An essential handbook providing practical guidance and medication advice on the effective management and treatment of psychotic disorders.

Schizophrenia is often associated with an inadequate response to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. How to treat patients who have an unsatisfactory response to anti-psychotics, including clozapine - which is unequivocally the most powerful antipsychotic medication for this recalcitrant population - remains a clinical conundrum. A range of adjunctive medications have been tried with mixed results; there has also been renewed interest in the role of neuromodulatory strategies, electroconvulsive therapy, and cognitive and vocational approaches. Perhaps a bright spot for the future lies in the evolution of pharmacogenetic approaches for individualized care. In this book, leading experts from Europe, Australia and the Americas provide a timely appraisal of treatments for the most severely ill schizophrenia patients. This clinically focused book is informed by the latest research on the neurobiology and treatment of schizophrenia. It is comprehensive in scope, covering current treatment options, various add-on approaches, and a range of psychosocial treatments. The contributors are respected experts who have combined their clinical experience with cutting-edge research to provide readers with authoritative information on fundamental aspects of clinical care for schizophrenia.

Drawing on the authors' decades of influential work in the field, this highly practical volume presents an evidence-based cognitive therapy approach for clients with schizophrenia. Guidelines are provided for collaborative assessment and case formulation that enable the clinician to build a strong therapeutic relationship, establish reasonable goals, and tailor treatment to each client's needs. Described in thorough, step-by-step detail are effective techniques for working with delusional beliefs, voices, visions, thought disorders, and negative symptoms; integrating cognitive therapy with other forms of treatment; reducing relapse risks; and enhancing client motivation. Special features include reproducible client handouts and assessment tools.

This book provides clear and concise guidance for clinicians when they encounter a patient with psychosis, starting with the medical work-up to arrive at a diagnosis and ending with the comprehensive care for patients with established schizophrenia. It covers the optimal use of medications (emphasizing safe use) but also addresses other treatment approaches (psychological treatments, rehabilitation) and the larger societal context of care, including how to work effectively in complex systems. It uniquely condenses the literature into teaching points without simplifying too much, effectively serving as a learning tool for trainees and professionals. For this second edition, the book was extensively updated and its content expanded, with new figures as well. Each chapter begins with an initial summary and includes Tips and Key Points in text boxes. Each chapter also includes links to external websites and additional readings. The book contains clinical and practical wisdom for clinicians who are treating real patients at the front lines, setting it apart from all other texts. Psychotic Disorders is an excellent resource for medical students, early career professionals such as trainees and fellows, and related clinicians seeking additional training and resources, including those in psychiatry, psychology, neurology, and all others.

This book contains concrete and step by step information with many practical examples. It is in line with the most actual international empirical findings about schizophrenia and contains the most updated therapy approach being available currently. The techniques and exercises (partly computer-based) are described in detail. Case examples point out specific therapeutic situations and teach the therapist how to cope with complicated group and individual demands. Assessment for patient selection, differential indication and therapy control within a multi-dimensional treatment and rehabilitation system are discussed. INT was evaluated successfully in an international randomised multi-centre study. In the meantime it is implemented in many clinical settings in German speaking countries. Integrated Neurocognitive Therapy (INT) is a cognitive remediation therapy approach. INT is the first treatment manual comprising all MATRICS areas (Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia). The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, USA) initiated this MATRICS initiative. MATRICS defines 11 neurocognitive and social cognitive areas of functioning being relevant for patients with schizophrenia. The improvement of these areas in a group therapy is the main goal of INT. INT is based on IPT (Integrated Psychological Therapy, Roder et al 2010). It is a resource and a recovery oriented intervention to enhance also therapy motivation and self-esteem and to reduce negative symptoms. Therapy focuses especially on group processes and the exercises augment transfer and generalisation to daily life. As a meta goal INT intends to amend life quality and the reintegration of the patients in the community. The presented manual offers the clinicians a practically orientated guide for carrying out INT.

The psychotic symptoms of up to 30% of schizophrenic patients do not respond adequately to treatment with antipsychotic drugs, other than clozapine. These refractory patients are generally among the most disabled of all people with schizophrenia and require special assessment and treatment. This volume presents the latest research and recommendations on the definition, causes and therapy of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Methods for identification and optimal management of TRS are reviewed. Clozapine and other atypical antipsychotic drugs which are the primary treatment for TRS, as well as non-pharmacologic treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, cognitive behavior therapy and ECT are discussed in depth. Potential causative factors and identifying features such as genetic factors, poor premorbid functioning, longer duration of untreated psychosis, and biological measures such as structural and functional brain abnormalities are also reviewed in depth in the present volume.

"This book is primarily designed for clinicians and researchers interested in learning how to conduct an empirically supported, Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia (CIT-S) that integrates core components of evidenced based family therapy. It is estimated that approximately one percent of adults in the United States will be diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Without treatment, prognosis is generally poor. Fortunately, traditional family therapies have shown increasing promise in reducing relapse rates and improving mental health for this population. As more and more societies become multicultural, however, there is an increasing expectation that mental health providers will also be prepared to meet the needs of unique and culturally diverse clients in an efficient, skillful, and culturally relevant manner. CIT-S is a 15-week, family-focused, cognitive behavioral approach for managing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The intervention draws upon clients' cultural beliefs, practices, and traditions to help them conceptualize and manage mental illness. It aims to improve the quality of clients' lives in a manner that is in line with their values and takes into account their cultural norms when discussing important issues and addressing challenges (such as mental illness) within the family. CIT-S contains five distinct modules: 1) Family Collectivism 2) Psychoeducation 3) Spirituality 4) Communication Training and 5) Problem Solving. For each module, a detailed rationale, background information, therapy instructions, suggested homework assignments, and a sample case vignette is provided in an accessible, easy-to-use, manner"--