mental disorder: circadian rhythm disruption.
And even more urgently, this disruption initially starts with maternal disruption affecting fetal development in the womb.
The most common mental disorders in children are known as neurodevelopmental disorders and include:
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
and Tourette’s syndrome (TS)
