Aleksandar Janca - Böcker

This book is a report of the findings of the International Study of Schizophrenia (ISoS), Focusing on variations in the course and outcome of schizophrenic disorders, the investigation covers 14 countries in both the developed and developing world. The bulk of the volume consists of portraits of individual field research centres in each country and reports on the outcomes of these centres' schizophrenic patients. The "portrait chapters" are flanked by introductory and synoptic chapters laying out both the genealogy and design of ISoS and synthesising its major findings. Of these, the most significant conclusions: that while recovery from schizophrenia is a struggle for many patients, it is possible to achieve in terms of improved daily function and quality of life and that, with appropriate and sustained treatment, schizophrenia is largely an episodic disorder that has a favourable outcome for a significant portion of those afflicted with it. The book also includes extensive tables that present the research data, permitting further independent analysis.Recovery from Schizophrenia is unique - there is virtually nothing like it in the contemporary field of cross-cultural psychiatric epidemiology, and the massive, multinational investigations upon which it is based are not likely to be replicated any time soon in the area of mental illness. As such, this book will be a unique resource for mental health professionals, practitioners, and researchers worldwide, providing an empirically based reason for hope in the long run for persons living with schizophrenia.

The diagnosis and assessment of personality disorders has lagged considerably behind that of most other mental disorders. However, the IPDE is an instrument which is compatible, through two modules, with both ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. In the form of a semi-structured clinical interview, it provides a means of measuring major categories of personality disorders which have been previously ignored. It is also unique in that it seeks to secure reliable and uniform diagnosis which is both internationally and cross-culturally acceptable. Written by leading international authorities, this volume forms an invaluable reference manual to the IPDE instrument and its development. Its first section includes an overview of the worldwide field trials of the interview and aspects of epidemiology which affect the current status of diagnosis and assessment research. The second section detailing the full interview schedule and scoring system for the instrument will further facilitate its use by both clinician and researcher.

The diagnosis and assessment of personality disorders has lagged considerably behind that of most other mental disorders. However, the IPDE is an instrument which is compatible, through two modules, with both ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. In the form of a semi-structured clinical interview, it provides a means of measuring major categories of personality disorders which have been previously ignored. It is also unique in that it seeks to secure reliable and uniform diagnosis which is both internationally and cross-culturally acceptable. Written by leading international authorities, this volume forms an invaluable reference manual to the IPDE instrument and its development. Its first section includes an overview of the worldwide field trials of the interview and aspects of epidemiology which affect the current status of diagnosis and assessment research. The second section detailing the full interview schedule and scoring system for the instrument will further facilitate its use by both clinician and researcher.

Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry is the trusted introductory text for students of medicine and other health professions, including psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work and occupational therapy. It has also been the essential reference for family doctors for over quarter of a century.Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry: Fourth Edition has been revised and updated by five editors, leaders in their fields, in collaboration with a new generation of expert psychiatrists. The four-part structure—an introduction to clinical psychiatry; conditions encountered; specific patient groups and clinical settings; and principles and details of typical clinical services, and of biological and psychological treatments—provides a clear overview of clinical practice. It also explores the causes of mental illness and the ethical aspects of its treatment, and covers the full range of psychiatric disorders encountered by health practitioners.The fourth edition emphasises biological, psychological and social factors in assessing and treating patients, includes the integrated use of DSM-5 classification, and provides further reading suggestions. It is richly illustrated with dozens of clinical stories.

At the international symposium "Rethinking Somatoform Disorders," this problem was addressed by specialists working in somatoform disorders, psychiatric nosology, epidemiology, and biological and cross-cultural psychiatry.