2nd Edition
Schizophrenia A Practical Primer
This second edition of Schizophrenia: A Practical Primer, includes decades of clinical and research experience in the field and helps readers understand what schizophrenia is and how it is managed.
Schizophrenia is a devastating illness that affects more than 50 million people worldwide. Written to help anyone who is faced with managing schizophrenia, whether as a clinician, patient, friend, or family member, this accessible book is an ideal first stop for practical, up-to-date information. It includes an overview of schizophrenia and provides answers to common questions that arise on different aspects of the illness, such as: diagnosis, pharmacological and psychotherapeutic management, treatment challenges and achieving recovery. Beyond these key issues, the book includes developments in the neurobiology of the illness, foreseeable developments and the history of schizophrenia. It also includes brief, realistic case vignettes adapted from clinical experience, and questions interspersed throughout the book to aid understanding.
This book is essential for professional trainee and early-career mental-health workers, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors and nurses, and is written to cover in a concise and accessible way what is of immediate and practical relevance to gain familiarity with schizophrenia.
Preface
Chapter 1 What is and is not schizophrenia?
Chapter 2 Assessment of schizophrenia
Chapter 3 Social determinants of health affecting assessment
Chapter 4 Schizophrenia, spirituality and religion
Chapter 5 Putting together the (clinical) pieces
Chapter 6 Talking to patients and families
Chapter 7 Early intervention and prevention for schizophrenia
Chapter 8 Managing symptoms and preventing relapse: Pharmacological approach
Chapter 9 Psychosocial approaches to improve symptoms and functional outcomes
Chapter 10 Managing treatment-related complications
Chapter 11 Suboptimal treatment response
Chapter 12 Medication nonadherence
Chapter 13 Managing decompensation and relapse
Chapter 14 Suicide and violence
Chapter 15 Achieving recovery
Chapter 16 History of schizophrenia
Chapter 17 Who gets schizophrenia and why?
Chapter 18 Neurobiology of schizophrenia
Chapter 19 What does the future hold?
Glossary of terms
Helpful Resources
Index
Biography
Matcheri Keshavan, MD, is Stanley R Cobb Professor and Academic Head of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC); Harvard Medical School. He has an active clinical practice at the Aspire clinic, BIDMC.
Vinod H. Srihari, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of the Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC); Yale University School of Medicine.
Ravinder Reddy, MD, is former Health Sciences Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine; former Psychiatry Training Director at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“This is a rare gem of a book that is engaging, interesting, and instructive to people at all levels of knowledge about schizophrenia. Everyone ranging from established researchers to seasoned clinicians to family members to consumers with lived experience to those with a passing interest in schizophrenia will learn something new and valuable from this engrossing and authoritative book written by a team of experts in the field.”
Kim T. Mueser, PhD, Professor, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, USA
“For the average person, schizophrenia remains shrouded in mystery. This practical book explains what it is in everyday language and shows how so much can now be done to help the sufferer return to a normal life.”
Sir Robin Murray, FRS, Professor of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London, UK
“This is a comprehensive and accessible, up to date summary of what we know and need to know about schizophrenia. I highly recommend this book for clinicians, family members and peers who live with the condition.”
Ken Duckworth, MD, Chief Medical Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Author of You Are Not Alone, NAMI's bestselling book, USA
“It is incredibly rare to find a book about schizophrenia that is both scientifically accurate and at the same time accessible to readers in the community as well as clinicians and researchers. Having a common base of understanding about schizophrenia provides a valuable tool for enhancing services and care for the many patients and families who face its challenges.”
Nina R. Schooler, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of NY Downstate Health Science Center, USA
