Combining popular appeal with accessibly written entries suitable for research projects, this fascinating encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction to the psychological and scientific aspects of phobias. Many people have irrational fears. Phobias affect about 19 million Americans each year. So is fear "normal"? At what point do fears become clinical phobias? Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear is the definitive volume on a broad range of topics related to fears and phobias. After an introduction to the subject of fear and phobias, the encyclopedia presents approximately 200 A-Z, cross-referenced entries that address phobias from a variety of angles-types of fears, root causes, physiological and psychological effects, classification, and treatments. The work presents accurate, authoritative, and up-to-date information based on scientific evidence. The majority of the numerous contributors are anxiety disorder researchers and clinicians who possess cutting-edge knowledge of their areas of expertise. Ideal for both high school students and general audiences, readers will be engaged by high-interest content that not only details and explains various phobias but enables them to trace the history, theories, and practices associated with the study and treatment of phobias. Provides scientifically grounded, accessibly written content contributed by current leading researchers and clinicians in the area of phobias and anxiety disorders Covers a variety of the most common specific phobias, including fears of spiders, enclosed spaces, snakes, and heights Includes illustrative examples and case vignettes to bring the subject matter to life Supplies comprehensive coverage of scientific and clinical perspectives, with attention to historical, cultural, and popular contexts Enables readers to trace the history, theories, and practices associated with the study and treatment of phobias

Issues in the Developmental Approach to Mental Retardation is one of the first books exclusively devoted to applying the theories, findings and approaches used in work with nonretarded children to several types of retarded individuals. The editors and contributors define the developmental approach and explore theoretical issues as they relate to retarded populations. Problems involving similar sequences of development, cross-domain relations, the environment, and motivation are all discussed, as is the importance of separating the various etiological groups for research and intervention purposes. The contributors also examine the nature of development in specific etiological groups; types of retardation that are addressed include: cultural-familial retardation, Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, autism, and children with sensory and motor handicaps. This significant volume demonstrates how data from nonretarded development can inform work with retarded populations and how findings from children with mental retardation enrich developmental theory.

This authoritative resource, now thoroughly revised for DSM-5, has set the standard for the comprehensive assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Leading experts demonstrate how to craft a scientifically grounded profile of each child's strengths and difficulties, make a formal diagnosis, and use assessment data to guide individualized intervention in clinical and school settings. Chapters review state-of-the-art instruments and approaches for evaluating specific areas of impairment in ASD and co-occurring emotional and behavioral disorders. Considerations in working with children of different ages are highlighted. With a primary focus on children, several chapters also address assessment of adolescents and adults. New to This Edition *Chapter on key implications of DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, plus related updates throughout the volume. *Chapter on advances in early identification (ages 0-3). *Chapter with in-depth case examples illustrating the evaluation decision-making process and common diagnostic challenges. *Chapters on pseudoscience (including strategies for advising parents) and future directions in the field. *Current assessment data, numerous new and revised measures, and cutting-edge screening approaches.

The church's relationship with depression has been fraught: for centuries, depression was assumed to be evidence of personal sin or even demonic influence. The depressed have often been ostracized or institutionalized. In recent years the conversation has begun to change, and the stigma has lessened-but as anyone who suffers from depression knows, we still have a long way to go. In Companions in the Darkness, Diana Gruver looks back into church history and finds depression in the lives of some of our most beloved saints, including Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. Without trying to diagnose these figures from a distance, Gruver tells their stories in fresh ways, taking from each a particular lesson that can encourage or guide those who suffer today. Drawing on her own experience with depression, Gruver offers a wealth of practical wisdom both for those in the darkness and those who care for them. Not only can these saints teach us valuable lessons about the experience of depression, they can also be a source of hope and empathy for us today. They can be our companions in the darkness.

Nearly one million people take their own lives each year world-wide - however, contrary to popular belief, suicide can be prevented. While suicide is commonly thought to be an understandable reaction to severe stress, it is actually an abnormal reaction to regular situations. Something more than unbearable stress is needed to explain suicide, and neuroscience shows what this is, how it is caused and how it can be treated. Professor Kees van Heeringen describes findings from neuroscientific research on suicide, using various approaches from population genetics to brain imaging. Compelling evidence is reviewed that shows how and why genetic characteristics or early traumatic experiences may lead to a specific predisposition that makes people vulnerable to triggering life events. Neuroscientific studies are yielding results that provide insight into how the risk of suicide may develop; ultimately demonstrating how suicide can be prevented.

Le livre offre une investigation phenomenologique des traits caracteristiques des troubles du spectre de l'autisme et de la schizophrenie. Son materiel de base sont des ecrits autobiographiques ainsi que des descriptions de patients en premiere personne. L'objectif principal de cette investigation est double: premierement, de systematiquement elaborer la correlation fondamentale entre le corps et le monde; deuxiemement, de comprendre autisme et schizophrenie comme des transformations typiques de cette correlation. L'auteur interroge schizophrenie et autisme comme des transformations comparables, mais neanmoins fondamentalement distinctes, de la structure ambivalente du corps propre. Il combine une lecture de philosophie phenomenologique avec des approches provenant de la psychiatrie et de la psychopathologie. L'analyse phenomenologique de la corporeite amene l'auteur a analyser une double structure experientielle, faite de vecus subjectifs et objectifs du corps. En reference a ce paradigme, autisme et schizophrenie apparaissent comme des possibles destins de la structure ambivalente du corps. Un role majeur est ici attribue a la spatialisation, c'est-a-dire aux differents modes de vivre et de representer l'espace.

In Psychopathology: A Critical Perspective, Lee and Irwin demonstrate that mental illness often defies traditional forms of medical classification. They explore mental illness through sets of broad symptoms (such as psychosis or depression), rather than diagnostic checklists, integrating both psychological and neurological frameworks and presenting a unique and balanced perspective on psychopathology. Written to support teaching and learning, Psychopathology: A Critical Perspective encourages students to question the evidence supplied by traditional psychiatric methods and explore alternatives to traditional diagnostic models, reflecting real world practice. Pedagogical features such as discussion questions in each chapter encourage critical engagement and classroom debate. The result is an original examination of mental illness and a standalone resource for students in this area.

A journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today--guided by the owner himself.

Bestselling author Daniel Tammet ("Thinking in Numbers") is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head.
He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film "Rain Man."
Fascinating and inspiring, "Born on a Blue Day" explores what it's like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human--our minds.

This brief offers understanding and insight into how to define, establish, and maintain personal safety to minimize risks of negative encounters with psychopaths. The author, through a behavioral science research lens sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes, details causes of psychopathy, links between crime and psychopathy, and focuses particular attention on strategies and preventative measures that individuals who encounter psychopathic others can employ to assert their own personal mental and physical well-being.

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.

Exploring the role of imagination in trauma recovery, the author shares the arresting dreams and stories of traumatized adolescents. Describing the impact of trauma on adolescent health and development, the author provides promising research into the use of breathing skills, HRV Biofeedback, and dream work to promote healthy breathing, emotion regulation, and restorative dreaming. Research suggests that these interventions can decrease post-traumatic distress and assist in the creation of meaningful posttraumatic narratives. The author explores the role of embodied imagination in adolescent spiritual development and posttraumatic growth. These interventions provide clinicians and pastoral caregivers with simple and effective ways of helping adolescents heal from trauma in holistic and dynamic ways that respect the integrated constitution of the human person.

With the most compelling teachings, stories, and practices, Fear-Less teaches women how to overcome anxiety and become empowered. So many women and female entrepreneurs struggle with anxiety that is stopping them from moving forward in their personal growth, business, and sense of purpose. In Fear-Less, anxiety expert and coach Dr. Kate Dow offers proven methods for women to become adept at overcoming their anxiety and rewiring their brain. With compelling teachings, stories and practices, she gently guides women back into relationship with their inner wisdom, abilities and their own power, laying out the Fear-Less path of teachings, steps, and practices that help women overcome anxiety. Fear-Less includes Dr. Kate Dow's narrative, as well as many client case stories of women's incredible outcomes. Written specifically for women, a unique and powerful perspective, Fear-Less guides readers through transformation with its practical, heart-based, and potent methods.

Find The Love, Patience, and Insight to Take Your Life Back What does it look and feel like to be a Mother of an Addict? How does a Mother's unconditional love help her child's addiction? Sandy Sherman is a Mother of 2 addicts - a Daughter and a Son. For 5 years she felt her life was spiraling down into a pit of despair, fear, helplessness, grief that was consuming her life. She felt alone and humiliated and the dreams she had for her kids were all gone as she witnessed their addictions take over their bodies and souls. Sandy learned to live her life by deciding to take her life back. Through educating herself about the disease of addiction by reading, talking with other Mom's, helping to counsel others and sharing her story, she has written Stronger in hopes of inspiring Mom's to take action.

Are you ready to break up with your bulimia, for real? Has your long love affair with the binge/purge cycle finally run its course, but breaking up with it has proven impossible? Even scary? In this candid account, addiction recovery coach Lori Losch leads those struggling to break up with bulimia through ten strategies to help them gain freedom with food, while learning to love their body. Between a two-decade battle with bulimia and body dysmorphic disorder, along with her experience helping others overcome their disordered eating, Lori has created a process that works. Part Wasted by Marya Hornbacher and part Recovery 2.0 by Tommy Rosen, Rather than Rehab will help you break the binge/purge cycle, embrace your body, and create the life of your dreams.

The Sober Leap helps women take their recovery to the next level. Millions of women enter recovery from alcohol addiction with one goal in mind: to stay sober. They're left to their own devices to "figure it out" from there, leaving them feeling lost, disenchanted, and susceptible to relapse. The Sober Leap invites women to step into the light and thrive in recovery. Certified Health and Addiction Recovery Coach Noelle Van Vlierbergen provides practical wisdom to change the habits and behaviors that are holding readers back from showing up fully as a powerful, sober woman. With honesty and humor, Noelle shares her own experiences with recovery and introduces readers to eleven basic principles that will transform the mind, body, and soul. Reintroducing readers to the truths they've always known, but lost along the way, The Sober Leap is a call to action to let go of the past, embrace the present, and finally start living the life you were meant to live.

Sexual obsessions are a common symptom of OCD, but addressing them in treatment is uniquely challenging due to feelings of shame, prior misdiagnosis, and the covert nature of ritualizing behaviors. These complicating factors make it difficult for clients to disclose their symptoms and for clinicians to know how to approach treatment. Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder provides clinicians with the information and guidance needed to help clients experiencing unwanted and intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature. Opening with background information on sexual obsessions and OCD, including assessment and differential diagnosis, Williams and Wetterneck then offer a complete, step-by-step manual describing treatment using a combination of empirically-supported CBT strategies, such as exposure and response prevention, cognitive therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, as well as useful mindfulness techniques. Accompanying these practical, step-by-step instructions are educational handouts and diagrams for clients designed to promote learning. The book concludes with a discussion of relationship issues that commonly result from sexually-themed OCD, and how therapists can tackle these problems. Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an essential resource for clinicians who treat OCD, as well as students and trainees from across the mental health professions.

This book argues that despite the many real advantages that industrial modernity has yielded-including large gains in wealth, longevity, and (possibly) happiness-it has occurred together with the appearance of a variety of serious problems. Chief among these are probable losses in subjective existential purpose and increases in psychopathology. A highly original theory of the ultimate basis of these trends is advanced, which unites prior work in psychometrics and evolutionary science. This theory builds on the social epistasis amplification model to argue that genetic and epigenetic changes in modernizing and modernized populations, stemming from shifts in selective pressures related to industrialization, have lowered human fitness and wellness.

This handbook offers a comprehensive examination of wide-ranging issues relevant to adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Coverage includes a detailed review of such issues as psychiatric comorbidity, family relationships, education, living in different settings (e.g., group homes, community), meaningful and effective interventions, functional goals (e.g., social, language, vocational, and adaptive behaviors), and curriculum. In addition the book provides unique perspectives of parents as well as individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who have reached adulthood.Key areas of coverage include: Transitioning adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder from educational settings to vocational settings. Strategies that can help create independence for adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Effective approaches to address issues relating to sexuality for adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The effectiveness of early intensive behavioral intervention to help adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder is an essential reference for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and related professionals in clinical child and school psychology, social work, behavioral therapy and related disciplines, including clinical medicine, clinical nursing, counseling, speech and language pathology, and special education.

For more than thirty years, On Being a Therapist has inspired generations of mental health professionals (and their clients) to explore the most private, confusing, and sacred aspects of helping others. In this thoroughly revised and updated sixth edition, Jeffrey Kottler explores many of the challenges that therapists face in their practices today, including pressures from increased technology, economic realities, and advances in theory and technique. He also examines the stress factors that are brought on from managed care bureaucracy, conflicts at work, and clients' own anxiety and depression. This new edition includes updated sources, new material on technology, new challenges that therapists face as a result of the global pandemic, and an emphasis on teletherapy and navigating ethics and practice logistics remotely. Generations of students and practitioners in counseling, psychology, social work, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, and human services have found comfort, support, and renewed confidence in On Being a Therapist, and this sixth edition builds upon this solid foundation as it continues to educate, inform, and inspire helping professionals everywhere.