This volume offers a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the unmet needs of patients with psychoses and personality disorders. These include the needs associated with early detection of ultra-high-risk populations and first-episode psychosis; recognition of the trajectories of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, recovery, early intervention, such as the use of LAIs, the conundrum of differential diagnosis in various personality disorders, and unsatisfactory quality of life, even in the presence of symptom control. Intended for clinical psychiatrists and other practitioners interested in mental health, this book helps them to manage the challenges of the diagnostic uncertainty in first-episode psychosis and timely interventions, since the earlier diagnosis is confirmed, the sooner multidisciplinary treatment can be implemented and plans for psychoeducation, and relapse prevention drawn up.

This book reviews the development of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and its use with patients suffering from schizophrenia or other severe personality disorders. The effectiveness of CBT is highlighted through case studies of dissociative disorders, borderline personality disorders and narcissistic personality disorders. A special section on dealing with uncommunicative patients with personality disorders completes the overview.

In the 100 years since Eugen Bleuler unveiled his concept of schizophrenia, which had dissociation at its core, the essential connection between traumatic life events, dissociative processes and psychotic symptoms has been lost. Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation is the first book to attempt to reforge this connection, by presenting challenging new findings linking these now disparate fields, and by comprehensively surveying, from a wide range of perspectives, the complex relationship between dissociation and psychosis. A cutting-edge sourcebook, Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation brings together highly-respected professionals working in the psychosis field with renowned clinicians and researchers from the fields of traumatic stress, dissociation and the dissociative disorders, and will be of interest to those working with or studying psychotic or dissociative disorders, as well as trauma-related conditions such as borderline personality disorder or complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It makes an invaluable contribution to the burgeoning literature on severe mental disorders and serious life events. The book has three sections: Connecting trauma and dissociation to psychosis - an exploration of the links between trauma, dissociation and psychosis from a wide range of historical and theoretical perspectives. Comparing psychotic and dissociative disorders - a presentation of empirical and clinical perspectives on similarities and differences between the two sets of disorders. Assessing and treating hybrid and boundary conditions - consideration of existing and novel diagnostic categories, such as borderline personality disorder and dissociative psychosis, that blend or border dissociative and psychotic disorders, along with treatment perspectives emphasising humanistic and existential concerns.

This practical and informative text lays out the product of a number of years of clinical research into suicide behaviour and its prevention. While the focus is on non-affective psychosis and the schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, the mechanisms underlying suicide behaviour in this group may well underlie or at least influence suicide behaviour in other disorders. The authors describe methods of assessment through individual formulation, and a cognitive behavioural intervention through case studies, to reduce the risk of suicide. This book argues that: · Suicide behaviour lies on a cognitive-behavioural continuum from ideation, through intention to action. · Mechanisms based on biased information processing systems, the development of suicide schema, and appraisal styles are likely to be fruitful in explaining suicidal thoughts and behaviours. · A psychological theory of suicide behaviour is needed in order to develop a mechanism of suicide and to understand the components of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. · Suicide risk can be reduced through the use of the intervention methods described within the text Cognitive Behavioural Prevention of Suicide in Psychosis evaluates practical applications of contemporary research on this topic, and will therefore be of interest to practitioners, post-graduates in training, and researchers studying suicide and/or psychosis.

Homeless people with mental disorders and neuropsychiatric diseases are ubiquitous, in space and time, in mankind’s history. Psychosis, personality disorders, drug abuse, and other brain illnesses represent a true challenge to medicine and society. Homeless people could be, indeed, brought to the attention of marontology, an unborn specialty of medicine, already suggested after the Greek word marontos, which means unwanted. Homelessness is one of the most critically important issues of the contemporaneous world, without a solution in sight, so more research in areas such as psychiatry, psychology, and human neuroscience is needed, for a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis provides clinicians with a comprehensive cognitive model that can be applied to all patients with schizophrenia and related disorders in order to aid the development of a formulation that will incorporate all relevant factors. It illustrates the process of assessment, formulation and intervention and highlights potential difficulties arising from work with patients and how they can be overcome. Experienced clinicians write assuming no prior knowledge of the area, covering all of the topics of necessary importance including: * an introduction to cognitive theory and therapy * difficulties in engagement and the therapeutic relationship * how best to utilise homework with people who experience psychosis * relapse prevention and management. Illustrated by excerpts from therapy sessions, this book digests scientific evidence and theory but moreover provides clinicians with essential practical advice about how to best aid people with psychoses.

Risk Factors for Psychosis: Paradigms, Mechanisms, and Prevention combines the related, but disparate research endeavors into a single text that considers all risk factors for psychosis, including biological, psychological and environmental factors. The book also introduces the ethics and current treatment evidence that attempts to ameliorate risk or reduce the number of individuals with risk factors developing a psychotic disorder. Finally, the book highlights new research paradigms that will further enhance the field in the future. Psychotic disorders affect more than 50 million people worldwide, creating a devastating effect on lives and causing major financial and emotional impact on families and on society as a whole. The search for risk factors for psychosis has developed rapidly over the past decades, invigorated by changes in the thinking about the malleability and treatability of psychotic disorders. The paradigms for investigating psychosis risk have developed, often in parallel, but there has been no book to date that has summarized and synthesized the current approaches. - Integrates research from biological, psychological and environmental factors into a single resource - Offers insight into at-risk paradigms, biomarkers, and the current state of research on treatment option for psychosis - Presents a holistic and dynamic look at risk syndromes and how they can be measured through neuroimaging, neuropsychology and other methods

Psychosis in Childhood and Adolescence offers an in-depth examination of the nature of psychosis, its risk factors and its manifestations in children and adolescents who experience a continuum of emotional disorders. The chapters present a hopeful, research-based framework for treatment. They emphasize combined treatment that is based on psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy principles, pharmacological interventions and supportive family approaches that reflect the vulnerabilities and resources of the individual child. This text highlights the importance of thorough assessment and the need for long-term treatment that facilitates the psychotic child’s healthy maturation. Readers will benefit from the case examples that illustrate the complexity of psychosis and the discussions of diagnostic and treatment issues as presented by experienced clinicians and researchers.