Even though mental illnesses are common and cause great suffering in every part of the world, many health workers have a limited understanding about mental health and are less comfortable dealing with mental illness. This book is a practical manual for mental health care for the community health worker, the primary care nurse, the social worker and the primary care doctor, particularly in developing countries. After giving the reader a basic understanding of mental illness, the book goes on to describe more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness and uses a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. Mental health issues as they arise in specific health care contexts are described, for example in a refugee camp, a school health programme or with people suffering from AIDS, as well as in mental health promotion. The final section combines quick reference information for common problems and it also includes chapters for the reader to personalise the manual for a particular location, for example, by entering local information on voluntary agencies, the names and costs of medicines and words in the local language for emotional symptoms.

This is an easy to read textbook of psychiatry that is written to answer some of the common questions that arise in clinical situations. Clinicians including social workers, case managers, nurses, or anyone who is dealing with patients with mental illness will benefit. The book will help gain practical, clinical insight for physicians who are not psychiatrists, medical students and other clinicians.

Gender diversity is now recognised as simply part of human diversity, rather than being pathological. This shift calls for a need for mental health professionals to adapt their practice when working with trans and non-binary people. Written by two clinicians with significant experience in this field, this book provides practical, everyday advice on what to do when seeing gender-diverse people in both inpatient and outpatient settings. It avoids focusing on academic theory or being overly political and, instead, offers straightforward, useful guidance on common issues clinicians may face, such as which ward to accommodate someone on or which name to use when. Topics include common drug interactions, differential diagnoses, complex case formulation, autistic spectrum conditions, the spectrum of sexualities, surgeries, legal and religious matters, forensic assessment, psychotherapy and mental health diagnoses. Fully relevant to contemporary practice, this is a much-needed guide for busy clinicians seeking immediate, practical and authoritative answers.

This unique, easy-to-read title offers a concise, practical guide to psychopharmacology and psychopharmacotherapy. Designed for a wide range of practitioners and trainees in general and mental healthcare, this invaluable primer provides foundational information for those who wish to cultivate a deeper understanding of the often-mysterious psychopharmacology medication family. Unlike other books on this topic, the primer positions psychopharmacology within the larger context of psychiatric and psychological treatment and also discusses the variety of therapeutic and somatic techniques available to providers and their patients. Further, since many patients with psychiatric conditions unfortunately find themselves interacting with the justice system, the author offers useful considerations related to the intersection of mental health and the law. The primer consists of 13 chapters and is organized in four parts: Part 1 covers essentials of pharmacology and psychopharmacology, outlining the basic principles of pharmacology, psychopharmacology, and psychopharmacotherapy. Part 2 addresses therapies that may involve psychopharmacology/ psychopharmacotherapy, providing a succinct overview of selected and representative types of psychotherapy and counseling in contemporary psychiatry and psychology. Part 3 discusses forensic and legal applications of psychopharmacology/ psychopharmacotherapy, drawing on the author’s long experience in various aspects of forensic psychiatry. Part 4 consists of one final chapter, titled “Synthesis and Conclusions.” This chapter pulls together the most salient points of the book to assist the reader in the practical psychopharmacotherapeutic treatment of patients/clients. A timely and invaluable contribution to the literature, Psychopharmacology for Non-Psychiatrists: A Primer will be of great benefit as a user-friendly resource for professionals or as an exam-preparation book for medical students and trainees in a wide range of mental health fields. Specifically, the primer will be of great interest to primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, counselors, therapists, non-psychiatric physicians and dentists whose practices involve psychopharmacotherapy, naturopaths, homeopaths, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech/language therapists. Legal professionals and others who are not themselves healthcare professionals, but who interact with healthcare professionals, also will find the primer a handy resource.

The renowned Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry, now in its third edition, addresses the social and biological concepts of geriatric mental health from an international perspective. Featuring contributions by distinguished authors from around the world, the book offers a distinctive angle on issues in this continually developing discipline. Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry provides a comprehensive review of: geriatric psychiatry spanning both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disorders scientific advances in service development specific clinical dilemmas New chapters on: genetics of aging somatoform disorders epidemiology of substance abuse somatoform disorders care of the dying patient Continuing the practice of earlier editions, the major sections of the book address aging, diagnosis and assessment and clinical conditions, incorporating an engaging discussion on substance abuse and schizophrenic disorders. Shorter sections include the presentation of mental illness in elderly people from different cultures—one of the most popular sections in previous editions. Learning and behavioural studies, as well as models of geriatric psychiatry practice, are covered extensively. This book provides a detailed overview of the entire range of mental illness in old age, presented within an accessible format. Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry is an essential read for psychiatrists, geriatricians, neurologists and psychologists. It is of particular use for instructors of general psychiatry programs and their residents.

“The landmark book that argued that psychiatry consistently expands its definition of mental illness to impose its authority over moral and cultural conflict.” — New York Times The 50th anniversary edition of the most influential critique of psychiatry every written, with a new preface on the age of Prozac and Ritalin and the rise of designer drugs, plus two bonus essays. Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life.