Suicide (Part One)
Dr. Andrew Leuchter, Director of Adult Psychiatry at UCLA, talks about the increased risk of suicide among those suffering from depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Suicide (Part Three)
Dr. Andrew Leuchter, Director of Adult Psychiatry at UCLA, explains that the people who are at the highest risk for committing suicide are those who are socially isolated.
Suicide (Part Two)
Dr. Andrew Leuchter, Director of Adult Psychiatry at UCLA, talks about the correlation between suicide and age. Dr. Leuchter explains that the risk for suicide goes up during adolescence and then again after middle age, ..
The Code: Ethical Questions Raised by Genetic Manipulation
When is comes to genetic manipulation ethicists ask where do you draw the line. Which kinds of treatment are appropriate and which are not? Harold Varmus, former head of the National Institutes of Health, says that many ..
The Code: Genetic Screening Prior to and During Pregnancy
Because of their family history some couples request screening for recessive genetic diseases prior to conceiving a child. If they are already pregnant, and both parents turn out to be carriers for diseases such as Tay S..
The Code: Genetic Testing
The Human Genome Project has revealed a number of genes that contribute to genetic diseases. In fact the onset of a disease that has genetic roots can be detected decades before the first symptom. Such extraordinary adva..
The Code: Living with Genetic Abnormalities
When a child with a genetic or other abnormality is born, parents need information as well as support from the medical community. Even the same genetic disease like cystic fibrosis will vary in. its clinical severity. Th..
The Code: Living with Genetic Abnormalities: The Merten Family
At 2 and 3 years of age, Scotty and Chris Merten--short, physically weak, and severely retarded--were referred to Dr. Edward McCabe. As he and his associates were to learn, the two brothers had a rare combination of thre..
The Code: Newborn Screening
Newborn babies are routinely tested for phenylketonuria (PKU), a metabolic disorder that can cause retardation if not corrected with diet, and congenital hypothyroidism. Some states require additional tests for cystic fi..
The Code: The Genetic Blueprint
Every cell of the human body carries 23 pairs of chromosomes. The chemical substance within each chromosome--the DNA--contains hundreds, sometimes thousands of different genes, depending on the size of the chromosome. Ge..