Petros Levounis – författare

The Addiction Casebook presents 12 patients with DSM-5 addiction diagnoses -- plus one experiencing problematic Internet use -- and illustrates practical and successful strategies for diagnosing and treating these patients. The book''s cases are analogous to those that clinicians commonly encounter in their everyday practice and effectively demonstrate the intersection of addiction with other psychiatric diagnoses. The experience and clinical wisdom of three generations of addiction specialists are distilled into a single volume that includes the most salient ideas and treatment suggestions for clinicians.

This informative, practical volume strikes a colloquial, and sometimes humorous, tone. General psychiatrists and psychiatric residents seeking to gain expertise in and an understanding of addiction will find it a delight to read, as will a diverse audience of family practitioners, internists, pediatricians, medical students, allied professionals, and anyone interested in sharpening her or his clinical skills.

The book is the first to cover the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of substance use disorders and other addictions within the DSM-5® framework. Its many valuable and helpful features include • An outline of the progression in thinking about psychiatric diagnoses with the move from DSM-IV-TR® to DSM-5®. • Descriptions of hands-on experience with the current diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders and other addictions that complement substance abuse textbooks and bring the material to life. • Coverage of such subject areas as alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, hallucinogen, inhalant, opioid, sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, stimulant, tobacco, gambling, and Internet addictions. • Key points and multiple-answer questions at the end of each chapter that highlight the chapter''s most pertinent takeaways and apply and strengthen readers'' knowledge of chapter information.• Extensive use of tables, figures, charts, and other instructive materials to illuminate and clarify addiction concepts.

In their preface, the authors assert their hope that the book "will provide the fundamental tools for working with the substance-using patient in the hospital, the clinic, and the community." The Addiction Casebook exceeds its goal by providing mental health and other medical practitioners with timely, current strategies for addiction diagnosis and treatment in a succinct, engaging, and entertaining volume.

The Behavioral Addictions is the first American Psychiatric Publishing title to explore the diagnosis and treatment of patients who suffer from behavioral addictions, extreme forms of which share specific characteristics with severe forms of substance use disorders. These characteristics include tolerance (the need to use the substance or perform the troublesome behavior at higher doses, or more and more frequently, in order to achieve the same effect); withdrawal (feelings of restlessness, irritability, and discontent following abrupt discontinuation of the substance or the behavior); obsessive thinking and planning that block out anything other than obtaining or engaging in the addictive agent or behavior; and accompanying external consequences in related to finances, health, interpersonal relationships, legal affairs, etc. Although not all behavioral addictions are currently recognized as such by DSM-5, both substances and behaviors can hijack a person''s pleasure-and-reward brain circuitry, causing great suffering.

This case-based volume is practical and engaging and offers many features that make it not only informative but also accessible and entertaining:

• Behaviors covered, both those widely recognized and those less commonly accepted, involve exercise, food, gambling, Internet gaming, Internet surfing, kleptomania, love, sex, shopping, work, tanning, and e-mailing/texting.• Introductory chapters discuss the relationship of behavioral or process addictions to substance use disorders across many spheres, and they provide an overview of the behavioral addictions from neurobiological, theoretical, clinical, and forensic perspectives.• Gambling disorder is now classified in DSM-5 as a behavioral addiction, lending credence to the construct of behavioral addictions and providing precedent for future consideration of other behavioral addictions, such as those highlighted in the volume. • Each chapter focuses on a real-life case study of a patient with a behavioral addiction. Videos that accompany the volume demonstrate encounters between a clinician and a patient exhibiting an addiction. This puts material on assessment, treatment, etc. into a real-world context.• Key points for review and multiple-choice questions are included at the end of each chapter.

Not simply an exaggeration of everyday social and personal ailments, these behavioral conditions present clinicians with unique and poorly researched challenges in everyday clinical practice. The Behavioral Addictions helps the reader to determine not only where to draw the line between healthy and unhealthy levels of participation in a behavior, but also how to intervene in ways that are therapeutic, effective, and evidence-based.

Even in today''s more enlightened society, it takes courage for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals to "come out of the closet" and embrace their sexual orientation and identity. Coming out, or facing internal and societal conflicts related to sexuality, involves a great deal of anxiety that can permeate other aspects of an LGBT individual''s life -- particularly when seeking psychiatric treatment. The goal of The LGBT Casebook is to help clinicians, trainees, and other mental health professionals address the mental health needs of LGBT people in the context of problems these individuals face in their everyday lives, including homophobia and discrimination.

The LGBT Casebook begins with five chapters devoted to basic concerns that affect LGBT populations, including coming out, heterosexist attitudes, the "don''t ask, don''t tell" mentality, legal issues, gay parenting, and sexual identity in patient-therapist relationships. In the rest of the book, clinician-authors present case studies of 20 patients with different DSM diagnoses, illuminating the impact of LGBT identity and illustrating a way of working with each presented patient. Features and benefits of The LGBT Casebook include: • Insights into the unique problems LGBT people face in their everyday lives when compared with heterosexual individuals.• Problems that are common to all LGBT individuals, such as the anxiety of being in the closet (hiding one''s identity) or coming out (embracing one''s identity).• Practitioners with little experience in working with the LGBT population can gain a better understanding of psychiatric diagnoses within the context of an LGBT individual''s everyday life.• The book can be read cover-to-cover to gain insights into the full diversity of the LGBT population, or by specific chapters of interest to help with the diagnosis of a patient currently in treatment.• A glossary at the back of the book defines both clinical and colloquial terms and phrases that clinicians and patients use to define themselves and their peers.

While The LGBT Casebook is the ideal general overview and roadmap for the clinician new to treating LGBT patients, it also provides new pearls of wisdom and insights for psychiatrists, residents, medical students, nurses, and clinical social workers who are already familiar with working with the LGBT community. By introducing a diverse range of people, diagnoses, and presenting problems, it will serve as a valuable reference book for all mental health professionals when assessing and treating the mental health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients.

Ambivalence, poor adherence to treatment, serious psychiatric and medical comorbidities -- the difficulties posed by patients of substance use disorders are among the most challenging for practitioners to face. Given that only 10% of patients with these disorders actually receive specialized addiction treatment, it''s clear that physicians in all medical and surgical specialties need to become comfortable assessing and treating substance use disorders.

The Pocket Guide to Addiction Assessment and Treatment is designed specifically to aid a wide range of clinicians, regardless of their training in addiction, to more confidently assess and treat this patient population.

The book''s practical, actionable content is divided into three sections -- Fundamentals of Addiction, Substances and Behaviors, and Treatment -- that address topics including: • The neurobiology of addiction• How to recognize and treat intoxication, withdrawal from, and addiction to substances such as alcohol, anabolic-androgenic steroids, benzodiazepines, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, and tobacco, as well as hallucinogens, inhalants, and caffeine• Special issues with psychiatric and medical comorbidities, as well as with specific populations• Behavioral addictions, with a special focus on gambling disorder• Cognitive-behavioral therapy; 12-step programs; nutrition and exercise; spirituality, mindfulness, and meditation; and other treatment options, with examples of how each can be used with patients facing addictions

With an accessible, easily referenced format, the Pocket Guide to Addiction Assessment and Treatment serves as a go-to resource for general psychiatrists, internists, family practitioners, pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, psychiatric nurses, residents, medical students, and other practitioners involved in the addiction treatment field. And because all of the diagnostic discussions are DSM-5®--based, readers can be confident that they''re getting the most relevant and up-to-date guidance on the topic.

According to a 2012 National Institutes of Health survey, 18 million adults in the United States -- 8% of the adult population -- practice some type of meditation. What are the possible applications of meditation -- and mindfulness in particular -- in psychotherapy and psychiatry? Becoming Mindful: Integrating Mindfulness Into Your Psychiatric Practice tackles this issue in a down-to-earth manner designed for immediate applicability. Whereas most other books on the topic focus on the benefits of mindfulness either for the clinician or for the patient, Becoming Mindful offers chapters on both, providing advice on how clinicians can establish a personal mindfulness practice and encourage their patients to do the same, both during sessions and at home. For clinician and patient alike, the handbook discusses the practical aspects of mindfulness, from the most effective postures to specific practices, and offers solutions for overcoming common obstacles, including restlessness and boredom, sleepiness, and sensory craving.

Several chapters feature embedded exercises and guided meditations, and an appendix with audio guided meditations and a resource list provides psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric residents, social workers, counselors, and nurse practitioners, among others, with readily accessible tools to use in sessions with patients.

Key takeaways summarize each chapter''s content, making it easy for busy clinicians to quickly reference the information they need to most effectively treat patients, even those in special populations, including children and adolescents; patients battling substance addiction; and patients suffering from such disorders as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. With additional sections on mindful eating, mindfulness and technology, and the growing field of positive psychiatry, this book introduces readers to the full scope of benefits that mindfulness has to offer.

Motivational Interviewing for Clinical Practice teaches the reader how to use the critically important tool of motivational interviewing to promote health and well-being. Based on the theoretical framework of Miller and Rollnick, the book presents the latest models and techniques that the editors and authors have found helpful in their scholarship and clinical experience. Failure to adhere to recommended treatments is common across a wide range of illnesses -- from medical problems, such as hypertension or management of cardiovascular risk factors, to psychiatric disorders, including addiction. The methods and skills of motivational interviewing can be applied to any health behavior, be it giving up alcohol or cigarettes, taking medication for hypertension or high cholesterol, or changing dietary and exercise habits. Motivational Interviewing for Clinical Practice has many useful features: • The book is organized along the four processes of motivational interviewing -- engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning -- which provides a consistent framework for enhanced understanding.• The authors include numerous case examples with extensive illustrations of clinical dialogue that will be invaluable to both novices and experts.• The book explores the integration of motivational interviewing with other psychotherapies and the use of motivational interviewing with psychopharmacology.• The authors also address special topics such as motivational interviewing in a diverse society and the teaching of motivational interviewing.• Key points, references, and multiple-choice examination questions, along with explanations of the correct answers, are provided, as well as numerous clinical tools and summary tables to bring the material to life.• For those looking for a quick general or board review on the topic, the multiple choice questions and answers are collected together in a special section for easy access, self-study, and review.• Medical students new to motivational interviewing provide reflections on each chapter, focusing readers on the material deemed by their peers to be most useful to them in the future.

Written for busy clinicians without specialized knowledge or expertise in behavior change, Motivational Interviewing for Clinical Practice provides straightforward, practical suggestions for working effectively with patients who suffer from substance use and other psychiatric disorders.

With a new foreword by Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this second edition of Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder provides updated information on evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) -- an increasingly important topic as the epidemic of opioid misuse and overdose deaths grows in the United States.

Bulleted clinical pearls at the end of each chapter, as well as specific clinical recommendations and detailed case discussions throughout, make it easier for readers to retain knowledge and integrate it into their clinical practice. The guide also features sample documentation and scales, including a treatment contract and a patient consent, that can be used to model documents in practice.

This new edition of Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment has been updated to reflect DSM-5 language, and two additional chapters have been included: one that addresses other pharmacotherapies useful in treating OUD, including methadone and naltrexone, and another that discusses OUD treatment specifically with regard to women''s health and pregnancy.

Among the numerous other revisions included in the second edition are the following: • Information about new formulations of buprenorphine• A discussion of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)• Changes to induction and maintenance target doses and recommendations for home inductions• Information on diversion control plans• Advice for working with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous• A discussion on integrating buprenorphine into residential and inpatient opioid treatment programs

This edition can also be used to complete the 8 hours of qualifying training required for the buprenorphine waiver. By a thorough reading of the material covered in the chapters of this book and successful completion of the posttest, physicians can meet the buprenorphine waiver training requirement.

Written in a jargon-free style that does not require expertise in substance use disorder treatment, Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder is an accessible, indispensable reference for primary care physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, residents, medical students, and anyone with an interest in learning about and prescribing buprenorphine.

Technological Addictions is a wakeup call alerting the medical community—and society at large—to the addictive potential of technology and to technological addictions as legitimate psychiatric conditions worthy of medical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. No other book tackles these addictions, individually and collectively, contextualizing them for both mental health professionals and the interested public. Petros Levounis, an authority on addiction who''s been an early voice on the intersection of addiction and technology, and James Sherer are uniquely well-suited to the task, and they have recruited an impressive list of contributors who write thoughtfully, eloquently, and authoritatively on their respective topics. The 10 chapters address the different kinds of technological addiction, as well as how they manifest and impact particular populations. Core to this discussion is the fine line between addictive and nonpathological use. After all, technology makes modern life possible, so assessing whether patients have crossed that line is not an easy task.

Other noteworthy topics • In 2019, "gaming disorder" was added to the ICD-11, a controversial move raised a difficult question: are video games addictive and harmful, or are they just another pastime? The book helps clinicians understand video games as a cultural phenomenon, analyzing both their social importance and with their addictive potential.• Cybersex and online pornography can hijack our dopaminergic reward pathways like any other addictive substance, destroying relationships, bank accounts, and mental health. The book provides a brief history followed by a discussion of diagnostic criteria, screening tools, associations, and treatments.• Although seemingly harmless, even social media can become addictive, as people create online personae that may confuse and undermine both their sense of self and their sense of connectedness to the world, leading to anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and ADHD. The book helps readers distinguish between healthy and pathological social media use and explores treatment options for the latter. • Technology is an integral factor in what has become known as "information overload," which is associated with decreased performance and job satisfaction, work-related stress, social isolation, impaired sleep, relationship issues, and other problems. The book examines the underlying psychology of internet addiction and problematic internet use, their comorbidities, psychopathological models, and treatments. • Significantly older when first introduced to the internet, older adults may face unique challenges and vulnerabilities, and this evolving understanding of the role of technology in their lives, both in terms of positive changes and the risk for pathological patterns of use and other potential harms, is explored in-depth.

Although written primarily for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, patients, parents, teachers, students, administrators, and anyone who is interested in how humans interact with technology will find Technological Addictions fascinating and thought provoking.

The Pocket Guide to LGBTQ Mental Health is a down-to-earth, informative, and affirming manual for mental health clinicians working with patients of diverse gender and sexual identities. In recent years, people have begun to grapple with these issues in a healthier, more public way, and mental health practitioners must be prepared to meet their patients with the knowledge, understanding, and grasp of the context in which patients live their lives. The editors have brought their specialized knowledge to the project and, along with contributors who are experts in the field of LGBTQ mental health, have created a book of uncommon empathy. The volume''s structure is simple, consistent, and effective, with 10 chapters covering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, and allied individuals. Some chapters overlap because some people identify with more than one of these identities. The writers have drawn on both the scientific literature and their own clinical experience to create a volume that is informative, practical, and easy to read.

The book possesses an abundance of useful features: • All diagnostic and treatment discussions are based on the latest information found in DSM-5.• Each chapter includes straightforward, real-world, and evidence-based answers to "Questions Well-Meaning People Ask" -- essentially, "What would patients, their friends, their parents, their physicians like to know about being X, Y, or Z?"• A special section in each chapter addresses themes that may emerge during therapy, preparing the clinician to identify and respond sensitively and knowledgeably to issues that may become salient as counseling progresses.• Each chapter concludes with "Five Take-Home Points," a handy summary of the most important information, allowing the reader to identify essential material and consolidate learning.• An extensive collection of resources is included, helping the reader to locate more information on reliable websites and from other authoritative sources.

Written in a conversational style that will appeal to patients and families, as well as clinicians, the Pocket Guide to LGBTQ Mental Health explores the psychological and cultural context for each gender or sexual identity in a comprehensive, realistic, and affirming way.