According to the National Center for Health Statistics, mental health disorders led to more than 40 million doctor visits and 2 million emergency room visits in 2002."The Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Third Edition" is a revised and updated A-to-Z reference covering all aspects of general mental health topics. This accessible guide sorts through a maze of professional jargon to provide incisive definitions of theories, syndromes, symptoms, treatments, and contemporary issues, in language that everyone can understand, bringing readers the most up-to-date information on this subject. Presenting more than 2,000 new and updated entries with approximately 70,000 words of new text, this volume is the perfect resource for anyone dealing with this mental disorder.
This is an updated version of a volume originally published in 1993. As in the first edition, there are more than 1,000 alphabetized entries. Coverage includes symptoms, disorders, treatment descriptions, pharmacology, theories, and contributors to the field of mental health. An extensive bibliography offers hundreds of avenues for further reading on topics ranging from AIDS to yoga. Contact information for helpful organizations is contained in the "Resources" section.
Many entries provide bibliographic references. Most also include cross-references, some of which clarify inappropriate or commonly misunderstood terms, such as Split personality. In addition to specialist terminology, common contemporary words and phraseology abound--examples are Bullies, Change of life, Jet lag, and Light therapy. Many entries are new, among them Climate and mental health, Holistic medicine, Managed care, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Reflexolog, and Viagra (sildenafil ).
Considering that the audience is general readers as well as medical professionals, some entries are curiously missing from the index, for example, therapist. The array of professionals available to treat mental illness can be daunting. Under the entry Psychotherapies, it is possible to find a very brief discussion of professional differences, but that may not allay confusion for the consumer. Another term that is missing is rage, as applied to the condition "road rage." The exclusion of Carl Jung as a discrete entry also is noted.
Despite its limitations, The Encyclopedia of Mental Health is a very useful resource and should be considered for purchase in public, high-school, and academic libraries, especially those that do not own the earlier edition. It is less scholarly than the three-volume Encyclopedia of Mental Health published by Academic Press in 1998. RBB
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With the National Institute of Mental Health estimating that 50 million Americans are currently suffering from some type of mental disorder, references on the subject are in demand. Those affected, directly or indirectly, will find solid information in this overview by Kahn (manager, Community Health Education, Rush North Shore Medical Ctr., Skokie, IL) and Fawcett (chair, psychiatry, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Ctr.). Written for general readers and mental health professionals in an easy-to-use A-Z format, it presents more than 1000 succinct entries, which range in length from short sentences to multiple pages. Covered are common mental-health terms and theories (including many new ones related to recent findings in mental health, e.g., "performance anxiety"), mental illness diagnoses, symptoms of mental disorders, treatment options, pharmacological management (including new-generation antipsychotic medications), new uses of herbal remedies, and contemporary issues such as the environmental impact on mental health, domestic violence, and lifestyle choices. Readers will also find an outstanding collection of organizations and resources for further information, as well as an extensive bibliography and a suitable index. There are, however, no cross references. This second edition (the first came out in 1993) nicely complements but does not replace either the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the Physicians' Desk Reference both of which are essential for professionals. While The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Guide to Mental Health provides more detailed information on similar topics, this work contains more listings and is geared more toward the general public. It also packs more information than the Longman Dictionary of Psychology and Psychiatry. Highly recommended for all libraries. Dale Farris, Groves, TX
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