The LGBT Casebook - Softcover

Petros Levounis; Jack Drescher; Mary E. Barber

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1585624217 ISBN 13: 9781585624218

Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

Even in today's more enlightened society, it takes courage for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals to "come out of the closet" and embrace their sexual orientation and identity. Coming out, or facing internal and societal conflicts related to sexuality, involves a great deal of anxiety that can permeate other aspects of an LGBT individual's life--particularly when seeking psychiatric treatment. The goal of The LGBT Casebook is to help clinicians, trainees, and other mental health professionals address the mental health needs of LGBT people in the context of problems these individuals face in their everyday lives, including homophobia and discrimination.

"The LGBT Casebook" begins with five chapters devoted to basic concerns that affect LGBT populations, including coming out, heterosexist attitudes, the "don't ask, don't tell" mentality, legal issues, gay parenting, and sexual identity in patient-therapist relationships. In the rest of the book, clinician-authors present case studies of 20 patients with different DSM diagnoses, illuminating the impact of LGBT identity and illustrating a way of working with each presented patient. Features and benefits of "The LGBT Casebook" include: - Insights into the unique problems LGBT people face in their everyday lives when compared with heterosexual individuals. - Problems that are common to all LGBT individuals, such as the anxiety of being in the closet (hiding one's identity) or coming out (embracing one's identity). - Practitioners with little experience in working with the LGBT population can gain a better understanding of psychiatric diagnoses within the context of an LGBT individual's everyday life. - The book can be read cover-to-cover to gain insights into the full diversity of the LGBT population, or by specific chapters of interest to help with the diagnosis of a patient currently in treatment. - A glossary at the back of the book defines both clinical and colloquial terms and phrases that clinicians and patients use to define themselves and their peers.

While "The LGBT Casebook" is the ideal general overview and roadmap for the clinician new to treating LGBT patients, it also provides new pearls of wisdom and insights for psychiatrists, residents, medical students, nurses, and clinical social workers who are already familiar with working with the LGBT community. By introducing a diverse range of people, diagnoses, and presenting problems, it will serve as a valuable reference book for all mental health professionals when assessing and treating the mental health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals seeking care for psychiatric problems often carry added anxiety related to their sexual orientation. The LGBT Casebook provides a general overview and roadmap for clinicians new to treating LGBT individuals, and it deepens and updates knowledge for those already seeing these patients in their practices. The LGBT population represents a diverse range of people, diagnoses, and presenting problems. Some are common to all, such as anxiety associated with being in the closet or coming out, while others only affect a minority, such as chemical dependence or a serious mental illness like schizophrenia. The LGBT Casebook is a collection of case studies of patients with a DSM diagnosis (Axis I, Axis II, V-codes, or some combination of these), followed by the case author's insights into how he or she helped a particular patient work through them. By leading the reader through mental health issues within the context of LGBT lives, The LGBT Casebook helps clinicians, residents, social workers, nurses, and other mental health professionals better address the unique needs of the LGBT community during both assessment and treatment.

About the Author:

Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A.,is Director of the Addiction Institute of New York; Associate Chair for Clinical Services in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and Chief of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals; and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY.

Jack Drescher, M.D.,is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at New York Medical College, and Training and Supervising Analyst at the William A. White Institute in New York, NY.

Mary E. Barber, M.D.,is Clinical Director of Rockland Psychiatric Center and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY.

About this edition

• Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1585624217
• ISBN 13: 9781585624218
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 324
• Editor: Petros Levounis, Jack Drescher, Mary E. Barber