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  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Essential Psychiatry
  • Cited by 5
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
August 2009
Print publication year:
2008
Online ISBN:
9780511544125
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544125
Subjects:
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Medicine, Psychiatry
Information

Book description

This is a major international textbook for psychiatrists and other professionals working in the field of mental healthcare. With contributions from opinion-leaders from around the globe, this book will appeal to those in training as well as to those further along the career path seeking a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of effective clinical practice backed by research evidence. The book is divided into cohesive sections moving from coverage of the tools and skills of the trade, through descriptions of the major psychiatric disorders and on to consider special topics and issues surrounding service organization. The final important section provides a comprehensive review of treatments covering all of the major modalities. Previously established as the Essentials of Postgraduate Psychiatry, this new and completely revised edition is the only book to provide this depth and breadth of coverage in an accessible, yet authoritative manner.

Reviews

'… a great strength of the volume, the book does not cover only adult and old age psychiatry but includes excellent contributions on child and adolescent mental health, sexual problems and the psychiatry of intellectual disability. … the reference remain a very useful spur to postgraduate study and the calibre of the authors as clinicians, researchers and policy-makers makes every chapter fresh, relevant and exciting. The editors deserve great congratulation for bringing this volume together and I for one am very grateful for its publication: I'm sure it will serve me as well for the future as the last edition did for the past 11 years.'

Source: Journal of Public Mental Health

'… useful and interesting … the editors are successful in their core mission of assisting readers in identifying the key differences between classification systems, as well as educating them about the variations in treatment of certain psychiatric disorders. Overall, this book might be most valuable for those who have frequent contact with colleagues overseas or those who are planning to spend time … in Europe or any other location that uses the ICD-10.'

Source: Doody's Notes

'… Essential Psychiatry, fourth edition is an excellent reference book with up-to-date evidence-based knowledge which will be an invaluable resource for psychiatrists and mental health professionals alike. … for a comprehensive understanding of fundamental issues in psychiatry this textbook is a must-have.'

Source: Psychological Medicine

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Contents

Page 2 of 2

Contents
  • 21 - Psychiatry in primary care
    pp 479-497
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter outlines the historical background of alcohol problems, current classificatory systems for diagnosis, psychological and physical related disorders, and the epidemiology of alcohol disorders. A variety of research methodologies have been adopted to examine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to alcohol dependence. Explanatory models for age and sex differences in adolescent drug use can be derived from a variety of theories, including social learning theory and social control theory. The general protocol is adapted from that developed for nicotine dependence and is a useful way to formulate the assessment process, because it translates into specific management plans. Psychological treatments are pivotal to treatment effectiveness, even when pharmacological treatments are administered. The relationships between alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders are some times complex, and it is not always easy to achieve abstinence from alcohol to make an adequate assessment of the nature of the relationship.
  • 22 - Community psychiatry and service delivery models
    pp 498-514
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter describes the major forms of drug use and dependence in developed countries, that is, cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine and heroin. It also presents the patterns of use, problems experienced by users and interventions to assist dependent users. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug globally, with around 150 million users, or 3.7% of the world's population aged 15 years and older. Regular cannabis smoking impairs the functioning of the large airways and causes chronic bronchitis. After cannabis, cocaine is one of the most widely used illicit drugs in developed and developing societies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), amphetamines and methamphetamines are the most widely abused illicit drugs after cannabis, with an estimated 35 million users worldwide. Research in the United States indicates that dependent heroin users who seek treatment or come to attention through the legal system may continue to use heroin for decades.
  • 23 - General hospital psychiatry
    pp 515-539
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter examines the psychopathology of affective disorders. It distinguishes between the depressive episode, and manic episode. The history of the classification of affective disorders is one of controversy and confusion that is only partially resolved in the current editions of the International Classification Diseases (ICD-10) or the DSM-IV. Both ICD-10 and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV classification allow that subcategories of depression may occur depending on whether psychotic symptoms are present. The causation of affective disorders is complicated but can be generally considered to reflect interplay between constitutional or biological factors and reaction to environmental insults. Evidence on the causes of affective disorders comes from a wide variety of sources. The overlap between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia presents perhaps the biggest challenge as molecular genetic studies continue to reveal polymorphisms in genes that appear to be associated with liability to each of these major Kraepelinian categories.
  • 24 - Forensic psychiatry
    pp 540-564
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter describes the classical subtypes, differential diagnosis, epidemiology and genetics of schizophrenia and related disorders. Relatives are examined for some of the biological abnormalities which are found in their schizophrenic kin. The relatives of patients with schizophrenia have also been reported to be more likely than control subjects to have poor performance on cognitive tests measuring memory functions. The discovery of risk factors acting in early life has been central to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have consistently demonstrated that people with schizophrenia have increased lateral ventricular volume and also show a slight decrease in cortical volume with greater decrements in the hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus. Children destined to develop schizophrenia often have subtle developmental delays and deficits in motor and cognitive function, tend to be solitary and show an excess of social anxiety. The chapter reviews the essential principles of management for psychosis.
  • 25 - Biological treatments: general considerations
    pp 567-585
  • View abstract

    Summary

    A neuropsychiatric assessment is no more or less than a good psychiatric assessment, comprising a psychiatric and medical history. Electrodiagnostic techniques have an important role in neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Magneto-encephalography (MEG) measures the small magnetic fields generated by neuronal currents and may be regarded as the magnetic counterpart of the electroencephalograms (EEG). Neuroimaging techniques can be broadly divided into structural and functional. The two major techniques of structural imaging are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Functional imaging techniques are used primarily to provide information on metabolism, blood flow, neurochemistry or activity of the brain. Mental disorder is characterised by the presence of mental symptoms that are judged to be the direct physiological consequence of a general medical condition. The essential features are prominent hallucinations or delusions that are judged to be due to the direct physiological effects of the medical condition or substance.
  • 26 - Biological treatments for psychotic disorders
    pp 586-621
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter describes the psychiatric disorders of old age such as dementia, delirium, neurosis and suicide. It discusses the epidemiology, aetiology, course and outcome, and the management and treatment of various psychiatric disorders of old age. The needs of older people with mental health problems are not confined simply to mental health but also physical health and social care needs. Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been reported as consistently more common than vascular dementia in studies in developed countries. Genetic abnormalities have been shown to be risk factors for dementia. A medical history should be taken with particular relevance to risk factors for cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease and a history of transient ischaemic attacks. The clinical management of a person with dementia is considered under three main headings: general care and support; treatment of cognitive symptoms; and management of behavioural and psychological symptoms.
  • 27 - Biological treatments of depression and anxiety
    pp 622-635
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter focuses on the psychiatric aspects of intellectual disability. Emerging research in this area has progressed from epidemiological studies to investigations into the causation of problem behaviours and comorbid mental disorders. The chapter describes the causation and the heterogeneity of dual disability. The presence of mild intellectual disability rarely has a single identifiable cause but is a consequence of both polygenic and social/environmental influences. The chapter deals with psychiatric and behaviour disorders in people with intellectual disabilities. In the case of both the presence of an additional mental disorder or of behaviour problems, a combination of developmental, biological, social or psychological factors interact and influence the occurrence of such behaviours. The chapter presents the prevention and detection of mental ill health and its treatment. It discusses the maintenance of mental health and prevention of mental ill health.
  • 28 - Cognitive behavioural therapy
    pp 636-651
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter examines the relationship between mental health and sexuality in humans. It considers sexual development and the psychosomatic interface between psychological processes and physiological sexual response. The chapter outlines how mental illnesses can affect sexuality and detailed specific disorders of sexuality. There are many possible ways for sexual experiences to influence our mental health, but two issues have received particular attention in recent years, homosexuality and child sexual abuse (CSA). The emergence of a homosexual identity during adolescence often leads to vulnerability in personality development. There have been various explanations for the adverse effects of CSA, although most are based on the idea that CSA is sufficiently traumatic that the adverse effects are long lasting. The interface between gender and sexuality is well illustrated by the range of gender identity problems which confront the psychiatrist.
  • 30 - Psychodynamic psychotherapy
    pp 665-677
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter focuses on the evidence regarding the social and cultural determinants of mental health. It examines the role of culture in psychiatry, and the historical evolution of research on the cultural influences on psychiatric concepts and classification. The study of culture on mental health has been profoundly influential in guiding the clinician in managing psychiatric disorders in persons of different culture. The chapter considers four major social determinants of mental disorders: poverty, gender, conflict and the marginalisation experienced by indigenous communities across the world. From a public health perspective, an understanding of mechanisms of the relationship between social adversity and mental health can inform primary and secondary preventive strategies. The chapter ends with a critical evaluation of the contemporary understanding of the role of cultural influences on the aetiology, clinical presentation, treatment and outcome of mental disorders.
  • 31 - Family therapy
    pp 678-691
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter describes the psychiatric disorders of menses, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause in women. An understanding of hormonal influences on mood is important in trying to tie together those women who appear to be an increased risk of depression premenstrually, postnatally and at menopause. Maternal anxiety and depression in pregnancy may have particular effects on the foetus. A woman suffering from premenstual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) must experience at least five premenstrual symptoms and functional impairment due to the symptoms. Women in the Western world are living longer and are consequently spending more of their lives postmenopause. Oestrogen therapy has also been used in the management of psychological/ psychiatric and cognitive symptoms associated with the menopause. However, it has been argued that these symptoms may be more related to comorbid physical and psychosocial factors rather than the effects of ovarian failure.

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