Psychological research into autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased exponentially in the last two decades. Much of this work has been led by various theorists who claim to have identified processes that hold the key to understanding the condition. As a consequence, newcomers to the field feel that they have to opt for one or more of the competing approaches and to neglect the remainder as being in some way wrong. In fact, the different theoretical perspectives are just that - different points of view on the same phenomenon - each with its own insights to offer. This is not to say that understanding ASD in psychological terms is just a matter of choosing a perspective and that all perspectives are of equal value. Clearly they are not.

This book, in addition to providing an outline of what current perspectives have to offer, also provides a framework to help readers to decide which aspects of psychological research into ASD contribute to our understanding of the field and how these can be integrated in a way that enables research to be taken forward.

Emotion dysregulation, which is often defined as the inability to modulate strong negative affective states including impulsivity, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety, is observed in nearly all psychiatric disorders. These include internalizing disorders such as panic disorder and major depression, externalizing disorders such as conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder, and various others including schizophrenia, autism, and borderline personality disorder. Among many affected individuals, precursors to emotion dysregulation appear early in development, and often predate the emergence of diagnosable psychopathology. The Oxford Handbook of Emotion Dysregulation brings together experts whose work cuts across levels of analysis, including neurobiological, cognitive, and social, in studying emotion dysregulation. Contributing authors describe how early environmental risk exposures shape emotion dysregulation, how emotion dysregulation manifests in various forms of mental illness, and how emotion dysregulation is most effectively assessed and treated. Conceptualizing emotion dysregulation as a core vulnerability to psychopathology is consistent with modern transdiagnostic approaches to diagnosis and treatment, including the Research Domain Criteria and the Unified Protocol, respectively. This handbook is the first text to assemble a highly accomplished group of authors to address conceptual issues in emotion dysregulation research, define the emotion dysregulation construct across levels of cognition, behavior, and social dynamics, describe cutting edge assessment techniques at neural, psychophysiological, and behavioral levels of analysis, and present contemporary treatment strategies.

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.

"An Introduction to Modern CBT" provides an easily accessible introduction to modern theoretical cognitive behavioral therapy models. The text outlines the different techniques, their success in improving specific psychiatric disorders, and important new developments in the field.

- Provides an easy-to-read introduction into modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches with specific case examples and hands-on treatment techniques- Discusses the theoretical models of CBT, outlines the different techniques that have been shown to be successful in improving specific psychiatric disorders, and describes important new developments in the field- Offers useful guidance for therapists in training and is an invaluable reference tool for experienced clinicians

*A bestseller since 2002 (over 40,000 in print), thoroughly revised with 50% new material. *This seminal work was one of the first to integrate mindfulness into psychotherapy. *The second edition features advances in MBCT techniques and findings from numerous clinical trials. *Outstanding utility: purchasers get access to downloadable audio recordings of guided meditations (with permission to give to clients), and more than 40 downloadable forms. *From the top clinician-researcher team who also coauthored the bestselling trade book The Mindful Way through Depression.

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.

A revealing memoir about living with Asperger's syndrome that is by turns laugh-out-loud funny and achingly sad. It is only when he is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, at the age of 55, that Tom Cutler's life starts to make sense - his accidental rudeness, his strange obsessions (including road signs and Sherlock Holmes), his unusual way of dressing, and his trouble in company. In this moving memoir, Tom explores his eccentric behaviour from boyhood to manhood, examines the role of autism in his family, and investigates the scientific explanations for his condition. Eloquent, witty, and insightful, Keep Clear ultimately shows why the day Tom received his diagnosis turned out to be the happiest day of his life.

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.

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.

This book deconstructs the pathologizing category of 'sadomasochism' in order to account for the 'lived realities' of consensual 'SM' play, emphasizing the connection between the corporeal & the political in contemporary consumer cultures. It discusses the homogenization of desire & ownership & use of 'body' & 'sexual ethics'.

A comprehensive guide for clinicians working with patients engaging in self-injury, this book provides information on clinical conceptualization, risk and protective factors, ways to assess for NSSI, treatment approaches and strategies, and early intervention and prevention strategies. Focusing on ethical and cultural considerations unique to schools, clinical agencies, and private-practice settings, the authors provide a practical and in-depth discussion of clinical theory. Procedures for determining risk and the potential problems with risk assessment, especially concerning suicide risk, are addressed. In addition to numerous exercises, examples, and suggestions for practical interventions, the book includes a variety of detailed worksheets and resources to expand readers' level of understanding, monitor emerging trends, and provide a context for extended training. Several case studies are discussed and analyzed in order to highlight specific aspects of clinical conceptualization and treatment strategies. Drawn from a wide range of treatment populations and issues, this book is a valuable resource for clinicians and supervisors. The authors integrate outcomes-based research strategies and evidenced-based tools to help clinicians work with clients from diverse backgrounds.

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.

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.