Treating Mental Disorders: A Guide to What Works (Hardcover)

by Peter E. Nathan (Author), Jack M. Gorman (Author), Neil J. Salkind (Author) "Ever since Billy was an infant, his parents have assumed his problem is a simple one-that he had much more energy than other children..." (more)
Key Phrases: most effective psychosocial treatment, direct contingency management, functional family therapy, United States, Where Can, Alcoholics Anonymous (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews
A concise but dry outline of the current standards of medical care for mental illness. Psychologists Nathan and Salkind, and psychiatrist Gorman divide the treatments into two basic types, which are often used in combination: psychosocial and pharmacological. After brief introductory notes on finding professional help for those with mental disorders, the authors address 13 categories of illness: disorders of childhood (attention-deficit, conduct), eating, sleep, and sexual disorders, substance use disorders, somatoform and dissociative disorders, depresssion and bipolar disorders, anxiety and phobia disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and disorders of aging. For each, they organize their information into a question/answer format (e.g., ``How common is conduct disorder? . . . Are there specific characteristics of these children's families that make them different from other families? . . . Two of the strongest indicators are a history of criminal behavior and alcoholism''). Advice on how to proceed is brief, sometimes terse, and not always terribly helpful; the summary for anorexia tells us, for instance, that it ``appears relatively infrequently . . . we don't know much about this mental illness, but it is a serious condition that requires medical care''. However, resources for further reading and guidance are given for each disorder. Best as a starting point in looking for help and as a summary of the standard medical position on these mental illnesses. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
The authors of this practical volume are to be commended for their question/answer approach to understanding the treatment of mental disorders. Students will find it readable, succinct, and informative....As it is, the book will serve undergraduates, graduate students, and laypersons who need to understand the symptomatology and treatment of these disorders. -- R.E. Osborne, CHOICE, January 2000

This reference is a must read for anyone who wants to know about mental disorders and how their various treatments work. It's an intelligent, well-documents guide written by three experts in the field. -- New Orlenas Times-Picayune, August 27, 1999

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st edition (July 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195102282
• ISBN-13: 978-0195102284
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #964,470 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mentally Stimulating, February 5, 2000

By	Gerald J. Gambale (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have read other books on mental disease and found this one easy to read and understand without all the psychiatric jargon. The book was concise,clear,and gave both a psychosocial,as well as a psychopharmacological perspective. I recommend this book without any reservations.