Katharine A. Phillips – författare

For many years, the American Psychiatric Glossary has been the standard reference for psychiatrists, residents, psychiatric social workers, and other mental health professionals. Last published 8 years ago, it enjoyed unparalleled dominance in the mental health market. Now comes The Language of Mental Health: A Glossary of Psychiatric Terms, which is designed not only to replace its predecessor but also to improve upon its offerings and bring the content firmly into the twenty-first century.

This comprehensive, user-friendly reference boasts an abundance of features, both time-tested and new, as follows: • The number of Glossary definitions has been increased by 25%, and coverage has been expanded to include terms specific to newer psychiatric subspecialties, such as geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and child and adolescent psychiatry.• The section on "Medications Used in Psychiatry" is expanded and up to date. Medications are organized by drug class (e.g., antidepressants), subclass (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), trade name (e.g., Prozac), and generic name (e.g., fluoxetine).• The section on "Psychiatric Measures" is robust and detailed. For example, the entry under "Neuropsychiatric Measures for Cognitive Disorders" lists nearly a dozen assessments, along with their acronyms or abbreviations.• The section on "Mental Health Resources" includes vital descriptions and current contact information for dozens of organizations. The Web addresses are especially useful for those seeking immediate assistance or access to information.

Although the reference maintains the level of theoretical, diagnostic, and therapeutic accuracy one would expect from a book for clinicians, it will also prove useful to advocacy groups, attorneys, and mental health patients and their families. Compact enough to slip into a pocket or briefcase, yet substantial enough to withstand frequent consultations and extended study, The Language of Mental Health is a worthy successor to the American Psychiatric Glossary and is the only reference of its caliber and completeness on the market.

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) are both prevalent and a source of significant impairment for patients who suffer from them, yet they remain underrecognized and underdiagnosed. Handbook on Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders provides comprehensive and cutting-edge coverage of OCRDs for clinicians and trainees in the context of the new classification framework established by the DSM-5. Chapters cover OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), hoarding disorder, trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder), excoriation (skin picking) disorder, and illness anxiety disorder, among other related conditions, ensuring that readers are current on both the research on and the standard of care for these illnesses. In addition, each chapter employs a logical and consistent structure, addressing diagnostic criteria and symptomatology, epidemiology, etiology and pathophysiology, comorbidities, course and prognosis, assessment and differential diagnosis, psychosocial impairment and suicidality, and other topics such as cultural and gender-related issues. Treatment approaches and considerations are explored in-depth.

The Handbook's useful features are many: • The first book focused on the OCRDs to be published since the development of DSM-5, it reflects a deep understanding of the disorders and the DSM-5 development process. Readers can depend on the utmost compatibility with DSM-5 because the book was edited by the chair of the DSM-5 work group, and the chair of the sub-work group, that oversaw the development of the OCRD category. The editors have provided a helpful introductory chapter that thoroughly addresses the changes from DSM-IV.• The book includes a chapter on disorders that were seriously considered for, though ultimately not included in, the DSM-5 OCRD chapter and for which research offers some support for a close relationship to OCD. These include tic disorders, illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis), and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.• Case studies are provided in each chapter, as well as key clinical points, both of which help the reader understand, contextualize, and make use of the book's content. Recommended readings at the end of each chapter offer the opportunity to deepen understanding.

The costs to society of undiagnosed and/or untreated OCRD are high in both human and financial terms, and clinicians need to master all available tools to help patients and families understand and cope with these disorders. Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders deserves a prominent position-both in the literature and on the clinician's bookshelf.

Beset by contradictions, somatoform and factitious disorders have an unusually long, rich, and colorful historical and clinical tradition. Yet, some of them have received only limited empirical investigation.

This book continues that rich tradition by offering a broad and scholarly synthesis of the current knowledge -- and controversies -- about somatoform and factitious disorders. Here you''ll find up-to-date, clinically focused overviews of these intriguing and often difficult-to-treat disorders.

Recognized experts present the latest findings along with insightful recommendations and illustrative case studies on • Somatization disorder -- The evolution and problems of diagnostic criteria (e.g., its focus on symptom counting), epidemiology, clinical features, etiologic considerations, differential diagnosis (e.g., contrasted with depressive and anxiety disorders), evaluation (use of questionnaires), and treatment considerations (psychotherapy, psychotropic medications).• Hypochondriasis -- History, clinical features, theoretical models (psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and physiologic), research studies, and practical techniques for treatment (from pharmacotherapy to cognitive behavioral therapy to alternative treatments such as relaxation therapy).• Body dysmorphic disorder -- History and prevalence, clinical features, treatment (including surgery and nonpsychiatric medical treatment), etiology and pathophysiology (its relationship to obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and eating disorders), and diagnosis and misdiagnosis.• Conversion disorder -- Diagnostic criteria and clinical subtypes, history and definitions, models of symptom generation, functions served by conversion symptoms, associated features, epidemiology, demographic and disease course, comorbidity, differential diagnosis, and treatment (best done in collaboration with an internist, primary care physician, or neurologist).• Factitious disorders (widely known as Munchausen syndrome, its most extreme subtype) -- Empirical evidence related to epidemiology and etiology; diagnosis, clinical description, prevalence, and associated costs; limitations of current approaches; the reliability and usefulness of differential diagnoses; comorbidity, etiology, and management.

Both concise and thorough, this extensively annotated volume clarifies the issues surrounding these fascinating disorders and offers practical guidance and recommendations, highlighting the pressing need for further research to improve patient care. As such, it will prove compelling reading for practicing psychiatrists and other physicians in any clinical setting who want to better understand the baffling complexities of these distressing disorders.

For many years, the American Psychiatric Glossary has been the standard reference for psychiatrists, residents, psychiatric social workers, and other mental health professionals. Last published 8 years ago, it enjoyed unparalleled dominance in the mental health market. Now comes The Language of Mental Health: A Glossary of Psychiatric Terms, which is designed not only to replace its predecessor but also to improve upon its offerings and bring the content firmly into the twenty-first century.

This comprehensive, user-friendly reference boasts an abundance of features, both time-tested and new, as follows: • The number of Glossary definitions has been increased by 25%, and coverage has been expanded to include terms specific to newer psychiatric subspecialties, such as geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and child and adolescent psychiatry.• The section on "Medications Used in Psychiatry" is expanded and up to date. Medications are organized by drug class (e.g., antidepressants), subclass (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), trade name (e.g., Prozac), and generic name (e.g., fluoxetine).• The section on "Psychiatric Measures" is robust and detailed. For example, the entry under "Neuropsychiatric Measures for Cognitive Disorders" lists nearly a dozen assessments, along with their acronyms or abbreviations.• The section on "Mental Health Resources" includes vital descriptions and current contact information for dozens of organizations. The Web addresses are especially useful for those seeking immediate assistance or access to information.

Although the reference maintains the level of theoretical, diagnostic, and therapeutic accuracy one would expect from a book for clinicians, it will also prove useful to advocacy groups, attorneys, and mental health patients and their families. Compact enough to slip into a pocket or briefcase, yet substantial enough to withstand frequent consultations and extended study, The Language of Mental Health is a worthy successor to the American Psychiatric Glossary and is the only reference of its caliber and completeness on the market.