Psychiatry

This is the first book-length historical critique of psychiatry’s mainstream ideology, the biopsychosocial (BPS) model.

Developed in the twentieth century as an outgrowth of psychosomatic medicine, the biopsychosocial model is seen as an antidote to the constraints of the medical model of psychiatry. Nassir Ghaemi details the origins and evolution of the BPS model and explains how, where, and why it fails to live up to its promises. He analyzes the works of its founders, George Engel and Roy Grinker Sr., traces its rise in acceptance, and discusses its relation to the thought of William Osler and Karl Jaspers.

In assessing the biopsychosocial model, Ghaemi provides a philosophically grounded evaluation of the concept of mental illness and the relation between evidence-based medicine and psychiatry. He argues that psychiatry's conceptual core is eclecticism, which in the face of too much freedom paradoxically leads many of its adherents to enact their own dogmas. Throughout, he makes the case for a new paradigm of medical humanism and method-based psychiatry that is consistent with modern science while incorporating humanistic aspects of the art of medicine.

Ghaemi shows how the historical role of the BPS model as a reaction to biomedical reductionism is coming to an end and urges colleagues in the field to embrace other, less-eclectic perspectives.

By first analysing the arguments of psychiatry's critics and the philosophical ideas of such thinkers as Freud, Eysenck, Laing, Szasz, Sedgwick and Foucault and by then providing answers to the many contentious and diverse questions raised, Dr. Reznek aims to establish a philosophical defence of the theory and practice of psychiatry.
As both a qualified philosopher and psychiatrist, the author is exceptionally p[laced to undertake the examination of a subject which has hitherto remained untackled. It will be easily accessible to a wide variety of non-specialists as well. It will be of specific interest to those involved in the practice of philosophy, psychiatry, clinical psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing.

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'I must be one of the few surviving specialists who recall how mental illnesses ran full bore . . .'

John Cawte gives a searing personal account of the treatment of the mentally ill before the advent of anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs. Bursting asylums were wastelands of stigma and dread. Today, treatments are vastly more effective, but Cawte's old case notes hold a surprising lesson - that temporary 'asylum' from the stresses of life is often all that a disturbed person needs for recovery. Doctors, psychiatrists, those who remember and those who wonder about the human condition will be touched by this compassionate book.

Mental Health Professionals, Minorities, and the Poor provides mental health professionals with information essential to the accurate assessment and effective treatment of diver populations.

A panel of international psychiatrists, neurologists, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychiatrists review for the clinical neurologist those aspects of psychiatry that impact the management of neurological disorders. On the one hand, the authors illuminate the neurological aspects of such psychiatric disorders as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, hysteria, catatonia, addictions, and personality disorders. On the other hand, they also explain in detail the psychiatric evaluation of the neurological patient and discuss the behavioral aspects of the major neurological disorders, including psychiatric complications of dementia and stroke, neuromuscular disorders, the psychiatric aspects of Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Huntington's disease, Tourette's syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. Comprehensive and timely, Psychiatry for Neurologists helps to close the artificial gap separating neurology and psychiatry so that neurologists feel comfortable managing the psychiatric aspects of the neurological disorders they treat.

This book develops a new theory of psychopathy, the antisocial personality, as the foundation for a new mode of therapeutic intervention. It begins with a definition of psychopathy, examines its etiology, and describes the psychological dynamics that characterize the psychopathic personality. Also it explores and critiques the four existing major theoretical perspectives on the nature of the disorder. Offering a new theory that utilizes the strengths of the the others and summarizes the relevant research supporting it, the book goes on to apply its clinical implications in diagnosis and therapy.

Presents the clinical applications of cognitive-analytic therapy (CAT) in treating patients in both primary care and outpatient settings and as an initial treatment for seriously disturbed patients. Delineates the reformulation process in which patients actively participate in defining their problems and modifying their behavior. Describes general treatment methods, more complex reformulations of patients' difficulties and treatment of the more severely disturbed patient. Also discusses the use of CAT procedures in long-term therapy, in couple therapy and in various work settings. Ideas and methods are illustrated with several case descriptions, studies from therapists and patients and directly recorded material from sessions.