Recognition And Prevention of Major Mental And Substance Use Disorders - Hardcover

Edited By Ming T. Tsuang; William S. Stone; And Michael J. Lyons

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585623083 ISBN 13: 9781585623082

Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2007

Synopsis

In Recognition and Prevention of Major Mental and Substance Use Disorders, a team of distinguished participants addresses the problem of prevention of major mental and substance use disorders at many levels--from the DNA molecule to public policy--in order to show how prevention efforts should be informed by a better understanding of etiology and by a knowledge of indicators of vulnerability. The volume addresses issues that are critical precursors to the prevention of mental disorders and offers an understanding of factors that contribute to the disorders' development.

The contributors review genetic methodologies and current findings in mental disorders and show how biological and psychosocial environmental variables may affect vulnerability. Chapters devoted specifically to lessons in prevention drawn from recent research into schizophrenia discuss the implications of prodromal studies and relationships between stress, critical periods, and the development of the disorder. The book includes contributions from NIH representatives on how basic scientific understanding of mental disorders can be translated into public policy. It also features chapters that describe cutting-edge projects in prevention research for Alzheimer's disease, drug dependence, antisocial behavior, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Each chapter reviews clinical implications, contributing to a volume that will benefit clinicians and researchers who share the goal of preventing these debilitating conditions.

About this title

About the Author:

Ming T. Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D, D.Sc., is University Professor at the University of California; Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Behavioral Genomics in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla; Adjunct Professor and Director of the Harvard Institute of Epidemiology and Genetics in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts; and Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center Academic Division of Public Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. William S. Stone, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center Academic Division of Public Sector Psychiatry; Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Harvard Medical School Training Coordinator at the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics in Boston, Massachusetts. Michael J. Lyons, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of Clinical Programs in the Department of Psychology at Boston University; and Chief of Twin Studies at the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics in Boston, Massachusetts.

Review:

I found this to be an intriguing book, helpfully focusing a large body of work that I would not likely other wise have been able to digest. The articles are clearly written, in the main, and with mindfulness of the audience, which includes clinicians not familiar with the details of much of the basic science recounted here. It is a commendably useful text, to be read for its evident importance to our understanding of a critical and expanding area of investigation.

-- (01/30/2008)

Overall, this is a nice review of research into the still young field of prevention in psychiatric illness. The overarching clinical emphasis is on improving outcomes through earlier interventions. The book is probably essential reading for anyone in this field of research, but it provides less practical clinical guidance on the topic than one might desire.

-- (01/30/2008)

Generally speaking, the chapter authors have done a careful job, considering the multiple factors leading to the manifestation of each disorder covered. They take an analytic approach and are conscientious about reporting studies in enough detail to allow the reader to see how changing one contributing factor influenced outcomes. Many of the chapters employ or report the results of meta-analyses in the service of examining patterns of data across studies. They note areas in which the results are consistent and other areas in which consensuses among outcomes has not been reached. The authors are also careful to make distinctions among theories for which data are still being evaluated, and theories with mixed support. More impressive, they accomplish this in a writing style that is engaging.

-- (01/30/2008)

About this edition

• Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1585623083
• ISBN 13: 9781585623082
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 429
• Editor: Ming T. Tsuang, William S. Stone, Michael J. Lyons