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This chapter reviews the work that has been undertaken to explore the brain mechanisms involved in the development of bipolar disorder. It focuses on the important role of kindling experiences and their effects on the amygdala that might play a role in the development of this disorder. Early identification of biological markers of the disorder may help to prevent the deleterious effects that kindling produces. The chapter presents an overview of the wide range of interventions that the new science of brain development presents for the eventual prevention of this and other disorders.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in predisposed individuals who have had a traumatic experience. There are many different ways in which PTSD presents itself, and only some of them(e.g., avoidance behavior, symptoms of hyperarousal)make it look like other anxiety disorders. Various manifestations of PTSD have led to its also being considered primarily a disorder of memory, a dissociative disorder, or a condition more closely related to depression. Given the presumed etiological link between a traumatic event and PTSD, there is a rare opportunity among psychiatric disorders for implementation of strategies that might prevent the development of PTSD. Most people recover after trauma, while many of those who do develop PTSD remit spontaneously. Still, a proportion of traumatized people develop a chronic form of PTSD–a condition that is often very difficult to treat. Posttraumatic stress disorder has been a controversial entity since its official introduction in the psychiatric classification in 1980.Anumber of issues have arisen, and many of them remain unresolved. Some of the key questions are listed below…. 1. Is the concept of PTSD too heterogeneous? 2. Are there different types of PTSD or different disorders arising in the aftermath of trauma? 3. Has the concept of a traumatic event become too broad? Alternatively, can a greater variety of stressful events precipitate PTSD? 4. Is the occurrence of trauma necessary for the development of PTSD? 5. Are there any specific or unique features of PTSD, which would allow its differentiation from related disorders? 6. Has the concept of PTSD been overused or misused, especially in the context of compensation claims and litigation? Does PTSD reflect a ‘‘medicalization’’ of the normal human reactions and emotions in response to trauma? 7. What accounts for the fact that the majority of trauma victims recover spontaneously from early PTSD-like symptoms, whereas some go on to develop a chronic, severe, and debilitating PTSD? Has there been too much emphasis on vulnerability to developing post-trauma psychopathology and too little attention paid to factors such as resilience? 8. Why do we still have a difficulty understanding what combination of risk factors best predicts the development of PTSD?