Prabha S. Chandra is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. She has served as a member of the WPA section on women’s mental health and is the first person from a developing country to be elected to the executive of the Marce International Perinatal Psychiatry Society.   She has also been a convener and chairperson of the Task force on women’s mental health of the Indian Psychiatric Society. Her main research contributions in the areas of women’s mental health have been in perinatal psychiatry, psychosomatic obsetrics and gynecology and the role of violence in women with mental illness. Prof. Chandra has received several national awards for research in womens mental health.  She has been a member of the Advisory group on HIV Behavioral Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research and has also served as a Temporary Advisor to the WHO and UNAIDS.  She has about 90 publications in the above areas of research and has edited several books and training manuals.Helen Herrman is Professor of Psychiatry at the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne. She is also Director, WHO Collaborating Centre in Mental Health, Melbourne; Secretary for Publications, World Psychiatric Association; and Regional Vice-President Oceania, World Federation for Mental Health.Her interests include mental health promotion, the assessment of outcomes and quality of life for people with mental illnesses, the link between mental health and HIV infection, and the delivery of mental health services.Jane FisherDeputy Director and Coordinator of International Programs, University of Melbourne, Australia. Marianne Kastrup was Medical Director of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Copenhagen (1997-2001) and is now Head of the Centre Transcultural Psychiatry, Psychiatric. Dept. Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.  She is the Zonal Representative for the WPA and has served on various committees for both the WPA and the European Association of Psychiatry.Unaiza Niaz is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist who is the Director of The Psychiatric Clinic & Stress Research Center, Karachi.  She is the President & Founder Member of the Pakistan Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, a Life Member of  The Pakistan Psychiatric Society, and was previously Vice President and Secretary General. She is a life member of the World Federation of Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.  She trained at The Royal Free Hospital, the Tavistock Clinic, Hampstead, London and The Johns Hopkins University, USA. Her research interests are Stress management, Women’s Issues, Medical Health Policy and Post- Graduate Education.  She has numerous scientific publications in international journals and has authored several books: Emerging Images of Pakistani Women, Stress Management and The Psychosocial Profile of Pakistani Women, published by Karachi University, and a landmark Monograph on Womens Mental Health In Pakistan.  She has also edited Medical Ethics in Contemporary Era and Pakistan Earthquake—International Perspectives on Handling Psycho-Trauma. Presently, she is Co-Chair of the WPA Section on Women’s Mental Health and an Advisor to the National Commission on the Status of Women—Pakistan.Marta Rondón, assistant professor at Cayetano Heredia University, is a Founder of the Peruvian Association for Women's Mental Health and was Chair of the Section of Women's Mental Health of the World Psychiatric Association.  She was the first woman to be President of the Peruvian Psychiatric Association and is a recipient of the Medal of Honor of the Peruvian College of Physicians..  Formerly Director General of the Office for Older People, Ministry of Women and Social Development in Peru, she currently sits on the National Committee on Mental Health and the High Level Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Peruvian College of Physicians.  Marta works at the Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hopsital, where she supervises services for chronic psychiatric patients and sits on the hospital's committee against gender based violence.Ahmed Okasha is Professor and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Training and Research in Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry – Ain Shams University, Cairo. He is President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association and of the Egyptian Society of Biological Psychiatry, as well as a Past President of the World Psychiatric Association. Professor Okasha is on the Editorial Advisory Board of 20 International Scientific Journals, an Honorary Fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists (2002) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh, 1973) and of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (London, 1973).

"The book does a service in pointing out its importance as a major issue in women's mental health ... There is much more here than mental and reproduction health." (World Federation for Mental Health, 1 August 2011) "Given the vital importance of social factors to the development of mental disorders in the women of the world and mainstream psychiatry’s predominant focus on the biological, this book’s devotion to highlighting the impact of how cultural, political and economic conditions affect women’s mental health is noteworthy and a major strength. The book also delivers on its promise to examine this area from a global perspective, and the reader is richer for it. Each inhabited continent is represented in the book’s list of contributors, and this ensures that relevant social factors are not overlooked. Not surprisingly, the product of this international focus is a book that is unparalleled in terms of the breadth of the social factors that are examined for their relevance to women’s mental health." (Archives of Womens Mental Health, 2011)"The really interesting feature of the book is its emphasis on the role of cultural and social circumstances on the presentation, perceptions and treatment of mental health in women. The chapters on somatization and the impact of culture on women's mental health are essential reading for all health practitioners who have women among their patients." (Occupational Medicine, December 2010)"This book is a goldmine of information on the challenges for gender-focused research and clinical treatment of mental health problems. The editors have done a remarkable job of identifying and summarizing the available literature on women's mental health... It would be a valuable asset for academic psychiatrists and psychologists teaching courses or researching women's mental health issues, as well as psychotherapists." (Indian Journal of Psychiatry, October 2010)

• 1 Psychotic disorders and bipolar affective disorder BPAD R. Thara and R. Padmavati1.1 Psychotic disorders in women1.2 Schizophrenia1.3 Bipolar disorder1.4 Other psychoses1.5 Special issues in women with severe mental illness  2 Depression and anxiety among womenNadia Kadri and Khadiza Mchichi Alami2.1 Introduction2.2 Epidemiology2.3 Transcultural aspect of affective disturbances in Sub-Saharan Africa2.4 Treatment effects2.5 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: biological determinants2.6 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: social factors2.7 Mood and anxiety disorders across lifespan in women2.8 Pregnancy2.9 Motherhood2.10 Conclusion  3 Somatisation and dissociationSantosh K. Chaturvedi and Ravi Philip3.1 Introduction3.2 Somatisation – definitions and concept3.3 Dissociation – definitions and concept3.4 The diagnosis and classification of somatoform and dissociative disorders3.5 The neurobiology of somatisation and dissociation3.6 Psychological factors3.7 Conversion disorder3.8 Hypochondriasis3.9 Dissociative disorders3.10 Conclusions  4 Eating disordersRobert L. Palmer and Dr Sarvath Abbas4.1 Introduction4.2 Risk factors and pathogenesis4.3 Distribution4.4 Presentation, assessment, diagnosis and engagement4.5 Treatment and management4.6 Conclusion  5 Suicidality in womenGergö Hadlaczky and Dannuta Wasserman5.1 Definitions5.2 Epidemiology5.3 Suicidality and mental disorders and risk5.4 Suicide prevention  6 Alcohol and substance abuseFlorence Baingana6.1 Introduction6.2 Genetics of alcohol and drug abuse6.3 Burden of the problem and patterns of drinking6.4 Alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour and HIV vulnerability6.5 Stigma, women and alcohol and drug abuse6.6 Health consequences6.7 Social and economic consequences6.8 Interventions6.9 Challenges6.10 Research6.11 Recommendations6.12 Conclusions  7 Psychiatric consequences of trauma in womenElie G. Karam, Mariana M. Salamoun and Salim El-Sabbagh7.1 Introduction7.2 What types of traumata are more common among women?7.3 How do women respond to trauma?7.4 What are the trauma related risk factors?7.5 Which mental disorders are related to trauma?7.6 Future directions  8 Voices of consumers - women with mental illness share their experiencesShoba Raja8.1 'Ni Tagibebu' - I will change my lifestyle8.2 Determined to go against the odds8.3 Brilliant madness - a narrative by a young woman from India who is recovering from mental illness8.4 From illness to purpose and recovery8.5 Conclusions  9 Mental aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum periodJane Fisher, Meena Cabral de Mello and Takashi Izutsu9.1 Mental health and maternal mortality9.2 Mental health and antenatal morbidity9.3 Depression in pregnancy9.4 Anxiety in pregnancy9.5 Cultural preferences and mental health in pregnancy9.6 Inflicted violence and mental health in pregnancy9.7 Mental health and postpartum morbidity9.8 Postpartum blues or mild transient mood disturbance9.9 Postpartum psychotic illness9.10 Postpartum depression9.11 Psychosocial risk factors for postpartum depression9.12 Infant factors and maternal mental health9.13 Cultural specificity of postpartum mood disturbance9.14 Maternal mental health, infant development and the mother-infant relationship9.15 Prevention and treatment of maternal mental health problems9.16 Summary  10 Psychological issues and reproductive health conditions: an interfaceVeena A. Satyanarayana, Geetha Desai and Prabha S. Chandra10.1 Introduction10.2 Infertility: a psychosocial appraisal10.3 The psychological implications of hysterectomy10.4 Gynaecological infections10.5 Conclusions  11 Menopause and women's mental health: the need for a multidimensional approachJill Astbury11.1 Introduction11.2 Social, cultural and contextual factors11.3 Variations in symptoms and symptom patterns11.4 The research evidence11.5 Is menopause a time of increased risk for women's mental health?11.6 The relationship between menopause and depression in midlife11.7 The need for a life course perspective11.8 Methodological difficulties11.9 Therapeutic approaches in mid life11.10 Conclusion  12 Ethics in psychiatric research among womenLaura Roberts and Kristen Prentice12.1 The scientific imperative to include women in psychiatric research12.2 The ethical challenges of psychiatric research12.3 Unique challenges of psychiatric research in women12.4 Summary  13 Integrating mental health into women's health and primary healthcare: the case of ChileGraciela Rojas and Enrique Jadresic13.1 Introduction13.2 Integrating mental health into primary healthcare13.3 Integrating mental health into women's health  14 Service settings for gender sensitive psychiatric care: children and adolescentsCorina Benjet  15 Gender sensitive care for adult womenMarta B. Rondon15.1 Gender sensitive and informed mental healthcare: basic strategies15.2 Principles of gender sensitive care15.3 Characteristics of gender sensitive services  16 PsychopharmacologySilvana Sarabia16.1 History of psychopharmocology16.2 Ethics16.3 Sources and interpretation of data16.4 Women in clinical trials16.5 Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics in women16.6 Psychotropic treatments in women16.7 Treatment of postpartum disorders  17 Women and disastersUnaiza Niaz17.1 Wars and women's mental health17.2 Natural disasters and women17.3 Conclusion  18 Intimate partner violence interventionsKrishna Vaddiparti and Deepthi S. Varma18.1 Mental health consequences of intimate partner violence on women18.2 Victim focused interventions18.3 Interventions with batterers of violence18.4 Other intervention approaches18.5 Conclusion  19 Migration and mental health in women: mental health action plan as a tool to increase communication between clinicians and policy makersSolvig Ekblad19.1 Definitions: mental health and health19.2 Introduction19.3 Risk factors19.4 Resilience and coping19.5 The impact of domestic violence on immigrant women's mental health19.6 Access to mental healthcare services19.7 The ADAPT model (adaptation and development after persecution and trauma)19.8 The case of Mrs Aba, her family and the community19.9 Theory of change logic: mental health action planning  20 Work and women's mental healthSaida Douki20.1 Introduction: A late but growing awareness20.2 The job burnout20.3 A higher risk for burnout20.4 Work and women's mental health issues20.5 Management issues20.6 Conclusion  21 Globalisation and women's mental health: cutting edge informationUnaiza Niaz21.1 Concept and process of globalisation21.2 Gendered effects of globalisation21.3 The impact of globalisation and liberalisation on women's health21.4 Education and empowerment in women21.5 United Nation and World Banks approach to women's education21.6 The global and local intersection of feminisation in Muslim societies21.7 Other impacts of globalisation21.8 Internet addiction21.9 Mental health issues related to the use of Internet and mobile phones in the developing countries21.10 Recommendations to counteract negative effects of globalisation  22 The impact of culture on women's mental healthMarianne Kastrup and Unaiza Niaz22.1 Introduction22.2 Definitions22.3 Epidemiological perspectives22.4 Cultural aspects of stress22.5 Diagnostic considerations22.6 Cultural and social practices and their impact on mental health22.7 Therapeutic issues22.8 Perspectives  23 Female mutilationAlmira Seif Eldin23.1 Definition23.2 Introduction23.3 Historical background23.4 Classification23.5 Epidemiology of FGM23.6 Physical complication of FGM23.7 Psychological complication23.8 Posttraumatic stress disorder and memory problems after FGM23.9 Obstacles facing changing harmful social convention: female genital mutilation/cutting23.10 The basic concept for FGM elimination: (The mental map for FGM)23.11 Recommendations in countries where FGM is commonly practiced  24 Women's mental health in the concept of broad global policiesTakashi Izutsu24.1 Definitions of health and the right to health made by the United Nations24.2 The Fourth World Conference on Women Platform for Action (1995)24.3 Conventions24.4 Other international tools24.5 New aid environment: sector wide approaches and the poverty reduction strategy paper24.6 Conclusion  25 Families of origin as agents determining women's mental healthWenhong Cheng25.1 The impact of the family of origins perspectives about females on the growth of women25.2 Impact of parenthood on women's mental health25.3 Families, social change and women's mental health  26 The unpaid workload: gender discrimination in conceptualization and its impact on women's mental healthJane Fisher26.1 Maternal desire26.2 Disenfranchised grief and motherhood26.3 Fantasies of motherhood26.4 Fantasies about the workload26.5 Workload of motherhood26.6 Occupational fatigue as a determinant of maternal mood?26.7 Recognition and valuing of work and occupational satisfaction26.8 Training and education for mothering26.9 Presumptions about the contributions of others to the workload26.10 Collegial relationships26.11 Honouring the work of mothers in practice and policy  27 Foundations of human development: maternal care in the early yearsLinda M. Richter and Tamsen Rochat27.1 Child development and human culture27.2 Interactions and relationships27.3 Maternal mental health and children's development27.4 Maternal care27.5 Implications for mental healthcare27.6 Increased choices for women  28 The adverse impact of psychological aggression, coercion and violence in the intimate partner relationship on women's mental healthToshiko Kamo28.1 Prevalence and nature of intimate partner violence28.2 Impact of intimate partner violence on general health28.3 Mental health problems among women affected by intimate partner violence28.4 Intimate partner violence, children and intergenerational patterns of abuse

Prabha S. Chandra is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. She has served as a member of the WPA section on women’s mental health and is the first person from a developing country to be elected to the executive of the Marce International Perinatal Psychiatry Society.   She has also been a convener and chairperson of the Task force on women’s mental health of the Indian Psychiatric Society. Her main research contributions in the areas of women’s mental health have been in perinatal psychiatry, psychosomatic obsetrics and gynecology and the role of violence in women with mental illness. Prof. Chandra has received several national awards for research in womens mental health.  She has been a member of the Advisory group on HIV Behavioral Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research and has also served as a Temporary Advisor to the WHO and UNAIDS.  She has about 90 publications in the above areas of research and has edited several books and training manuals.Helen Herrman is Professor of Psychiatry at the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne. She is also Director, WHO Collaborating Centre in Mental Health, Melbourne; Secretary for Publications, World Psychiatric Association; and Regional Vice-President Oceania, World Federation for Mental Health.Her interests include mental health promotion, the assessment of outcomes and quality of life for people with mental illnesses, the link between mental health and HIV infection, and the delivery of mental health services.Jane FisherDeputy Director and Coordinator of International Programs, University of Melbourne, Australia. Marianne Kastrup was Medical Director of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Copenhagen (1997-2001) and is now Head of the Centre Transcultural Psychiatry, Psychiatric. Dept. Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.  She is the Zonal Representative for the WPA and has served on various committees for both the WPA and the European Association of Psychiatry.Unaiza Niaz is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist who is the Director of The Psychiatric Clinic & Stress Research Center, Karachi.  She is the President & Founder Member of the Pakistan Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, a Life Member of  The Pakistan Psychiatric Society, and was previously Vice President and Secretary General. She is a life member of the World Federation of Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.  She trained at The Royal Free Hospital, the Tavistock Clinic, Hampstead, London and The Johns Hopkins University, USA. Her research interests are Stress management, Women’s Issues, Medical Health Policy and Post- Graduate Education.  She has numerous scientific publications in international journals and has authored several books: Emerging Images of Pakistani Women, Stress Management and The Psychosocial Profile of Pakistani Women, published by Karachi University, and a landmark Monograph on Womens Mental Health In Pakistan.  She has also edited Medical Ethics in Contemporary Era and Pakistan Earthquake—International Perspectives on Handling Psycho-Trauma. Presently, she is Co-Chair of the WPA Section on Women’s Mental Health and an Advisor to the National Commission on the Status of Women—Pakistan.Marta Rondón, assistant professor at Cayetano Heredia University, is a Founder of the Peruvian Association for Women's Mental Health and was Chair of the Section of Women's Mental Health of the World Psychiatric Association.  She was the first woman to be President of the Peruvian Psychiatric Association and is a recipient of the Medal of Honor of the Peruvian College of Physicians..  Formerly Director General of the Office for Older People, Ministry of Women and Social Development in Peru, she currently sits on the National Committee on Mental Health and the High Level Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Peruvian College of Physicians.  Marta works at the Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hopsital, where she supervises services for chronic psychiatric patients and sits on the hospital's committee against gender based violence.Ahmed Okasha is Professor and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Training and Research in Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry – Ain Shams University, Cairo. He is President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association and of the Egyptian Society of Biological Psychiatry, as well as a Past President of the World Psychiatric Association. Professor Okasha is on the Editorial Advisory Board of 20 International Scientific Journals, an Honorary Fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists (2002) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh, 1973) and of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (London, 1973).

"The book does a service in pointing out its importance as a major issue in women's mental health ... There is much more here than mental and reproduction health." (World Federation for Mental Health, 1 August 2011) "Given the vital importance of social factors to the development of mental disorders in the women of the world and mainstream psychiatry’s predominant focus on the biological, this book’s devotion to highlighting the impact of how cultural, political and economic conditions affect women’s mental health is noteworthy and a major strength. The book also delivers on its promise to examine this area from a global perspective, and the reader is richer for it. Each inhabited continent is represented in the book’s list of contributors, and this ensures that relevant social factors are not overlooked. Not surprisingly, the product of this international focus is a book that is unparalleled in terms of the breadth of the social factors that are examined for their relevance to women’s mental health." (Archives of Womens Mental Health, 2011)"The really interesting feature of the book is its emphasis on the role of cultural and social circumstances on the presentation, perceptions and treatment of mental health in women. The chapters on somatization and the impact of culture on women's mental health are essential reading for all health practitioners who have women among their patients." (Occupational Medicine, December 2010)"This book is a goldmine of information on the challenges for gender-focused research and clinical treatment of mental health problems. The editors have done a remarkable job of identifying and summarizing the available literature on women's mental health... It would be a valuable asset for academic psychiatrists and psychologists teaching courses or researching women's mental health issues, as well as psychotherapists." (Indian Journal of Psychiatry, October 2010)

• 1 Psychotic disorders and bipolar affective disorder BPAD R. Thara and R. Padmavati1.1 Psychotic disorders in women1.2 Schizophrenia1.3 Bipolar disorder1.4 Other psychoses1.5 Special issues in women with severe mental illness  2 Depression and anxiety among womenNadia Kadri and Khadiza Mchichi Alami2.1 Introduction2.2 Epidemiology2.3 Transcultural aspect of affective disturbances in Sub-Saharan Africa2.4 Treatment effects2.5 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: biological determinants2.6 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: social factors2.7 Mood and anxiety disorders across lifespan in women2.8 Pregnancy2.9 Motherhood2.10 Conclusion  3 Somatisation and dissociationSantosh K. Chaturvedi and Ravi Philip3.1 Introduction3.2 Somatisation – definitions and concept3.3 Dissociation – definitions and concept3.4 The diagnosis and classification of somatoform and dissociative disorders3.5 The neurobiology of somatisation and dissociation3.6 Psychological factors3.7 Conversion disorder3.8 Hypochondriasis3.9 Dissociative disorders3.10 Conclusions  4 Eating disordersRobert L. Palmer and Dr Sarvath Abbas4.1 Introduction4.2 Risk factors and pathogenesis4.3 Distribution4.4 Presentation, assessment, diagnosis and engagement4.5 Treatment and management4.6 Conclusion  5 Suicidality in womenGergö Hadlaczky and Dannuta Wasserman5.1 Definitions5.2 Epidemiology5.3 Suicidality and mental disorders and risk5.4 Suicide prevention  6 Alcohol and substance abuseFlorence Baingana6.1 Introduction6.2 Genetics of alcohol and drug abuse6.3 Burden of the problem and patterns of drinking6.4 Alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour and HIV vulnerability6.5 Stigma, women and alcohol and drug abuse6.6 Health consequences6.7 Social and economic consequences6.8 Interventions6.9 Challenges6.10 Research6.11 Recommendations6.12 Conclusions  7 Psychiatric consequences of trauma in womenElie G. Karam, Mariana M. Salamoun and Salim El-Sabbagh7.1 Introduction7.2 What types of traumata are more common among women?7.3 How do women respond to trauma?7.4 What are the trauma related risk factors?7.5 Which mental disorders are related to trauma?7.6 Future directions  8 Voices of consumers - women with mental illness share their experiencesShoba Raja8.1 'Ni Tagibebu' - I will change my lifestyle8.2 Determined to go against the odds8.3 Brilliant madness - a narrative by a young woman from India who is recovering from mental illness8.4 From illness to purpose and recovery8.5 Conclusions  9 Mental aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum periodJane Fisher, Meena Cabral de Mello and Takashi Izutsu9.1 Mental health and maternal mortality9.2 Mental health and antenatal morbidity9.3 Depression in pregnancy9.4 Anxiety in pregnancy9.5 Cultural preferences and mental health in pregnancy9.6 Inflicted violence and mental health in pregnancy9.7 Mental health and postpartum morbidity9.8 Postpartum blues or mild transient mood disturbance9.9 Postpartum psychotic illness9.10 Postpartum depression9.11 Psychosocial risk factors for postpartum depression9.12 Infant factors and maternal mental health9.13 Cultural specificity of postpartum mood disturbance9.14 Maternal mental health, infant development and the mother-infant relationship9.15 Prevention and treatment of maternal mental health problems9.16 Summary  10 Psychological issues and reproductive health conditions: an interfaceVeena A. Satyanarayana, Geetha Desai and Prabha S. Chandra10.1 Introduction10.2 Infertility: a psychosocial appraisal10.3 The psychological implications of hysterectomy10.4 Gynaecological infections10.5 Conclusions  11 Menopause and women's mental health: the need for a multidimensional approachJill Astbury11.1 Introduction11.2 Social, cultural and contextual factors11.3 Variations in symptoms and symptom patterns11.4 The research evidence11.5 Is menopause a time of increased risk for women's mental health?11.6 The relationship between menopause and depression in midlife11.7 The need for a life course perspective11.8 Methodological difficulties11.9 Therapeutic approaches in mid life11.10 Conclusion  12 Ethics in psychiatric research among womenLaura Roberts and Kristen Prentice12.1 The scientific imperative to include women in psychiatric research12.2 The ethical challenges of psychiatric research12.3 Unique challenges of psychiatric research in women12.4 Summary  13 Integrating mental health into women's health and primary healthcare: the case of ChileGraciela Rojas and Enrique Jadresic13.1 Introduction13.2 Integrating mental health into primary healthcare13.3 Integrating mental health into women's health  14 Service settings for gender sensitive psychiatric care: children and adolescentsCorina Benjet  15 Gender sensitive care for adult womenMarta B. Rondon15.1 Gender sensitive and informed mental healthcare: basic strategies15.2 Principles of gender sensitive care15.3 Characteristics of gender sensitive services  16 PsychopharmacologySilvana Sarabia16.1 History of psychopharmocology16.2 Ethics16.3 Sources and interpretation of data16.4 Women in clinical trials16.5 Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics in women16.6 Psychotropic treatments in women16.7 Treatment of postpartum disorders  17 Women and disastersUnaiza Niaz17.1 Wars and women's mental health17.2 Natural disasters and women17.3 Conclusion  18 Intimate partner violence interventionsKrishna Vaddiparti and Deepthi S. Varma18.1 Mental health consequences of intimate partner violence on women18.2 Victim focused interventions18.3 Interventions with batterers of violence18.4 Other intervention approaches18.5 Conclusion  19 Migration and mental health in women: mental health action plan as a tool to increase communication between clinicians and policy makersSolvig Ekblad19.1 Definitions: mental health and health19.2 Introduction19.3 Risk factors19.4 Resilience and coping19.5 The impact of domestic violence on immigrant women's mental health19.6 Access to mental healthcare services19.7 The ADAPT model (adaptation and development after persecution and trauma)19.8 The case of Mrs Aba, her family and the community19.9 Theory of change logic: mental health action planning  20 Work and women's mental healthSaida Douki20.1 Introduction: A late but growing awareness20.2 The job burnout20.3 A higher risk for burnout20.4 Work and women's mental health issues20.5 Management issues20.6 Conclusion  21 Globalisation and women's mental health: cutting edge informationUnaiza Niaz21.1 Concept and process of globalisation21.2 Gendered effects of globalisation21.3 The impact of globalisation and liberalisation on women's health21.4 Education and empowerment in women21.5 United Nation and World Banks approach to women's education21.6 The global and local intersection of feminisation in Muslim societies21.7 Other impacts of globalisation21.8 Internet addiction21.9 Mental health issues related to the use of Internet and mobile phones in the developing countries21.10 Recommendations to counteract negative effects of globalisation  22 The impact of culture on women's mental healthMarianne Kastrup and Unaiza Niaz22.1 Introduction22.2 Definitions22.3 Epidemiological perspectives22.4 Cultural aspects of stress22.5 Diagnostic considerations22.6 Cultural and social practices and their impact on mental health22.7 Therapeutic issues22.8 Perspectives  23 Female mutilationAlmira Seif Eldin23.1 Definition23.2 Introduction23.3 Historical background23.4 Classification23.5 Epidemiology of FGM23.6 Physical complication of FGM23.7 Psychological complication23.8 Posttraumatic stress disorder and memory problems after FGM23.9 Obstacles facing changing harmful social convention: female genital mutilation/cutting23.10 The basic concept for FGM elimination: (The mental map for FGM)23.11 Recommendations in countries where FGM is commonly practiced  24 Women's mental health in the concept of broad global policiesTakashi Izutsu24.1 Definitions of health and the right to health made by the United Nations24.2 The Fourth World Conference on Women Platform for Action (1995)24.3 Conventions24.4 Other international tools24.5 New aid environment: sector wide approaches and the poverty reduction strategy paper24.6 Conclusion  25 Families of origin as agents determining women's mental healthWenhong Cheng25.1 The impact of the family of origins perspectives about females on the growth of women25.2 Impact of parenthood on women's mental health25.3 Families, social change and women's mental health  26 The unpaid workload: gender discrimination in conceptualization and its impact on women's mental healthJane Fisher26.1 Maternal desire26.2 Disenfranchised grief and motherhood26.3 Fantasies of motherhood26.4 Fantasies about the workload26.5 Workload of motherhood26.6 Occupational fatigue as a determinant of maternal mood?26.7 Recognition and valuing of work and occupational satisfaction26.8 Training and education for mothering26.9 Presumptions about the contributions of others to the workload26.10 Collegial relationships26.11 Honouring the work of mothers in practice and policy  27 Foundations of human development: maternal care in the early yearsLinda M. Richter and Tamsen Rochat27.1 Child development and human culture27.2 Interactions and relationships27.3 Maternal mental health and children's development27.4 Maternal care27.5 Implications for mental healthcare27.6 Increased choices for women  28 The adverse impact of psychological aggression, coercion and violence in the intimate partner relationship on women's mental healthToshiko Kamo28.1 Prevalence and nature of intimate partner violence28.2 Impact of intimate partner violence on general health28.3 Mental health problems among women affected by intimate partner violence28.4 Intimate partner violence, children and intergenerational patterns of abuse

Prabha S. Chandra is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. She has served as a member of the WPA section on women’s mental health and is the first person from a developing country to be elected to the executive of the Marce International Perinatal Psychiatry Society.   She has also been a convener and chairperson of the Task force on women’s mental health of the Indian Psychiatric Society. Her main research contributions in the areas of women’s mental health have been in perinatal psychiatry, psychosomatic obsetrics and gynecology and the role of violence in women with mental illness. Prof. Chandra has received several national awards for research in womens mental health.  She has been a member of the Advisory group on HIV Behavioral Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research and has also served as a Temporary Advisor to the WHO and UNAIDS.  She has about 90 publications in the above areas of research and has edited several books and training manuals.Helen Herrman is Professor of Psychiatry at the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne. She is also Director, WHO Collaborating Centre in Mental Health, Melbourne; Secretary for Publications, World Psychiatric Association; and Regional Vice-President Oceania, World Federation for Mental Health.Her interests include mental health promotion, the assessment of outcomes and quality of life for people with mental illnesses, the link between mental health and HIV infection, and the delivery of mental health services.Jane FisherDeputy Director and Coordinator of International Programs, University of Melbourne, Australia. Marianne Kastrup was Medical Director of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Copenhagen (1997-2001) and is now Head of the Centre Transcultural Psychiatry, Psychiatric. Dept. Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.  She is the Zonal Representative for the WPA and has served on various committees for both the WPA and the European Association of Psychiatry.Unaiza Niaz is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist who is the Director of The Psychiatric Clinic & Stress Research Center, Karachi.  She is the President & Founder Member of the Pakistan Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, a Life Member of  The Pakistan Psychiatric Society, and was previously Vice President and Secretary General. She is a life member of the World Federation of Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.  She trained at The Royal Free Hospital, the Tavistock Clinic, Hampstead, London and The Johns Hopkins University, USA. Her research interests are Stress management, Women’s Issues, Medical Health Policy and Post- Graduate Education.  She has numerous scientific publications in international journals and has authored several books: Emerging Images of Pakistani Women, Stress Management and The Psychosocial Profile of Pakistani Women, published by Karachi University, and a landmark Monograph on Womens Mental Health In Pakistan.  She has also edited Medical Ethics in Contemporary Era and Pakistan Earthquake—International Perspectives on Handling Psycho-Trauma. Presently, she is Co-Chair of the WPA Section on Women’s Mental Health and an Advisor to the National Commission on the Status of Women—Pakistan.Marta Rondón, assistant professor at Cayetano Heredia University, is a Founder of the Peruvian Association for Women's Mental Health and was Chair of the Section of Women's Mental Health of the World Psychiatric Association.  She was the first woman to be President of the Peruvian Psychiatric Association and is a recipient of the Medal of Honor of the Peruvian College of Physicians..  Formerly Director General of the Office for Older People, Ministry of Women and Social Development in Peru, she currently sits on the National Committee on Mental Health and the High Level Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Peruvian College of Physicians.  Marta works at the Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hopsital, where she supervises services for chronic psychiatric patients and sits on the hospital's committee against gender based violence.Ahmed Okasha is Professor and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Training and Research in Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry – Ain Shams University, Cairo. He is President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association and of the Egyptian Society of Biological Psychiatry, as well as a Past President of the World Psychiatric Association. Professor Okasha is on the Editorial Advisory Board of 20 International Scientific Journals, an Honorary Fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists (2002) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh, 1973) and of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (London, 1973).

"The book does a service in pointing out its importance as a major issue in women's mental health ... There is much more here than mental and reproduction health." (World Federation for Mental Health, 1 August 2011) "Given the vital importance of social factors to the development of mental disorders in the women of the world and mainstream psychiatry’s predominant focus on the biological, this book’s devotion to highlighting the impact of how cultural, political and economic conditions affect women’s mental health is noteworthy and a major strength. The book also delivers on its promise to examine this area from a global perspective, and the reader is richer for it. Each inhabited continent is represented in the book’s list of contributors, and this ensures that relevant social factors are not overlooked. Not surprisingly, the product of this international focus is a book that is unparalleled in terms of the breadth of the social factors that are examined for their relevance to women’s mental health." (Archives of Womens Mental Health, 2011)"The really interesting feature of the book is its emphasis on the role of cultural and social circumstances on the presentation, perceptions and treatment of mental health in women. The chapters on somatization and the impact of culture on women's mental health are essential reading for all health practitioners who have women among their patients." (Occupational Medicine, December 2010)"This book is a goldmine of information on the challenges for gender-focused research and clinical treatment of mental health problems. The editors have done a remarkable job of identifying and summarizing the available literature on women's mental health... It would be a valuable asset for academic psychiatrists and psychologists teaching courses or researching women's mental health issues, as well as psychotherapists." (Indian Journal of Psychiatry, October 2010)

• 1 Psychotic disorders and bipolar affective disorder BPAD R. Thara and R. Padmavati1.1 Psychotic disorders in women1.2 Schizophrenia1.3 Bipolar disorder1.4 Other psychoses1.5 Special issues in women with severe mental illness  2 Depression and anxiety among womenNadia Kadri and Khadiza Mchichi Alami2.1 Introduction2.2 Epidemiology2.3 Transcultural aspect of affective disturbances in Sub-Saharan Africa2.4 Treatment effects2.5 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: biological determinants2.6 Sexual differences in depression and anxiety disorders: social factors2.7 Mood and anxiety disorders across lifespan in women2.8 Pregnancy2.9 Motherhood2.10 Conclusion  3 Somatisation and dissociationSantosh K. Chaturvedi and Ravi Philip3.1 Introduction3.2 Somatisation – definitions and concept3.3 Dissociation – definitions and concept3.4 The diagnosis and classification of somatoform and dissociative disorders3.5 The neurobiology of somatisation and dissociation3.6 Psychological factors3.7 Conversion disorder3.8 Hypochondriasis3.9 Dissociative disorders3.10 Conclusions  4 Eating disordersRobert L. Palmer and Dr Sarvath Abbas4.1 Introduction4.2 Risk factors and pathogenesis4.3 Distribution4.4 Presentation, assessment, diagnosis and engagement4.5 Treatment and management4.6 Conclusion  5 Suicidality in womenGergö Hadlaczky and Dannuta Wasserman5.1 Definitions5.2 Epidemiology5.3 Suicidality and mental disorders and risk5.4 Suicide prevention  6 Alcohol and substance abuseFlorence Baingana6.1 Introduction6.2 Genetics of alcohol and drug abuse6.3 Burden of the problem and patterns of drinking6.4 Alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour and HIV vulnerability6.5 Stigma, women and alcohol and drug abuse6.6 Health consequences6.7 Social and economic consequences6.8 Interventions6.9 Challenges6.10 Research6.11 Recommendations6.12 Conclusions  7 Psychiatric consequences of trauma in womenElie G. Karam, Mariana M. Salamoun and Salim El-Sabbagh7.1 Introduction7.2 What types of traumata are more common among women?7.3 How do women respond to trauma?7.4 What are the trauma related risk factors?7.5 Which mental disorders are related to trauma?7.6 Future directions  8 Voices of consumers - women with mental illness share their experiencesShoba Raja8.1 'Ni Tagibebu' - I will change my lifestyle8.2 Determined to go against the odds8.3 Brilliant madness - a narrative by a young woman from India who is recovering from mental illness8.4 From illness to purpose and recovery8.5 Conclusions  9 Mental aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum periodJane Fisher, Meena Cabral de Mello and Takashi Izutsu9.1 Mental health and maternal mortality9.2 Mental health and antenatal morbidity9.3 Depression in pregnancy9.4 Anxiety in pregnancy9.5 Cultural preferences and mental health in pregnancy9.6 Inflicted violence and mental health in pregnancy9.7 Mental health and postpartum morbidity9.8 Postpartum blues or mild transient mood disturbance9.9 Postpartum psychotic illness9.10 Postpartum depression9.11 Psychosocial risk factors for postpartum depression9.12 Infant factors and maternal mental health9.13 Cultural specificity of postpartum mood disturbance9.14 Maternal mental health, infant development and the mother-infant relationship9.15 Prevention and treatment of maternal mental health problems9.16 Summary  10 Psychological issues and reproductive health conditions: an interfaceVeena A. Satyanarayana, Geetha Desai and Prabha S. Chandra10.1 Introduction10.2 Infertility: a psychosocial appraisal10.3 The psychological implications of hysterectomy10.4 Gynaecological infections10.5 Conclusions  11 Menopause and women's mental health: the need for a multidimensional approachJill Astbury11.1 Introduction11.2 Social, cultural and contextual factors11.3 Variations in symptoms and symptom patterns11.4 The research evidence11.5 Is menopause a time of increased risk for women's mental health?11.6 The relationship between menopause and depression in midlife11.7 The need for a life course perspective11.8 Methodological difficulties11.9 Therapeutic approaches in mid life11.10 Conclusion  12 Ethics in psychiatric research among womenLaura Roberts and Kristen Prentice12.1 The scientific imperative to include women in psychiatric research12.2 The ethical challenges of psychiatric research12.3 Unique challenges of psychiatric research in women12.4 Summary  13 Integrating mental health into women's health and primary healthcare: the case of ChileGraciela Rojas and Enrique Jadresic13.1 Introduction13.2 Integrating mental health into primary healthcare13.3 Integrating mental health into women's health  14 Service settings for gender sensitive psychiatric care: children and adolescentsCorina Benjet  15 Gender sensitive care for adult womenMarta B. Rondon15.1 Gender sensitive and informed mental healthcare: basic strategies15.2 Principles of gender sensitive care15.3 Characteristics of gender sensitive services  16 PsychopharmacologySilvana Sarabia16.1 History of psychopharmocology16.2 Ethics16.3 Sources and interpretation of data16.4 Women in clinical trials16.5 Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics in women16.6 Psychotropic treatments in women16.7 Treatment of postpartum disorders  17 Women and disastersUnaiza Niaz17.1 Wars and women's mental health17.2 Natural disasters and women17.3 Conclusion  18 Intimate partner violence interventionsKrishna Vaddiparti and Deepthi S. Varma18.1 Mental health consequences of intimate partner violence on women18.2 Victim focused interventions18.3 Interventions with batterers of violence18.4 Other intervention approaches18.5 Conclusion  19 Migration and mental health in women: mental health action plan as a tool to increase communication between clinicians and policy makersSolvig Ekblad19.1 Definitions: mental health and health19.2 Introduction19.3 Risk factors19.4 Resilience and coping19.5 The impact of domestic violence on immigrant women's mental health19.6 Access to mental healthcare services19.7 The ADAPT model (adaptation and development after persecution and trauma)19.8 The case of Mrs Aba, her family and the community19.9 Theory of change logic: mental health action planning  20 Work and women's mental healthSaida Douki20.1 Introduction: A late but growing awareness20.2 The job burnout20.3 A higher risk for burnout20.4 Work and women's mental health issues20.5 Management issues20.6 Conclusion  21 Globalisation and women's mental health: cutting edge informationUnaiza Niaz21.1 Concept and process of globalisation21.2 Gendered effects of globalisation21.3 The impact of globalisation and liberalisation on women's health21.4 Education and empowerment in women21.5 United Nation and World Banks approach to women's education21.6 The global and local intersection of feminisation in Muslim societies21.7 Other impacts of globalisation21.8 Internet addiction21.9 Mental health issues related to the use of Internet and mobile phones in the developing countries21.10 Recommendations to counteract negative effects of globalisation  22 The impact of culture on women's mental healthMarianne Kastrup and Unaiza Niaz22.1 Introduction22.2 Definitions22.3 Epidemiological perspectives22.4 Cultural aspects of stress22.5 Diagnostic considerations22.6 Cultural and social practices and their impact on mental health22.7 Therapeutic issues22.8 Perspectives  23 Female mutilationAlmira Seif Eldin23.1 Definition23.2 Introduction23.3 Historical background23.4 Classification23.5 Epidemiology of FGM23.6 Physical complication of FGM23.7 Psychological complication23.8 Posttraumatic stress disorder and memory problems after FGM23.9 Obstacles facing changing harmful social convention: female genital mutilation/cutting23.10 The basic concept for FGM elimination: (The mental map for FGM)23.11 Recommendations in countries where FGM is commonly practiced  24 Women's mental health in the concept of broad global policiesTakashi Izutsu24.1 Definitions of health and the right to health made by the United Nations24.2 The Fourth World Conference on Women Platform for Action (1995)24.3 Conventions24.4 Other international tools24.5 New aid environment: sector wide approaches and the poverty reduction strategy paper24.6 Conclusion  25 Families of origin as agents determining women's mental healthWenhong Cheng25.1 The impact of the family of origins perspectives about females on the growth of women25.2 Impact of parenthood on women's mental health25.3 Families, social change and women's mental health  26 The unpaid workload: gender discrimination in conceptualization and its impact on women's mental healthJane Fisher26.1 Maternal desire26.2 Disenfranchised grief and motherhood26.3 Fantasies of motherhood26.4 Fantasies about the workload26.5 Workload of motherhood26.6 Occupational fatigue as a determinant of maternal mood?26.7 Recognition and valuing of work and occupational satisfaction26.8 Training and education for mothering26.9 Presumptions about the contributions of others to the workload26.10 Collegial relationships26.11 Honouring the work of mothers in practice and policy  27 Foundations of human development: maternal care in the early yearsLinda M. Richter and Tamsen Rochat27.1 Child development and human culture27.2 Interactions and relationships27.3 Maternal mental health and children's development27.4 Maternal care27.5 Implications for mental healthcare27.6 Increased choices for women  28 The adverse impact of psychological aggression, coercion and violence in the intimate partner relationship on women's mental healthToshiko Kamo28.1 Prevalence and nature of intimate partner violence28.2 Impact of intimate partner violence on general health28.3 Mental health problems among women affected by intimate partner violence28.4 Intimate partner violence, children and intergenerational patterns of abuse