Did you know that one in six adults and 30-40% of primary care patients suffer from medically unexplained symptoms, chronic functional syndromes or psychosocial factors linked to chronic pain? Collectively these are known as Psychophysiologic Disorders or PPD. A trauma-informed, evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment can transform these patients from among the most frustrating to the most rewarding and give them a far better chance for a full recovery. As one family physician who learned these concepts said: "It put the joy back into my practice." From this innovative book, medical and mental health professionals will learn to relieve (not just manage) physical symptoms by assessing for and treating current life stresses, past traumas, suppressed emotions and the prolonged impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The sixteen authors from five countries average 20 years of experience in the fields of Adolescent Medicine, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, Health Journalism, Integrative Medicine, Internal Medicine, Movement Therapy, Neuroscience, Orthopedic Spine Surgery, Pain Medicine, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Sports Medicine. From this wide range of backgrounds, the authors reached consensus on a core set of practices that were a revelation for them and their patients. These concepts are practical and can readily be implemented by any healthcare professional.In addition to the editors, chapter authors include James Alexander PhD, Mariclare Dasigenis LCSW, David Hanscom MD, Ian Kleckner PhD MPH, Mark Lumley PhD, Daniel Lyman LCSW MPA, Meghan Maguire, Georgie Oldfield MCSP, David Schechter MD, Eric Sherman PsyD, John Stracks MD, and Joel Town DClinPsy.

Argues that the cause of a variety of health problems is stress and offers case studies and information on treating physical symptoms that occur in the body from high levels of stress.

In DSM-IV, the relationships between physical illness and psychological factors are grouped under the classifications 'Somatoform Disorders' and 'Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Conditions'(PFAMC). This volume introduces the 'Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research' (DCPR) as a new proposal for the PFAMC section of DSM-V. The DCPR approach focuses on psychological characteristics of patients presenting symptoms across different medical disorders related to the clinically relevant psychosocial constructs of abnormal illness behavior, i.e. somatization, demoralization, type A behavior, alexithymia, conversion, and irritability. The distinct DCPR categories are consistent with concepts expressed by outstanding authors in psychosomatic medicine and are therefore suggested as specifiers of PFAMC for the future DSM-V. The volume includes updates, reviews and empirical findings on psychological factors affecting various disorders in different clinical settings (endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology, dermatology, eating disorders, consultation psychiatry). It is essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists and physicians interested in psychosomatic medicine, and provides the basic tools for the diagnosis of DCPR conditions.

This book provides valuable information to increase confidence in proper, effective management of patients with psychodermatolic conditions. Patients with psychocutaneous disease may present to multiple professionals to seek care. The multidimensional nature of the conditions can lead to specialists being fearful of how to properly manage patients. With the information provided in this book, healthcare providers can increase their comfort and become less hesitant when making decisions determining the proper treatment course and assessing the need for referral. Due to the cross-disciplinary nature of this topic, this book will have a large target audience: Healthcare providers from multiple diverse fields such as, but not limited to, family medicine, dermatology, and psychiatry. Dermatologists, Psychiatrists, general practitioners, dermatology and psychiatry residents, physician’s assistants, nurses, psychologists, and medical students with exposure to patients with psychocutaneous conditions and/or a special interest in the field may also benefit from the presented material. Professors, educators, and researchers with an interest in psychodermatology or interdisciplinary medicine The Handbook of Psychodermatology will be a powerful resource as an aid in creating coursework material for undergraduate medical students specifically for psychiatry and/or dermatology lectures. In addition, it will be useful to graduate medical education teams creating curriculums for incoming residents in psychiatry, dermatology, family medicine, and pediatrics

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number ioral medicine" was developed and shaped into the one source of morbidity and mortality in our coun­ following definition: try. Despite a 35% reduction since 1964, these Behavioral medicine is the interdisciplinary field con­ diseases, particularly coronary heart disease cerned with the development and integration of behav­ (CHD), claim nearly 1,000,000 lives each year in ioral and biomedical science knowledge and techniques the United States (Havlik & Feinleib, 1979). relevant to the understanding of health and illness and The Framingham study, among others, has iden­ the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. tified three major risk factors implicated in the de­ (Schwartz & Weiss, 1978) velopment of CHD: smoking, elevated serum cho­ lesterol, and high blood pressure (Castelli et at., This concept of "biobehavioral" collaboration 1986). Given that these factors account for less challenged scientists and clinicians of many disci­ than 50% of the variance associated with CHD plines to consider how they might more effectively (Jenkins, 1976), it has become obvious that addi­ develop diagnostic, treatment, and prevention tional risk factors must be identified if further pro­ strategies by merging their perspectives to address gress is to be made in disease prevention and simultaneously, among others, behavioral, psy­ control.

This book could not have been conceptualized or published 20 years ago. Indeed, it is doubtful that we could have organized the material for this handbook 10 years ago. Over the last 20 years, however, the painstaking efforts of many clinical researchers working with a variety of resistive psychopathologies have resulted in specific psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies that are effective with a significant propor tion of patients, at least for some of the disorders. Much clinical research remains to be carried out in the forthcoming decades. But now that we are nearing the 21st century, at least some statement about efficacy can be made. In 1967, Gordon Paul succinctly stated that the ultimate goal of treatment outcome research is to determine "What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual with that specific problem, and under which set of circumstances" (p. 111). At that time, empirical evaluations of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments were few and far between. Methodological strategies for determining treatment effectiveness were also in the formative stage, as exemplified by introduc tion of control groups that received inactive interventions (i. e. , placebo) and the relatively recent practice of comparing two or more treatments in addition to placebo. In the almost three decades since Paul's oft-quoted dictum, both the quantity and the quality of treatment outcome research with adults have increased dramati cally.

Pilowsky presents a general introduction to the early recognition and management of abnormal illness behaviour, and suggests ways to identify such behaviour, offer appropriate psychological care and provide specialist psychiatric help.