This book addresses the need to view specific learning disorders (SLDs) within a mental health framework, as supported by their placement alongside autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). It describes how policy and practice point to a different perspective - specifically that SLDs are often treated as educational rather than psychological problems - and examines the implications of this dichotomy. The book reviews empirical research that suggests children need access to treatment for clinical components of SLDs that may respond to psychological intervention separately from, and in addition to, educational interventions. It provides a theoretical framework for organizing research findings and clinical perspectives that support understanding the clinical components of SLDs and addresses the need for a mental health framework within which to approach theory, treatment, and assessment of SLDs. Key areas of coverage include: Examining different theoretical orientations to learning disorders (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, neuropsychoeducational, psychoanalytic). Adapting evidence-based therapeutic techniques for use with children and adolescents who have learning disorders. The need for accurate and well characterized assessment of SLDs. How incorporating a cognitive neuroscience perspective into assessment can move LD treatment and research forward. Learning Disorders Across the Lifespan is an essential reference for clinicians, therapists, and other professionals as well as researchers, professors, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, special education, speech-language therapy, developmental psychology, pediatrics, social work as well as all interrelated disciplines.

From early childhood boys often feel pressured to be athletic and muscular. But what impact does this have on physical and mental well-being through their teens and beyond? Worryingly, a third of teen boys are trying to 'bulk up' due to body dissatisfaction, and boys and men account for 25% of eating disorder cases. What can we tell our boys to help them feel happy and confident simply being themselves? Being You has the answers! It's an easy-to-read, evidence-based guide to developing a positive body image for boys aged 12+. It covers all the facts on puberty, diet, exercise, self-care, mental health, social media, and everything in-between. Boys will find answers to the questions most on their mind, the truth behind many diet and exercise myths, and real-life stories from other boys. Armed with this book, they will understand that muscles don't make a man - it's enough simply being you!

This book offers a detailed road map for overcoming sexual and relationship impasses originating from painful childhood experiences. Large numbers of adults with histories of childhood trauma and neglect suffer persistent relationship and sexual difficulties. Unfortunately, most have failed to receive adequate help with emerging from these deep and complex problems. Coming Home to Passion: Restoring Loving Sexuality in Couples with Histories of Childhood Trauma and Neglect explores the enduring impacts-physiological, psychological, and behavioral-of childhood trauma and neglect. Author Ruth Cohn, drawing on 25 years of experience working with trauma survivors and their partners and families, lays out a practical and actionable course for recovery in clear, accessible language. This book provides direction and hope to those with trauma backgrounds while also serving as a unique resource for professional readers. Integrating in-depth information on attachment and relationship, trauma and neglect, and sexuality, Cohn details a practical, hands-on treatment approach for revitalizing love, health, and passion. Provides a manual of ten sequential, structured activities that can guide readers in their concrete work on relationships and sexuality Illustrates dynamics painfully familiar to readers with numerous stories of real-life case examples A bibliography recommends additional reading as well as references and other resources

The present volume deals with the experience of ambivalence in family relations - a well-known phenomenon that has inspired more and more research and theorizing in the last years but that is however sometimes difficult to capture. Bringing together junior and senior researchers from different parts of the world, ideas on theory and research are elaborated following qualitative and quantitative approaches. This book thus contributes to theory-building as well as outlining research results and helping to develop measurement in interpersonal and intergenerational relations.

In rural Mexico, people often say that Alzheimer's does not exist. ""People do not have Alzheimer's because they don't need to worry,"" said one Oaxacan, explaining that locals lack the stresses that people face ""over there"" - that is, in the modern world. Alzheimer's and related dementias carry a stigma. In contrast to the way elders are revered for remembering local traditions, dementia symbolizes how modern families have forgotten the communal values that bring them together. In Caring for the People of the Clouds, psychologist Jonathan Yahalom provides an emotionally evocative, story-rich analysis of family caregiving for Oaxacan elders living with dementia. Based on his extensive research in a Zapotec community, Yahalom presents the conflicted experience of providing care in a setting where illness is steeped in stigma and locals are concerned about social cohesion. Traditionally, the Zapotec, or ""people of the clouds,"" respected their elders and venerated their ancestors. Dementia reveals the difficulty of upholding those ideals today. Yahalom looks at how dementia is understood in a medically pluralist landscape, how it is treated in a setting marked by social tension, and how caregivers endure challenges among their families and the broader community. Yahalom argues that caregiving involves more than just a response to human dependency; it is central to regenerating local values and family relationships threatened by broader social change. In so doing, the author bridges concepts in mental health with theory from medical anthropology. Unique in its interdisciplinary approach, this book advances theory pertaining to cross-cultural psychology and develops anthropological insights about how aging, dementia, and caregiving disclose the intimacies of family life in Oaxaca.

This book can enhance everyone's understanding of how women experience loss and grief, and how they transition to resolution. It is an invaluable resource to women and everyone who supports them-spouses, partners, and family members as well as community and government. Women's grief is often a complex phenomenon-a natural, normal experience, but one that can seriously impact everyone-female or male-at every stage of life. Understanding Loss and Grief for Women: A New Perspective on Their Pain and Healing provides a way to look at how women experience loss through the lens of their socially constructed roles, and in light of the theories and practice of grief therapy and support. The book begins by explaining the social construction of women's traditional, transitional, and modern/postmodern roles, and then addresses the social construction of grief theory and practice in past eras and modern society. Several case studies enable readers to see how social constructs shape women's responses to various causes of grief, such as the death of a spouse or partner, child, marriage (divorce), and career (retirement). The final section of the book examines the health impacts of grief, offers suggestions to ameliorate negative health impacts, and emphasizes how loss and grief for women can be used as opportunities for self-growth. This book serves all members of the general population as well as educators, academics, scientists, and students of disciplines such as psychology, psychotherapy, medicine, sociology, and women's studies. It will enable all women to better understand, deal with, and heal from their loss and grief experience. Male readers will empathize with what their spouses/partners, mothers, grandmothers, siblings, and friends are experiencing in loss and grief and understand how to support healthy transition through grief to resolution. The community at large and care providers will learn how to create a more nurturing and supportive environment for women's grief response. Explicates the socially constructed roles of women, in the past and in modern society, to illustrate what has been considered "appropriate" expression and response to loss and grief for women, and to enable a unique understanding the phenomenal loss experience for women Presents an invaluable framework, as a scaffolding, that allows readers to interrogate their own and others' experiences of loss in a novel, more in-depth way-one that supports improved practice in the helping professions Includes women's real-life stories that tell their truths of the loss experience and how grief worked through them in transitioning to resolution Provides seminal information to professional grief counselors, physicians, nurses, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric social workers, as well as students of psychology, sociology, medicine, public health, and women's studies Allows family members, friends, or partners to better understand what a woman who is experiencing loss and grief is feeling, and instructs how to support healthy transition through grief to resolution

This book analyses the clinical interaction between depression and personality dysfunction to help clinicians better understand and treat patients with complex depression. It proposes an innovative perspective to clinical work that moves away from a disorder-centered approach to a person-centered approach by analysing complex depression through the lens of functional domains related to personality functioning and applying Research Domain Criteria to diagnosis and treatment planning. By doing so, it aims to contribute to the development of precision psychotherapy by applying the principles of precision medicine to mental health care. The book is divided in two parts. Chapters in the first part review problems in five domains of personality dysfunction that drive complex depressive presentations - identity, affect regulation, self-other regulation, social dysfunction and self-criticism - and the neurobiological findings underlying them. In the second part, authors present integrative models of depression and personality dysfunction and their implications for diagnosis and treatment. Depression and Personality Dysfunction: An Integrative Functional Domains Perspective is a scientific and clinical guide for the understanding and treatment of patients with depression complicated by personality dysfunction. It will be a useful tool for clinicians looking for resources to develop a more person-centered and evidence-based approach to mental health care.

Major depressive disorder is a common medical condition that can be disabling and can persist for months, even years. Many people experience depression symptoms that resist treatment. Although they try various combinations of medications, psychotherapy, or electroconvulsive therapy, their symptoms don't improve. What can people who have treatment-resistant depression do to overcome their depression and feel better? In Still Down, Dr. Dean F. MacKinnon, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medical School, presents nine composite stories drawn from patients he has seen in his twenty years as an expert in treatment-resistant mood disorders. The first section of the book features people diagnosed with depression who have not yet received appropriate treatment. The next section looks at misdiagnosis, focusing on people who feel and appear depressed but who have different mood disorders and need treatment for them. Finally, Dr. MacKinnon describes people who have severe depression that does not respond to any treatment, regardless of how finely tuned the treatment might be. These people, who suffer from true treatment-resistant depression (TRD), can benefit from a variety of treatments to feel better. Dr. MacKinnon provides commentary to explain and extend the discussion of the patients and situations in each case. He also discusses common obstacles to improvement, including overly conservative dosing, problems stemming from not adhering to treatment, antidepressant failure, and high sensitivity to side effects. By identifying aspects of the individual's qualities, behaviors, and experiences that may account for poor response to treatment, Still Down points the way for people with TRD and their families to find appropriate diagnoses and the best possible care.

This book explores a wide range of mindfulness and meditative practices and traditions across Buddhism. It deepens contemporary understanding of mindfulness by examining its relationship with key Buddhist teachings, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-Fold Path. In addition, the volume explores how traditional mindfulness can be more meaningfully incorporated into current psychological research and clinical practice with individuals and groups (e.g., through the Buddhist Psychological Model). Key topics featured in this volume include: Ethics and mindfulness in Pali Buddhism and their implications for secular mindfulness-based applications. Mindfulness of emptiness and the emptiness of mindfulness. Buddhist teachings that support the psychological principles in a mindfulness program. A practical contextualization and explanatory framework for mindfulness-based interventions. Mindfulness in an authentic, transformative, everyday Zen practice. Pristine mindfulness. Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness is an indispensable resource for clinical psychologists, and affiliated medical and mental health professionals, including specialists in complementary and alternative medicine as well as social work as well as teachers of Buddhism and meditation.

Medical and technological organizations have recently developed therapy and assistance solutions that venture beyond what is considered conventional for individuals with various mental health conditions and behavioral disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorders, phobias, and learning difficulties. Through the use of virtual and augmented reality, researchers are working to provide alternative therapy methods to treat these conditions, while studying the long-term effects the treatment has on patients. Virtual and Augmented Reality in Mental Health Treatment provides innovative insights into the use and durability of virtual reality as a treatment for various behavioral and emotional disorders and health problems. The content within this publication represents the work of e-learning, digital psychology, and quality of care. It is designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, professionals, medical staff, educators, and researchers, and covers topics centered on medical and therapeutic applications of artificial intelligence and simulated environment.

What are the elements upon which a healthy personality is built? This fascinating book identifies the key components and shares vivid case studies that demonstrate what happens when those elements are missing. What is "normal" when it comes to human personality? And is it possible to achieve emotional health through intended effort, just like physical health? Clinical psychologist Camay Woodall, PhD, addresses these complex questions and many more in this work that cogently discusses the parameters of emotional health. This book covers historical concepts; examines personality at its formative stages and beyond; explains how "normal behavior" varies widely, yet emotional symptoms are definable; and pinpoints the common aspects of normality in human personality, such as the need for social connection, the struggle for realism, and the ability to come to terms with guilt. Covering topics that include anxiety; self-esteem; depression; food (and the abuses of it), sex, love, and intimacy; shame and guilt; and spirituality, this book identifies common sources of dysfunctional personality traits and stresses the importance of individual responsibility in each area. Each chapter is richly illustrated by actual case studies from the author's 30 years of experience. The book will be of interest and highly useful to undergraduate or graduate-level students of psychotherapy, individuals undergoing therapy, parents who are concerned about their own or their family's behavior, and general readers. Underscores the universal and key importance of healthy relationships in achieving emotional health and happiness Provides clear, accessible, and educational text that includes vignettes in each chapter to illustrate key points Identifies parallels between emotional health and subjective feelings of "happiness" and well-being Examines the root causes for common personality traits and behaviors such as aggression, eating disorders, guilt, intolerance, narcissism, and shame

The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," more commonly known as the DSM, is published by the American Psychiatric Association, listing and describing all mental disorders. The publication of DSM-5 in 2013 brought many changes. "Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5" is written for all those who wonder whether the DSM-5 now classifies the right people in the right way. It is aimed at patients, mental health professionals, and academics with an interest in mental health. Issues addressed include: What are the main changes that have been made to the classification? How is the DSM affected by financial links with the pharmaceutical industry? To what extent were patients involved in revising the classification? How are diagnoses added to the DSM? Does medicalization threaten the idea that anyone is normal? What happens when changes to diagnostic criteria mean that people lose their diagnoses? How important will the DSM be in the future?

This book explains how studies in brain development and epigenetics-the inextricable interplay of genes and environments-have led to breakthroughs in the understanding of children's psychological disturbances and serve to discredit the scientifically unsupported "chemical imbalance theory" of mental illness. Intended for mental health practitioners, concerned parents, and child advocates alike, this book presents a powerful new paradigm for understanding the causes of children's psychological disturbances-and as a result, the proper treatment of these symptoms. Based in cutting-edge research on the developing brain and epigenetics, this important volume serves to inform readers about the latest scientific conclusions and clinical practices that need to supplant pervasive and often dangerous drug prescriptions to millions of children. Sharna Olfman, PhD, and contributors including leading researchers, clinicians, and childhood advocates present their research findings and explain the implications for treatment of a range of symptoms, including autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), concussion syndromes, and mood disorders. The book definitively lays to rest the "chemical imbalance theory" of mental illness, a theory that has been roundly discredited by the scientific community but kept alive by the pharmaceutical industry. Chapters focus on the real science of epigenetics and the sensitivity of the developing brain to environmental influences such as trauma and chemical toxins-legitimate research findings that are largely ignored by mental health practitioners and rarely influence practice. Presents a new paradigm for understanding the cause and treatment of children's psychological disturbances based in cutting edge research on the developing brain and epigenetics Addresses the latest groundbreaking research on the treatment of concussion syndromes as well as on the cause and treatment of autism spectrum disorders Offers strategies that promote healthy brain development and protect against childhood psychological disturbances Explains how 21st-century parents' excessive use of cell phones and other mobile devices undermines the quality of attachment and places children at risk for compromised brain development and psychological disturbance

Delving into a topic of perennial interest and concern, particularly among teenagers, this important volume addresses the full range of issues related to suicide and suggests ways to help those who struggle. While the risk of suicide is increasing across age groups, the good news is that with timely intervention, most suicides are preventable. Written primarily for high school and college students as well as for their teachers and parents, this guide combines relevant research and theories about suicide with current clinical thinking and approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Going beyond the clinical, the volume also explores suicide in history and in popular culture and examines relevant cultural, religious, moral, and ethical viewpoints. It looks at suicide among various demographic groups, probes psychological motivations and methods used, and discusses the controversy surrounding a person's right to die. What differentiates this work from others is that it covers the breadth of the subject but also considers issues in enough depth to make their importance and complexity clear. Readers will better understand the problem of suicide, its impact, and the approaches that can be used to prevent suicide and deal more effectively with at-risk individuals. Examines the topic from a variety of perspectives and provides insights into current issues and controversies, such as doctor-assisted suicide Discusses suicide among a variety of age groups and social classes, not just teenagers and college students Draws on the author's 40 years of clinical and academic experience as well as on the most up-to-date scholarly and professional literature Serves as a gateway to other resources and further study

This handbook is a comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date source on prevention technologies specifically for integrated care settings. It covers general issues related to prevention including the practical issues of financing, and staffing, and a general introduction to the advantages of prevention efforts. It covers a range of behavioral health disorders using an approach that is most relevant to the practitioner: it provides basic definitions, and describes the specific roles of both the primary care provider (PCP) and the behavioral care provider (BCP) as well as specific resources presented in a stepped care model. Stepped care has been used sucessfully in medical settings. Adapted to behavioral health settings, It allows the clinician and the patient to choose treatments that are tailored to specific levels of intensity. This handbook is an interdisciplinary resource useful for classes in integrated care as well as for clinicians employed in in these settings.

Spirituality, Theology and Mental Health provides reflections from leading international scholars and practitioners in theology, anthropology, philosophy and psychiatry as to the nature of spirituality and its relevance to constructions of mental disorder and mental healthcare. Key issues are explored in depth, including the nature of spirituality and recent debates concerning its importance in contemporary psychiatric practice, relationship between demons and wellbeing in ancient religious texts and contemporary practice, religious conversion, and the nature and importance of myth and theology in shaping human self understanding. These are used as a basis for exploring some of the overarching intellectual and practical issues that arise when different disciplines engage together with an attempt to better understand the relationship between spirituality and mental health and translate their findings into mental healthcare practice.

Written by two physicians with decades of clinical and research experience in the field, this volume helps readers face schizophrenia by understanding what it is and how it is managed. Schizophrenia is a devastating illness that affects more than two million Americans. Written to help anyone who is faced with managing schizophrenia, whether as a patient, friend, or family member, this accessible book is an ideal first stop for practical, up-to-date information. It includes an overview of schizophrenic disorder and provides answers to common questions that arise at different phases of the illness. This brief and to-the-point guide focuses on dealing with many aspects of schizophrenia-complying with treatment, managing crises, being a caregiver, communicating with the care team, and coping skills. The book also provides practical approaches to common issues, such as financial support, housing, employment, interacting with the legal system, stress management, socialization, and negative emotions. Included are useful forms, lists, and a comprehensive collection of resources to access help and information. The goal of this book is to assist patients and their loved ones to effectively face schizophrenia, achieve maximal recovery, and enjoy a good quality of life. Provides a succinct, introductory guide to getting started on the road to understanding schizophrenia Answers questions commonly asked at initial diagnosis and later, and explains facts and concepts using real-world examples and pictorial illustrations Offers practical, evidence-based, and up-to-date information Clarifies the nonmedical burdens of schizophrenia, such as loneliness, socialization, and coping with negative emotions Presents an authoritative, reliable alternative to Internet sources that contain biased or inaccurate information Helps those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia get the most out of their lives