50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) [Paperback]

Dr. James Whitney Hicks M.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0300116942 | ISBN-13: 978-0300116946 | Edition: 1

Anger, fatigue, obsessions, memory loss, sexual performance problems, suicidal thoughts. Are these signs of mental illness? How can you tell? Should you consult your physician? This reassuring book is for anyone seeking to understand their own symptoms or those of a loved one.

"A smart, alphabetically arranged layperson’s guide to common symptoms."—Gregory Mott, Washington Post

"Each of us has experienced one or several of the various forms of emotional distress described in this enormously helpful book--and who has not worried about their meaning and sometimes wondered whether, or how, to seek treatment? Finally, here is the book that answers every question lucidly, directly and authoritatively."— Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D., author of Lost In America: A Journey With My Father and How We Die

"This resource on the symptoms of mental illness and their treatment is a solid gem."—Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Each of us has experienced one or several of the various forms of emotional distress described in this enormously helpful book--and who has not sometimes wondered whether, or how, to seek treatment? Finally, here is the book that answers every question lucidly, directly and authoritatively. Dr. Hicks deserves the thanks of every reader, for his remarkable contribution to mental health."--Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D., author of" Lost in America: A Journey with My Father and" How We Die

Book Description

Anger, fatigue, obsessions, memory loss, sexual performance problems, suicidal thoughts. Are these signs of mental illness? How can you tell? Should you consult your physician? This reassuring book is for anyone seeking to understand their own symptoms or those of a loved one. Organized for easy use, the highly readable guide offers a wide range of information and advice on mental illness.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (June 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300116942
• ISBN-13: 978-0300116946
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great education tool, May 26, 2005

By 

Michal Kunz "Psychiatrist-educator" (Huntington, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) (Hardcover)

Language is a tool of psychiatry. Yet, one of the major difficulties that one encounters when practicing psychiatry is the imprecision of terms used to describe various signs and symptoms. Some of the concepts used by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals come from common usage and describe common human feelings and behaviors. Then a question arises: When do anger, anxiety, stress become signs of illness? Other terms, usually derived from Latin or Greek, can intimidate with ominous associations. Certain schools of psychiatry create a vocabulary firmly rooted in an underlying theoretical system and words are given specifically defined meanings. Psychiatric researchers use rating scales to define signs and symptoms by quantifying them. Dr. Hicks' approach is to explain the term by contextuliazing it, and by exposing the full spectrum of associated meanings. He does it using a warm, understandable and highly readable language. Dr. Hicks wrote this wonderful psychiatric dictionary primarily for non-professionals, for patients and their families. However, as an educator, I immediately recognized its usefulness as a teaching tool. In my work with medical students, I always emphasize that they speak with their patients in a language the patients understands and to always make sure that they, as a therapist and the patient mean the same thing by the concepts they use. I urge them to explore what it means for the patient when he or she says: "I am depressed." Dr. Hicks' book provides, I believe, a guide to the novice in the trade of psychiatry and psychotherapy to help him or her communicate with his or her patient, to help him or her explore the patient's symptoms using the patients' own language. That is why I have started to recommend this book to my medical students. It fills the gap that traditional psychiatric textbooks generally leave unaddressed.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, comprehensive reference, June 4, 2005

By 

General Internist (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) (Hardcover)

As an internist I have frequently been approached by patients, family and friends for advice in assessing mental health symproms in a loved one. This is the ready reference I wish I had had available at those times times when I struggled to provide useful information without resorting to professional jargon or simplistic explanations. Dr. Hicks dissects the complex symptoms of mental illness as described in medical texts, placing them within the context of the familiar everyday experience without losing their clinical significance. The writing is clear and succint; the non-intimidating style makes the information readily accessible to the reader.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the layman, January 7, 2006

By 

scientific mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: 50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) (Hardcover)

I flipped through this book extensively at the bookstore, as I am in the process of getting a full diagnosis of my own mental "disorders". This book is an excellent reference tool for either a patient or family/friend of the newly diagnosed. As a layman, I did not find it condescending at all (and I'm easily offended!). It basically covers many (50) of the terms you regularly hear in the "psyciatric world" such as 'compulsions', 'paranoia', etc. It's laid out in alphabetical order, and each definition is several pages long, including examples of what a person with that "sign" might experience.

This book does NOT go into specific disorders or labels, such as bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc, other than perhaps mentioning which disorders each sign is most commonly associated with (example: the part on 'delusions' might mention schizophrenia). It also does not cover much for treatment, but new treatments come out so quickly that even the newest publication will be out of date by the time it hits the shelves.

This book is probably too simple for anyone who has been walking down the psyciatric road for a while. Even a new layman will quickly want to move on to a more extensive book after seeing this, and possibly just use this as a reminder reference to keep from confusing different "signs".

Another draw back to actually purchasing this is you can easily find all the same information on the internet.