Carol Nadelson – författare

In Volumes 2 and 3, we have chosen a focus that places in context aspects of mental health and the complex psychosocial factors thataf­ fect our perceptions of how health and illness are defined and experi­ enced. Weare aware that some may take exceptions to the topics chosen or to the way in which some authors have developed their ideas and presented their information. While we cannot expect to agree with each other all of the time, we can provide a framework and a perspective from which ideas can take form and evolve. The first section of Volume 2 provides an overview of some of the theoretical issues involved in understanding the psychology of women. These issues include changes in psychoanalytic views, particularly in relation to femininity and feminine development. The particular de­ velopmental experiences of black women are also clearly delineated. The second section deals with specific points in the life cycle that raise unique issues for women, especially as they pertain to the many roles of women in contemporary society and the impact that these roles have on their careers and on their families. The impact of having a working mother on the early interaction with children, the concerns of midlife, especially marital interactions, and the ambiguities of aging are dis­ cussed. We intend to provide information and to raise questions that we hope will be part of an ongoing dialogue, as well as a stimulus to more intensive study and understanding.

The second section deals with specific points in the life cycle that raise unique issues for women, especially as they pertain to the many roles of women in contemporary society and the impact that these roles have on their careers and on their families.

Despite much progress in the past ten years, American medical schools have woefully inadequate sex education curricula. While some have a reasonable amount of lecture time, few have clinical opportunities for students to develop practical skills in working with patients who are struggling with sexual problems. It is my impression that the same is true in medical and gynecological residencies, as well as in graduate schools of psychology, counseling and social work. This book was specifically written to help fill that gap. This is a book for clinicians, and it will provide a wealth of practical clinical knowledge and skills in dealing with the gamut of patient''s sexual concerns, problems and dilemmas. Twenty-four experts have contributed eighteen chapters which address both the common and unusual sexual issues encountered in practice. These include sexual concerns from childhood to old age; gender identity and sexual preference; sexual dysfunction, including that of the physically ill and disabled; counseling with students, premarital, marital, and divorced patients; fertility and infertility; and chap­ ters dealing with rape, incest and other sexual contacts between adults and children. Of particular importance are chapters on human sexuality in American minority popula­ tions, a chapter on alcohol, medication and other drugs, and a chapter on medical management of sexual problems in the gay population, a subject long-ignored by the profession. The focus on practical intervention and skill development is amplified by the concluding four appendixes devoted to patient management problems.