The Clinical Manual for the Treatment of Schizophrenia provides a wide-ranging, empirically based review of assessment and treatment issues in schizophrenia, offered from a multicultural and supremely patient-centered perspective. The following features reflect the care taken in developing this manual, as well as the inclusive nature of the contents:
* The initial chapter offers a thorough introduction to the disease-its history, etiology, epidemiology, risk factors, and social aspects-seen through the lens of a case study. The chapter ends with an overview of the diagnostic process, allowing the reader to place what follows into context. * The basic science underlying schizophrenia is explained next, with coverage of biological markers; brain structure, function, and cytology; the dopamine and glutamate hypotheses; and the neurodevelopmental model of the disease. * The chapter on clinical assessment focuses on making the differential diagnosis according to established criteria, with emphasis on a person-oriented approach that takes into account early trauma, stressful events, and the subjective well-being of the patient. * Subsequent chapters explore cognition, comorbidity, substance abuse, and treatment-resistant symptoms in schizophrenia. * Finally, chapters on the pharmacological and psychosocial treatment of schizophrenia compare and contrast these approaches, ensuring that the reader is completely up-to-date and knowledgeable about available treatment options.
Clinicians who work with schizophrenic patients in a variety of settings-from private practice to emergency departments-will benefit from the scholarship and experience of this manual's astute and insightful authors.
