Pharmacological and Psychosocial Treatments in Schizophrenia provides a succinct clinical overview of key areas pertinent to the holistic treatment of people with schizophrenia and, in particular, puts firmly back onto the agenda the importance of psychosocial treatments. The latest data concerning the newer antipsychotic agents and clinical guidelines for their use are reviewed. The real emphasis, however, is on the psychosocial interventions for specific aspects of schizophrenia symptomatology and disability that have been shown to offer major benefits to recovery in the disorder, and yet have failed to have a high profile in the literature, as more effective biological treatments have become available. This book offers practical guidance on effective strategies for use in both clinical settings and in the family context, placing the patient (and their family) once again at the centre of therapeutic endeavours. Encouraging professionals to offer a broader therapeutic approach, this book will offer real hope to therapists, patients and families of what can be achieved if psychosocial interventions complement the many psychopharmacological treatments available today. Key topics include: female patients, treatment resistance, the substance abuser patient, family intervention, helping the patient at work, managing violent behaviour, first episode psychosis and rating scales in schizophrenia.

Pharmacological and Psychosocial Treatments in Schizophrenia provides a succinct clinical overview of key areas pertinent to the holistic treatment of people with schizophrenia and, in particular, puts firmly back onto the agenda the importance of psychosocial treatments. The latest data concerning the newer antipsychotic agents and clinical guidelines for their use are reviewed. The real emphasis, however, is on the psychosocial interventions for specific aspects of schizophrenia symptomatology and disability that have been shown to offer major benefits to recovery in the disorder, and yet have failed to have a high profile in the literature, as more effective biological treatments have become available. This book offers practical guidance on effective strategies for use in both clinical settings and in the family context, placing the patient (and their family) once again at the centre of therapeutic endeavours. Encouraging professionals to offer a broader therapeutic approach, this book will offer real hope to therapists, patients and families of what can be achieved if psychosocial interventions complement the many psychopharmacological treatments available today. Key topics include: female patients, treatment resistance, the substance abuser patient, family intervention, helping the patient at work, managing violent behaviour, first episode psychosis and rating scales in schizophrenia.

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.

There has been a growing trend in psychiatry to emphasize pharmacological approaches in the treatment of schizophrenia. Despite the considerable influence of psychosocial factors on the course of the disorder, relatively little emphasis has been placed on psychosocial treatment approaches. The aim of the book is to provide authoritative information on a broad spectrum of treatment approaches to improve role functioning and coping skills. Taking into account results of long-term outcome studies carried out in recent years, this book brings together a diversity of controlled research efforts conducted by leading experts in their specific fields. Considering that the major disability attributed to this illness is impairment in social and vocational role functioning, the authors substantiate with efficacious data their theory that antipsychotic medication alone is insufficient in the treatment of patients.

Schizophrenia is often associated with an inadequate response to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. How to treat patients who have an unsatisfactory response to anti-psychotics, including clozapine - which is unequivocally the most powerful antipsychotic medication for this recalcitrant population - remains a clinical conundrum. A range of adjunctive medications have been tried with mixed results; there has also been renewed interest in the role of neuromodulatory strategies, electroconvulsive therapy, and cognitive and vocational approaches. Perhaps a bright spot for the future lies in the evolution of pharmacogenetic approaches for individualized care. In this book, leading experts from Europe, Australia and the Americas provide a timely appraisal of treatments for the most severely ill schizophrenia patients. This clinically focused book is informed by the latest research on the neurobiology and treatment of schizophrenia. It is comprehensive in scope, covering current treatment options, various add-on approaches, and a range of psychosocial treatments. The contributors are respected experts who have combined their clinical experience with cutting-edge research to provide readers with authoritative information on fundamental aspects of clinical care for schizophrenia.

The body of knowledge that we have accumulated about the causes and nature of schizophrenia is prodigious, and the repertoire of evidence-based treatments is substantial and increasing. Comprehensive Care of Schizophrenia distills this corpus into the essential information that clinicians who care for persons with schizophrenia need to know. The second edition of the popular volume is thoroughly updated, offering new information on the advances in research and management since the first edition was published a decade ago. Chapters are streamlined to keep content as concise as possible, while key sections have been revised and expanded to include new information on drug therapy and advice on patient care. People with schizophrenia can suffer from multiple morbidities and disabilities, and thus may require a variety of treatments, both pharmacological and psychosocial. To cover the complex and growing field of schizophrenia management, renowned psychiatrists Jeffrey Lieberman and Robin Murray have recruited a distinguished group of researchers, practitioners and consumers of mental health care. This guide delves into to all aspects of the clinical management of schizophrenia for both the health care professional who treats patients as well as the researcher interested in the advances made in the field and their clinical application.

This text provides a person-centered approach to helping individuals with schizophrenia meet their personal goals.The approach is strongly influenced by the "recovery" model. This model emphasizes a respect for an individual's ability to participate in decision-making about their illness and an appreciation that people can achieve many of their personal goals even when their illness is only partially controlled. There is also an emphasis on the diversity of individuals with schizophrenia.That is, although many people with this illness are severely disabled with limitations in their abilities to work or to function socially, others manage to function at a high level with successful careers and rich social and family relationships. The book is organized into chapters that focus on common treatment situations including the acutely psychotic individual; the first episode of psychosis; the partial responder; the individual with schizophrenia and substance use problems as well as children and the elderly. Each of these situations presents itself with unique stages of treatment and emphasizes that each stage has unique challenges regarding evaluating an individual and his or her problems and selecting interventions. For each clinical situation, pharmacological as well as psychosocial approaches are described. This book also recognizes that helping people with schizophrenia often requires a diverse group of treatment providers including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, clinical pharmacists, case managers and others. Individuals from all of these disciplines are likely to find this volume interesting and useful.