Michael Alan Taylor – författare

This book provides a comprehensive review of melancholia as a severe disorder of mood, associated with suicide, psychosis, and catatonia. The syndrome is defined with a clear diagnosis, prognosis, and range of management strategies, differentiated from other similar psychiatric, neurological, and general medical conditions. It challenges accepted doctrines in the classification and biology of the mood disorders and defines melancholia as a treatable mental illness. Described for millennia in medical texts and used as a term in literature and poetry, melancholia was included within early versions of the major diagnostic classificatory systems, but lost favour in later editions. This book updates the arguments for the diagnosis, describes its characteristics in detail, and promotes treatment and prevention. The book offers great hope to those with a disorder too often mis-diagnosed and often fatal. It should be read by all those responsible for the management of patients with mood disorders.

Increasingly, psychiatrists make little distinction between psychiatric and neurologic disorders, considering them all as dysfunctions of the central nervous system. This is a practical how to book intended primarily for trainees and practicing clinicians unfamiliar with the relatively new field of neuropsychiatry. It is written as the author might teach the material during clinical rounds and in small group seminars. In a clear and engaging style, he explains what to do and how to do it, giving the rationale for each step, and synthesizing neuropsychiatric principles with practical guidelines for diagnosis and management of adult patients. Many tables are included for quick reference and to help the reader to quickly see the big picture of a given topic. The book covers personality and personality disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, psychiatric disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, headache and violence. It can be used as an introductory text for psychiatric residents, medical students, and others who care for persons with behavioral disorders. It can also be used as a clinical manual or reference by practitioners in psychiatry and neurology.

Increasingly, psychiatrists make little distinction between psychiatric and neurologic disorders, considering them all as dysfunctions of the central nervous system. This is a practical how to book intended primarily for trainees and practicing clinicians unfamiliar with the relatively new field of neuropsychiatry. It is written as the author might teach the material during clinical rounds and in small group seminars. In a clear and engaging style, he explains what to do and how to do it, giving the rationale for each step, and synthesizing neuropsychiatric principles with practical guidelines for diagnosis and management of adult patients. Many tables are included for quick reference and to help the reader to quickly see the big picture of a given topic. The book covers personality and personality disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, psychiatric disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, headache and violence. It can be used as an introductory text for psychiatric residents, medical students, and others who care for persons with behavioral disorders. It can also be used as a clinical manual or reference by practitioners in psychiatry and neurology.

Catatonia is a syndrome of motor dysregulation (mutism, peculiar postures, repetitive speech, negativism and imitative movements), and is found in as many as ten per cent of acutely ill psychiatric inpatients. Although its classification has been controversial, the identification of catatonia is not difficult, but it is often missed, leading to the false notion that the syndrome is rare. Catatonia has various presentations, and may be caused by many neurologic and general medical conditions, most commonly mood disorder. Treatments are well defined, and when used, catatonia has an excellent prognosis. This book, by two leading neuropsychiatrists, describes the features of catatonia, teaches the reader how to identify and treat the syndrome successfully, and describes its neurobiology. Patient vignettes from the authors' practices, and many from the classical literature, illustrate the principles of diagnosing and treating patients with catatonia. It is an essential clinical reference for psychiatrists and neurologists.

In order to accurately describe and diagnose psychiatric illness, practitioners require in-depth knowledge of the signs and symptoms of behavioral disorders. Descriptive Psychopathology provides a broad review of the psychopathology of psychiatric illness, beyond the limitations of the DSM and ICD criteria. Beginning with a discussion of the background to psychiatric classification, the authors explore the problems and limitations of current diagnostic systems. The following chapters then present the principles of psychiatric examination and diagnosis, described with accompanying patient vignettes and summary tables, and related to different diagnostic concerns. A thought-provoking conclusion proposes a restructuring of psychiatric classification based on the psychopathology literature and its validating data. Written for psychiatry and neurology residents, clinical psychologists, behavioral neurologists, clinical psychology students and psychiatric nurse practitioners, it is invaluable to anyone who accepts the responsibility for the care of patients with behavioral syndromes.

This book provides a comprehensive review of melancholia as a severe disorder of mood, associated with suicide, psychosis, and catatonia. The syndrome is defined with a clear diagnosis, prognosis, and range of management strategies, differentiated from other similar psychiatric, neurological, and general medical conditions. It challenges accepted doctrines in the classification and biology of the mood disorders and defines melancholia as a treatable mental illness. Described for millennia in medical texts and used as a term in literature and poetry, melancholia was included within early versions of the major diagnostic classificatory systems, but lost favour in later editions. This book updates the arguments for the diagnosis, describes its characteristics in detail, and promotes treatment and prevention. The book offers great hope to those with a disorder too often mis-diagnosed and often fatal. It should be read by all those responsible for the management of patients with mood disorders.

The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry presents a new view of psychiatry, melding traditional biologic, neuro-, and descriptive psychiatry into a broad neuropsychiatric approach to diagnosis and treatment. The book relies on insights from basic neuroscience, neuropsychology, behavioral neurology, and neuropsychopharmacology, along with experience in the study and treatment of thousands of patients. Incorporating step-by-step assessment and management strategies, Taylor provides a practical guide for state-of-the-art clinical care. Divided into three parts, the book presents the principles of diagnosis and techniques for performing the traditional descriptive psychiatric evaluation and mental status examination, as well as the cognitive and behavioral neurologic exam, and a rational guide for the use of laboratory studies. The Neuropsychiatric Guide also provides practical and operational definitions of all major psychopathology, and detailed descriptions and treatment strategies for all psychotic disorders, common dementias and delirium, behavioral neurologic syndromes (including psychosensory and psychomotor states and regional cortical syndromes, and sexual dysfunctions. In addition, the author includes a guide for the use of psychotropics and ECT, acute inpatient unit organization and management, principles and practical techniques of psychiatric consultation, neuropsychiatric emergency management, and the diagnosis and care of the elderly patient.