Abnormal psychology Books

Book SynopsisThe third and longest part addresses the vulnerability of diverse groups to depressive illness and underscore best practices to mitigate risk while improving both the preventive and therapeutic armamentaria.Trade ReviewCollecting work from an array of experts, Cohen (New York State Office of Mental Health) offers an excellent addition to the literature on mental health that examines depressive disorders from a public health and policy perspective. This book is well organized and fairly comprehensive.—ChoiceTable of ContentsList of ContributorsAcknowledgments1. The Path to the Public Health Recognition of Depressive Disorders, by Neal L. CohenPart I2. Depressive Disorders, by Daniel C. Kopala-Sibley and Daniel Klein3. The Burden of Depressive Illness, by David A. Kessler, Evelyn J. Bromet, Peter De Jonge, Victoria Shahly, and Marsha Ann Wilcox4. The Burden of Comorbidity, by Sergio Anguilar-Gaxiola, Daniel Vicente Vigo, and Kate M. Scott5. Substance Use and Depressive Disorders, by Jacquelyn L. Meyers and Deborah HasinPart II6. The Social Epidemiology of Socioeconomic Inequalitiesin Depression, by Helen Cerigo and Amelie Quesnel-Vallee7. Maternal Depression and the Intergenerational Transmission of Depression, by Constance Hammen8. The Influence of Stigma for Depression Care, by J. Konadu Fokuo and Patrick W. CorriganPart III9. Youth Depression, by Jennifer L. Hughes and Joan Asarnow10. Understanding Adolescent Suicide, by Regina Miranda, Ana Ortin, Lillian Polanco-Roman, and Jorge Valderrama11. Interrelationship of Suicidality with Depressive Disorders and Its Implications for Suicide Prevention Strategies at the Population and Individual Levels, by Beth Han, Wilson M. Compton, and Richard McKeon12. Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Promoting Mental Health in Urban Youth, by Tamar Mendelson and April Joy Damian13. Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Promoting Mental Health in Urban Youth, by Amelia R. Gavin and Rebecca Rebbe14. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Depressive Illness and Clinical Care, by Alfiee M. Breland-Noble and Jeanne Miranda15 . Public Health Perspectives on Depression in Primary Care, by Trina Chang and Albert Yeung16. A Twenty-First-Century Public Health Challenge and Opportunity, by Neal L. Cohen17 . The Digital Revolution and Its Potential Impact on Detection and Treatment of Depressive Disorders, by Charles Platkin, Alissa Link, and Amy Kwan18. Preventing the Onset of Depressive Disorders, by Pim CuijpersIndex

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Book SynopsisPsychology studentsâand those already practicing in the fieldâwill want to obtain this jam-packed, 3-panel (6 page) expanded version of BarCharts' popular Psychology: Abnormal guide. The new information, along with the original guide text, lists a variety of mental disorders and the therapies used to treat them; each color-coded section features key definitions and examples for easy reference.

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Book SynopsisRosenberg and Kosslyn's Abnormal Psychology brings students to the forefront of the study of the brain and its role in psychological disorders. The new edition features the book's distinctive emphasis on the interplay between the neurological, psychological, and social factors involved in understanding psychological disorders and their treatment.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents the latest in neuroscience and resiliency research alongside the personal stories of military veterans to advocate for an empirically validated training protocol.In Bulletproofing the Psyche: Preventing Mental Health Problems in Our Military and Veterans editors Kate Hendricks Thomas and David L. Albright lead an interdisciplinary team of researchers, practitioners, and military veterans in calling for a new kind of training with a focus on bulletproofing the psyche: psychological resiliency skills training. They combine research and storytelling to argue that somatic protocols, a training method long used in the treatment sector to rewire the brain after trauma and a proven, valid alternative to drug and talk therapy, should be applied to the prevention and training sectors. Contributors include leaders in the fields of trauma research, military social work, and veterans'' health.Students and scholars in the fields of social work, military psychology, social Trade ReviewRecommended. . . . Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals. * Choice *Table of ContentsForeword Charles R. Figley Acknowledgments and Editors' Note Part One Framing the Issues Chapter 1 Introduction to Military-Connected Well-Being Issues Jennifer E. C. Lee and Sanela Dursun Point of View—The Small Bible Matthew J. M. Hendricks Chapter 2 Warrior Culture: Ancient Roots, New Meaning Kyleanne Hunter Point of View—Armor Down: The Power of Mindfulness Ben King Chapter 3 Mindfulness: The Neurobehavioral Basis of Resilience Deborah Norris and Aurora Hutchinson Point of View—A Shift on the Mat Laura Westley Chapter 4 The Theory and Practice of Training for Resilience Kate Hendricks Thomas and David L. Albright Chapter 5 Moral Injury and Resilience in the Military Joseph M. Currier, Jacob K. Farnsworth, Kent D. Drescher, and Wesley H. McCormick Part Two Current Mental Fitness Programming for Military- and Veteran-Connected Populations Chapter 6 Department of Defense Resilience Programming Cate Florenz and Margaret M. Shields Point of View—Fostering Veteran-Student Health through Stress Management: Creating Belonging and Success in a College Setting through the Veterans at Ease Program Robin Carnes and Stephen Kaplan Chapter 7 Mental Fitness and Military Veteran Women Kelli Godfrey, Justin T. McDaniel, Lydia Davey, Sarah Plummer Taylor, and Christine Isana Garcia Point of View—Fitting In and Finding Me Jessica Wilkes Chapter 8 Learning from Example: Resilience of Service Members Who Identify as LGBT Katharine Bloeser and Heliana Ramirez Chapter 9 Resilient Military Families Charles R. McAdams III Chapter 10 The Promotion of Well-Being in Older Veterans Kari L. Fletcher, Mariah Rooney O'Brien, and Kamilah A. Jones Part Three Collaborating to Provide Mental Fitness Programming for Military-Connected Populations Chapter 11 Faith-Based Programming for Spiritual Fitness Rev. Sarah A. Shirley, Rev. Elizabeth A. Alders, Howard A. Crosby Jr., Kathleen G. Charters, and Rev. John Edgar Caterson Chapter 12 The Role of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Military Mental Fitness Lori L. Davis and Richard Toscano Chapter 13 Adapting the Collective Impact Model to Veteran Services: The Case of AmericaServes Nicholas J. Armstrong, Gillian S. Cantor, Bonnie Chapman, and James D. McDonough Jr. Point of View—Setting the Bar: Mental Fitness and Performance Kate Germano Chapter 14 The Way Forward Kelsey L. Larsen and Elizabeth A. Stanley About the Editors and Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisCutting and other forms of self-injury are often cries for help, pleas for someone to notice that the pain is too much to bear. As Plante discusses here, the threat of suicide must always be carefully evaluated, although the majority of cutters are not in fact suicidal. Instead, cutting represents a rapidly spreading method for teens hoping to ease emotional pain and suffering. Bleeding from self-inflicted wounds not only helps to numb the cutter and vent despair, it can also be a dramatic means of communicating, controlling, and asking for help from others. Plante describes the frightening developmental tasks teenagers and young adults face, and how the central challenges of the three Is (Independence, Intimacy, and Identity) compel them to cope through self-destructive acts. Readers will come to a better understanding of these struggling teenagers and the dramatic methods they employ to ease and overcome their internal pain through a desperate need to cut and self-injure.Trade ReviewThe book contains information that may be extremely valuable to parents. The author addresses directly the issue that parents may feel responsibility or guilt for their child's DSH. This is accomplished through the provision of succinct quotations from both teenagers and parents. This helps parents realize they are not alone in these circumstances, normalizes their reactions, and provides hope for the future .... Plante's Bleeding to Ease the Pain provides clinicians and nonclinicians important information to begin advancement in this area....[a] novel approach to understanding and treating adolescents by adopting a developmental approach that emphasizes their relationship with their parents. * PsycCRITIQUES *There is a growing epidemic of young people resorting to cutting themselves in order to cope with the pain and turmoil of life changes, says Plante. She explores the reasons behind such painful and damaging acts in adolescents, and offers both a philosophy and a methodology for effective intervention. Her topics include teenagers most at risk, developmental challenges, professional treatment, neurochemistry, how parents can help, responsibilities of the adolescent in treatment, and de-pathologizing the problem. * Scitech Book News *Plante does a comprehensive job of explaining the many variables and factors to consider when assessing and intervening with adolescents who self-injure. She frames self-injurious behavior within the complex developmental conflict of adolescence, a time when the need for independence and connection are most salient. Plante provides case studies and practical suggestions that are useful for parents and mental health providers on how to intervene and provide support.... Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates, first-year graduate students, practitioners, and parents of adolescents. * CHOICE *Adolescents and their families are traumatized by a teen's bleeding to relieve emotional pain. Bleeding to Ease the Pain offers a thoughtful, compassionate, and developmentally and socio-culturally-informed approach to understanding adolescents who engage in cutting and self injury. Invaluable advice and guidance is offered to these adolescents and their families so that they can receive the best care possible. Through compelling and poignant case vignettes, Plante provides hope and a sense of empowerment to those whose lives are impacted by adolescent self-injury. She presents an impressive roadmap for mental health professionals to guide them in effectively helping these teens and their families develop adaptive ways to cope with stress and distress. -- Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, Emory UniversityIt is rare to encounter a work on an important topic that would be of interest to clinicians, patients and their families, and to the general public. Books aimed at the latter often tend to sensationalize their subject matter, and books aimed at patients and their families tend to be dumbed down to an almost embarrassing extent, rendering them useless to the clinician. But Plante achieves this seemingly impossible balance in Bleeding to Ease the Pain and has produced a work that I would recommend strongly to colleagues, patients, and anyone concerned about the lives of today's adolescents ....A concise, excellent introduction to adolescent cutting from a clinician's perspective. Valuable for clinicians, patients, parents, and the interested general reader. * Metapsychology Online *Table of Contents1 Foreword 2 1 Self-Injury on the Rampage 3 2 Special Populations, Special Concerns: Teenagers Most at Risk 4 3 Developmental Challenges in Adolescence: The Agony, the Ecstasy, the Cell Phone, and the Internet 5 4 Why Teens Self-Injure: Doing All the Wrong Things for the Right Reasons 6 5 Laying the Foundation for Intervention: Composure, Compassion, and Comprehension 7 6 Professional Treatment of Self-Injury: Understanding the Therapeutic Process 8 7 Specialized Approaches and Adjuncts in Treating Self-Injury 9 8 The Brain as an Attitude Pharmacy: Neurochemical Roles and Remedies in Self-Injury 10 9 Intervention in Action: How It Works 11 10 Stepping Up to the Plate: How Parents Can Help 12 11 Health and Happiness Are Verbs: The Responsibilities of the Adolescent in Treatment 13 12 Depathologizing Adolescent Self-Injury: Cutting on a Continuum 14 Conclusions: Reconceptualizing Cutting

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewNew York psychologist Serani helps patients understand their depression by first understanding what depression is, and then how to navigate the complex system of seeking effective treatment. In the first chapter, Serani shares her own experience with debilitating depression with hopes that her experience 'will serve as an encouraging reminder that depression can be treated.' As she moves into the more scientific sections of the book, she uses examples from her personal and professional experiences to provide more rounded explanations. She understands and acknowledges the reserves people have about using medication and consciously addresses the different treatments with that in mind. The aim of this book is to help patients come to terms with the diagnosis and the attendant stigma attached. . . . Much of the focus is on being proactive and utilizing available resources. * Publishers Weekly *An extremely well-written exploration of the illness....This resource-rich guidebook outlines the forms of depression, covers various treatments, offers guidance on choosing a therapist, and helps readers navigate health-care challenges like insurance reimbursement. Serani begins on a very personal note, relating her own struggles with depression and thoughts of suicide, followed by a decades-long search for the right treatment. Her frustration is likely to resonate with others who feel that depression is controlling their lives, and the subsequent chapters on how to live with the illness are likely to provide comfort and empowerment. * Foreword Reviews *Psychologist Serani shares her own experience and related research in an effort to help all those suffering from depression to understand the disease and negotiate the labyrinth of health-care options and stigma attached to depression. She advocates knowing one's triggers, avoiding toxic people, staying connected with support systems, and making a plan to thwart suicide attempts. Serani offers validity and help to those who suffer from mood disorders but feel ashamed or don't know where to turn for help. This is a valuable resource with the potential to save lives. * Library Journal *It delivers—with details about her own depression and treatment woven into a useful primer geared to the suffering and their families....Her advice extends beyond the usual. * Newsday *This book is a rare find. Living with Depression: Why Biology and Biography Matter along the Path to Hope and Healing manages to explain depression in terms of human biology and experience without downplaying either aspect....Not only does Living with Depression give a truly holistic view of depression and its treatments, it gives it in an easily understandable format....Perhaps most impressive is how the author has also included a section on how to find a therapist, doctor, and alternative treatment—often the biggest hurdle for people seeking treatment. She also describes how to find affordable medication and tips on communicating with insurance companies. These issues are often omitted from books, so while readers may end up understanding their illness, they have no idea what to do about it....Living with Depression is not a medical or psychological treatise, it is perhaps something better: an easy, comprehensive explanation of depression and how to get help. * NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness *Serani offers a guide book with a soul. She clearly writes of the trials of major depression and the promise of science. She does so as a gutsy clinical psychologist who shares the wisdom made from her suffering, not just from her training. She rarely shrank from the challenges of mental illness however they appeared, which will serve as an inspiration to most readers. Her comments on the roadblocks of stigma remind us that the pain of depression, and most mental illness, arises not solely from the illness, but from the harsh response society has to people with these disorders. -- Patrick Corrigan, distinguished professor of psychology at the Illinois Institute of TechnologyAs someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, I know the accompanying journey of depression and hopelessness well. I also know the fear of sharing that journey with others. Deborah Serani courageously shares her path of despair to hope and healing with the intent of helping others from what she has learned and experienced. She also does it to continue to break the stigma that needlessly surrounds mental illness. In Living with Depression, she succeeds with her messages of hope. May this book reach the far corners of both people who suffer from mental illness and those who need to understand it. -- Michelle Linn-Gust Ph.D, President, American Association of Suicidology and author of Rocky Roads: The Journeys of Families through Suicide GriefI found Living with Depression to be not only fascinating but, since the author suffers from depression herself, also compassionate, understanding and informative. Bravo! -- Jessie Close, BringChange2Mind.orgSometimes, with the best of intentions and efforts, psychological professionals can't get across essential information to their patients. Living with Depression bridges that gap in communication. I wish this book had been around when I first began to deal with depression—and I will still use it as a guidebook in the future. Patients can benefit from the doctor's perspective and doctors can learn from their patients. That both are the same gifted author is a blessing to all who deal with mental illness. -- Delta Burke, ActressTable of ContentsChapter 1: My Depression Chapter 2: Understanding Depression Chapter 3: Treatments for Depression Chapter 4: The Inside Track Chapter 5: Your Depression Chapter 6: The 5 R's Chapter 7: Preventing Suicide Chapter 8: Living with Depression Chapter 9: Fighting Stigma Appendix I: High Profile Individuals with Mood Disorders Appendix II:Resources Appendix III:Glossary

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Book SynopsisA searching, self-deprecating memoir of a man on his way to eating himself to death before discovering the anxiety and fulfillment of distance running.Uplifting, emotional, and just plain hilarious, The Running-Shaped Hole may even inspire you to put down your fork and pick up those running shoes. JAY ONRAIT, TSN host and broadcasterWhen Robert Earl Stewart sees his pants lying across the end of his bed, they remind him of a flag draped over a coffin his coffin. At thirty-eight years old he weighs 368 pounds and is slowly eating himself to death. The only thing that helps him deal with the fear and shame is eating. But one day, following a terrifying doctor's appointment, he goes for a walk an act that sets The Running-Shaped Hole in motion. Within a year, he is running long distances, fulfilling his mother''s dying wishes, reversing the disastrous course of his eating, losing 140 pounds, and, after several mishaps and jail timeTrade ReviewUplifting, emotional, and just plain hilarious, Robert Earl Stewart’s The Running-Shaped Hole may even inspire you to put down your fork and pick up those running shoes. No offence to forks. * Jay Onrait, TSN host and broadcaster *Robert Earl Stewart’s The Running-Shaped Hole is a memoir that speaks to the spirit of persistence, commitment, wisdom, and great wit. Stewart conjures up his hometown in a vibrant way, so that Windsor comes alive in your mind’s eye. At the core of it all, Stewart writes about the empty spaces within ourselves that we so desperately try to fill in. You don’t need to be a runner to read this book; it’s a story that will resonate with anyone who has come face to face with themselves in their quest to grow as a person. * Kim Fahner, author of These Wings *Running is much more than an endurance sport in Robert Earl Stewart’s wildly kinetic memoir. It’s a tour through the pitches and squeezes of the human soul. Running is surrender and transcendence, a bright flight through the mad tumble of moments that comprise our lives. At turns harrowing, heart-rending, and gut-punch hilarious, The Running-Shaped Hole recounts how Stewart, through sheer bloody-mindedness, a rock-solid family, and chafed thighs, pulled himself from the pit of addiction onto a new path, one paved with grace, faith, and redemption. Sometimes, he reminds us, we need to fall down if we want to grow up. * David Whitton, author of Seven Down *This is a book about honesty, and family, and love, and health, and faith, and reading and writing and rock ’n’ roll, and Windsor. It’s also about running, kind of, and about gaining from our losses as we pound the pavement together. Robert Earl Stewart’s big heart beats on every page and the beautiful intimacy of his writing carries us across the border that so often separates us from ourselves and the people we live with. The Running Shaped Hole is a memoir that will move you, literally, and in all the more important ways, too. * Alexander MacLeod, Giller Prize-shortlisted author of Light Lifting *Robert Earl Stewart’s The Running-Shaped Hole is a deeply personal memoir that you’ll love whether you run or not, weaving mind, body, city, love, and faith together. A story about figuring it out and running toward something rather than away in Windsor, a post-industrial city that’s as much a character in the book as the people are. * Shawn Micallef, author of The Trouble with Brunch: Work, Class and the Pursuit of Leisure *Robert Earl Stewart’s compelling and moving memoir is at once a deeply personal search for redemption — unnameable obsessions manifesting in booze, overeating, and finally an unexpected reckoning with the criminal courts — and a tale of running-as-obsession in which any runner will hear the echoes of their own footfalls. Ultimately, we run to run — but we never outrun ourselves. * A.J. Somerset, author of Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun *Stewart conveys his athletic journey in a compelling and animated way that won't leave sedentary readers behind. * Quill & Quire *Stewart takes readers on a very honest journey through his own life and the result is an excellent read. * Winnipeg Free Press *

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Book SynopsisAn athlete’s battle with mental illness.Ever since he was a child, Keith O’Neil wanted to play football. Born on the same day that his father, Ed O’Neil, was cut from the New England Patriots, football was all Keith could think about . . . aside from his anxiety.Offered a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, O’Neil jumped at the chance to prove himself. Though it wasn’t a Division I-A school, he brought his all, achieving first-team All-Big Sky choice as a junior and senior and earning All-American honors. The Dallas Cowboys offered O’Neil an invite to rookie mini-camp. But while learning the playbook, his anxiety and insomnia returned. Even so, he made the team as an undrafted free agent. His dream had come true.Yet, sleepless nights, constant anxiety, and suicidal thoughts clouded his mind. O’Neil considered stepping away from the game multiple times, even speaking to his coach, Bill Parcells. Parcells gave him the wisdom that “Everyone has a demon in their head, and we have to beat that demon. Beat the demon!” After being released from the Cowboys, O’Neil spent time with the Colts and Giants but still could not escape his inner demons. It finally became too much for him to handle, and he decided to walk away from the game. It wasn’t until sometime later that he was finally diagnosed: bipolar I disorder. Finally, everything made sense.Under My Helmet is the personal story of a man working every day to prove his worth while struggling with a debilitating—and undiagnosed—mental illness. O’Neil’s voice is honest and open as he shares his battles and the steps he’s taken to overcome adversity.

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Book SynopsisWhile most government agencies are trained in how to react to a mass casualty event such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster, few are prepared to deal with the psychological fallout for first responders. Preparing for the Unimaginable fills that void. This book is the product of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s work with the Newtown, Connecticut, police force in efforts to cope with the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school that left twenty six people, including twenty children, dead. This unique publication offers expert advice and practical tips for helping officers to heal emotionally, managing the public, dealing with the media, building relationships with other first responder agencies, and much more. Complete with firsthand accounts of chiefs and officers that have guided their departments through mass casualty events, Preparing for the Unimaginable seeks to provide practical, actionable strategies to protect officer mental health before and after traumatic events.

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Book SynopsisThe way to wellness is through illness; to wholeness, through brokenness. Everyone makes the journey at some time.Facing Life's Challenges is a guidebook that affirms: 'Hang in there long enough, with sufficient determination, and you'll won.' Dr. Gallagher has helped thousands in her 50 years as a mental health counselor. These clients, whom she calls heroes and whose stories she tells, work though every form of emotional, psychological and spiritual illness, including childhood abuse, anger, overeating addiction, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression.

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Book SynopsisFamily functioning plays a major role in the development of depression, relapse rates and suicidal behaviour. The children of depressed parents are at high risk for psychopathology. This book describes multiple family, individual and psychopharmacological therapeutic interventions on depression.

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Book SynopsisThis text argues that significant changes in mental health can only come through social change. This book shows how mental health professionals have a particular expertise to bring to the enterprise of urban renewal, community development and social planning.

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Book SynopsisThis work presents a synopsis of the development of the major theories of psychoanalysis including the special theory of neurosis. Emphasis is placed upon the problems that Freud struggled with as he tried to understand his patients, and the way in which his concepts, models and theories were shaped and refined by his successive experiences of success and failure.

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Book SynopsisA practical introduction to understanding the human capacity for image making. This work also provides guidance for effectively utilising clinical knowledge in the therapeutic situation.

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Book SynopsisTreatment can be a liberating experience. This book aims to show that its ultimate purpose is to help the patient achieve maximum individuation, to free him from the shackles that he has acquired during painful and frustrating experiences in infancy.

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Book SynopsisThe introduction of antipsychotic medication in the 1950s produced a revolution in the treatment of the severely mentally ill. Unfortunately, despite early optimism, these drugs did not cure schizophrenia. Treatment of psychotic illness on the biological level is never sufficient. Based on the treatment approach of the famous Menninger clinic, this book affirms the central role of nurturing a therapeutic relationship with psychotic patients and their families through a clear and unequivocal psychological understanding and acceptance. This approach does not settle for compliance with the treatment programme, but fosters the active participation of the patient and family in the design of the treatment plan to promote growth toward awareness and autonomy.

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Book SynopsisIn a book that reframes the mental health debate, Robert L. Gallon challenges the widely-held notion that mental disorders are medical diseases. Drawing on his extensive experience as a psychologist who has worked with thousands of patients, he argues that there are no objective indicators of mental disorders and therefore no way of drawing a distinct line between people who have them and people who don''t. He outlines an alternative to the disease model defined by nine dimensions of dysfunction that encompass the range of human dysfunctions typically classified as mental disorders. He explains the origin of these problems, not as chemical imbalances and genetic abnormalities, but as the complex interaction of biological, psychological and social factors, called the Biopsychosocial model. Gallon explains the history of psychiatry and how it came to develop a medical model that codifies mental disorders in the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), now in its fifth edition. He demonstrates how, in 1950s and 1960s when the miracle psychiatric drugs came on the market, it was to the great economic advantage of both pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists to describe people''s problems in the language of medicine. His alternative to this disease model suggests descriptive types--Reality Misperception, Mood Dysfunction, Anxiety, Cognitive Competence, Social Competence, Somatoform Dysfunction, Substance Dependence, Motivation and Impulse Control, and Socialization Dysfunction--that we can construct to discuss the kinds and severities of problems people experience. These are not discrete abnormalities, but are sorts of dysfunction that can be placed on dimensions of dysfunction.  Table of Contents Part I History of Madness 1. Introduction and Some Definitions 2. How madness became Medical 3. The Rise of Psychiatric Diagnosis 4. An Alternative Model Part II Dimensions of Madness 5. Reality Misperception 6. Mood Dysfunction 7. Anxiety 8. Cognitive Competence 9. Social Competence 10. Somatoform Dysfunction 11. Substance Dependence 12. Motivation and Impulse Control 13. Socialization Dysfunction Part III Treatment and Other Issues 14. What is Mental Health Treatment? 15. The Future

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Book SynopsisA neurologist's insightful and compassionate look into the misunderstood world of psychosomatic disorders, told through individual case histories   It's happened to all of us: our cheeks flush red when we say the wrong thing, or our hearts skip a beat when a certain someone walks by. But few of us realize how much more dramatic and extreme our bodies' reactions to emotions can be. Many people who see their doctor have medically unexplained symptoms, and in the vast majority of these cases, a psychosomatic cause is suspected. And yet, the diagnosis of a psychosomatic disorder can make a patient feel dismissed as a hypochondriac, a faker, or just plain crazy.   In IS IT ALL IN YOUR HEAD? neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan, MD, takes us on a journey through the world of psychosomatic illness, where we meet patients such as Rachel, a promising young dancer now housebound by chronic fatigue syndrome, and Mary, whose memory loss may be her mind's way of protecting her from remembering her husband's abuse. O'Sullivan reveals the hidden stresses behind their mysterious symptoms, approaching a sensitive topic with patience and understanding. She addresses the taboos surrounding psychosomatic disorders, teaching us that it's all in your head doesn't mean that something isn't real, as the body is often the stand-in for the mind when the latter doesn't possess the tools to put words to its sorrow. The perfect book for fans of Oliver Sacks, Is It All in Your Head? encourages us to look with compassion at the ways in which our brains act out, and to acknowledge the intimate connection between mind and body.

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Book SynopsisIt's estimated that forty million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders—but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Millions more suffer in silence. Suzanne Jessee was one of them. Hospitalized at age thirty with severe depression, anxiety, and panic disorder, she was determined to overcome the mental paralysis and addictive behaviors that ruled her life. Not only did she personally triumph over these debilitating disorders, but she set out to study, train, and work in the world's leading treatment centers and has helped thousands of others to recover from severe anxiety. Through her research and stories of her experience, Escape Anxiety: 8 Steps to Freedom through Meditative Therapies Jessee gives the causes and patterns of these complicated and often misunderstood mental health problems and offers a program of natural treatments to regain health and happiness. Accompanied by a PBS special, Escape Anxiety is an exclusive look at the revolutionary treatment program Jessee successfully pioneered at the Betty Ford Center and other top addiction treatment centers. Her 8-Step Escape Anxiety program is designed to provide holistic, natural techniques to manage extreme stress and depression in order to escape their destructive consequences. At the heart of her program is Jessee's innovative method of Neurogenesis Meditative Therapy™ (NMT). Combining proven therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with ancient mindfulness practices, her methods empower anxiety sufferers by liberating them from unhealthy "thought myths" and helping them create sustainable, life-changing habits. Backed by recent scientific proof that meditation has a transformative effect on the physical brain, Suzanne demystifies the practice of meditation and demonstrates its power as a viable alternative to synthetic medications for treating anxiety. Each of the following steps of Jessee's program to break the patterns of anxiety is accompanied by exercises the reader can do at home, including a specially designed script for meditation: Step 1: Conquering Codependent Control IssuesStep 2: Dismantling PerfectionismStep 3: Releasing Resentment and Forgiving OthersStep 4: Surrendering Shame and Resentment: Forgiving YourselfStep 5: Defusing Catastrophic ThinkingStep 6: Mastering Self-RegulationStep 7: Making Conscious Choices About Your EmotionsStep 8: Rewriting Your Internal Dialogue After years of personal experience helping patients at the Betty Ford Center and other clinical settings, and recognition for her success from the top experts in the field, Suzanne Jessee now offers an affordable and accessible in-home treatment program to heal those who suffer from the devastating effects of anxiety disorders.Trade ReviewIn this book and related PBS television special, Jessee, creator of antianxiety programs at the Betty Ford Center in California and Michigan's Brighton Hospital, draws on her experience as a clinical therapist and her earlier struggles with alcoholism, depression, and anxiety. Her book will be useful to anxiety sufferers, as its numerous checklists and narrative will first allow them to recognize that their symptoms are not simply what everyone goes through, and the tips and especially guided meditations - self-led sessions that increase in length as the book goes on - will allow them to begin recovery. Jessee includes numerous warnings to also seek a physician's advice. She makes it clear that she believes in God and advocates spirituality as one way to heal, but overall the book is suitable for those of varying faiths or no faith. Refreshing is the author's recognition that the need to get better is one more source of stress, and she takes it easy on readers, reminding them that they're often their own worst enemy and recovery isn't a race. VERDICT Within the first few pages of this book, readers will learn ways to combat lifelong problems. Pair with Jacqueline Hornor Plumez's forthcoming The Bitch in Your Head for an anti-anxiety course. -- Henrietta Verma -- Library Journal

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Book SynopsisTheodore Dalrymple believes that almost everything people know about opiate addiction is wrong. Most flawed of all is the notion that addicts are in touch with profound mysteries of which non-addicts are ignorant. Dalrymple shows that doctors, psychologists and social workers, all of them uncritically accepting addicts' descriptions of addiction, have employed literary myths (drugs are creative and intense) in constructing an equal and opposite myth of quasi-treatment. Using evidence from literature and pharmacology and drawing on examples from his own clinical experience, Dalrymple shows that addiction is not a disease, but a response to personal and existential problems. He argues that withdrawal from opiates is not the serious medical condition, but a relatively trivial experience and says that criminality causes addiction far more often than addiction causes criminality.

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Book SynopsisAn astounding new work by the author of The Mind Tree that offers a rare insight into the autistic mind and how it thinks, sees, and reacts to the world. When he was three years old, Tito was diagnosed as severely autistic, but his remarkable mother, Soma, determined that he would overcome the “problem” by teaching him to read and write. The result was that between the ages of eight and eleven he wrote stories and poems of exquisite beauty, which Dr. Oliver Sacks called “amazing and shocking.” Their eloquence gave lie to all our assumptions about autism. Here Tito goes even further and writes of how the autistic mind works, how it views the outside world and the “normal” people he deals with daily, how he tells his stories to the mirror and hears stories back, how sounds become colors, how beauty fills his mind and heart. With this work, Tito—whom Portia Iversen, co-founder of Cure Autism Now, has described as “a window into autism such as the world has never seen”—gives the world a beacon of hope. For if he can do it, why can’t others? “Brave, bold, and deeply felt, this book shows that much we might have believed about autism can be wrong.”—Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisCharlotte Pierce-Baker did everything right when raising her son, providing not only emotional support but the best education possible. At age twenty-five, he was pursuing a postgraduate degree and seemingly in control of his life. She never imagined her high-achieving son would wind up handcuffed, dirty, and in jail. The moving story of an African American family facing the challenge of bipolar disorder, This Fragile Life provides insight into mental disorders as well as family dynamics. Pierce-Baker traces the evolution of her son’s illness and, in looking back, realizes she mistook warning signs for typical child and teen behavior. Hospitalizations, calls in the night, alcohol and drug relapses, pleas for money, and continuous disputes, her son’s journey was long, arduous, and almost fatal. This Fragile Life weaves a fascinating story of mental illness, race, family, the drive of African Americans to succeed, and a mother’s love for her son.Trade Review" This Fragile Life is an extraordinary book. . . . compelling, piercing, and informative." --Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and author of An Unquiet Mind"[An] eloquent dialogue of mother and son, poetry and prose, sickness and healing, fury and acceptance, fear and hope, life and death, and, foremost, author and reader." --Cathy N. Davidson, author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn"With brilliance and tremendous courage, Charlotte Pierce-Baker travels where no other autobiography about mental illness has gone before in terms of discussing issues of a family shattered by the bipolar disorder of their son: race, fear, love, loss and healing. This Fragile Life is a testament to a family forced to cope with mental illness, a unique journey and an emotional triumph. Every family affected with mental illness should read [this] magnificent book." --Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania"Vigorously written, brave, and candid . . . a deeply moving, instructive account of embattled lives and loves striving for order in the face of a heartbreaking mental illness." --Arnold Rampersad, author of Ralph Ellison and The Life of Langston Hughes"An important book not to be missed by anyone interested in parenting, mental health, memoir, or African American social history. With this second memoir, Pierce-Baker again distinguishes herself as a writer fiercely capable of writing trauma transcended." --Alice Randall, author of The Wind Done Gone , award-winning songwriter, and essayist"Illuminating and brilliant, with poetry and prose, mother and son lay bare the ravages of bipolar disorder and the journey toward growth and understanding. A touching, lyrical memoir." --Jewell Parker Rhodes, award-winning author of Voodoo Dreams and Douglass' Women"Charlotte Pierce-Baker has cleared the way for an earnest conversation about mental illness and addiction in the private lives of African Americans. This Fragile Life is a compelling read about a mother's love and determination, a father's compassion and support, and a son's road to recovery and wholeness." --T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and French, Vanderbilt University"A dark narrative brightened by a devoted mother's commitment and resilience in the face of an only child's strange and terrible illness." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisAn estimated eight percent of Americans are thought to be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder at any given time. Many are victims of or witnesses to violence. Others have been neglected of abused. Some have experienced a traumatic accident or natural disaster. Still others have experienced the sudden and perhaps violent death of someone they love. No matter the cause, PTSD results in symptoms of acute stress, including anxiety, persistent thoughts or flashbacks, and a host of other physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual challenges. In this guide for counselors and caregivers, Dr. Alan Wolfelt reframes PTSD as a form of grief. Helping PTSD sufferers mourn their unacknowledged and “carried” grief over the traumatic events that caused their symptoms is the key to helping them heal. Rather than seeking to quickly treat away symptoms of PTSD, caregivers who follow Dr. Wolfelt’s “companioning” philosophy will instead see the natural and necessary PTSD symptoms as indications that the sufferer needs additional support and encouragement to express himself. This holistic new approach acknowledges clinical PTSD treatments as part of the solution while emphasizing that authentic mourning is the primary and most essential healer.

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