In the late 1960s, the World Health Organization initiated a series of international studies of the incidence, characteristics, course, and consequences of schizophrenia. Those studies - the largest ever in the history of psychiatry - provided important data about the disorder in groups of patients living in different countries and cultures, and first focused attention on the differences in short-term prognosis for schizophrenia between the third world and industrialized countries. In the 1990s, the International Study of Schizophrenia (ISoS) set out to relocate those subjects and to determine their clinical and social status some 15 to 25 years later.
Recovery from Schizophrenia is a comprehensive account of what ISoS found, reporting follow-up results for over 1000 subjects examined in the earlier WHO studies (and in several local studies as well). The body of this volume consists of detailed descriptions of the long-term course and outcome of schizophrenia, together with portraits of the field research sites in 14 countries. Introductory and synoptic chapters lay out the origin and design of the WHO studies culminating in ISoS, and synthesize the study's main findings. ISoS shows that, with appropriate treatment, schizophrenia has a favorable outcome for a substantial portion of those afflicted. The surprising finding of the short-term follow-up studies - that outcome was better in the developing than in the developed countries - is confirmed here for long-term course. Yet while prognosis continues to favor subjects in developing countries, the varied outcomes for those in developed nations still offers ample reason for hope.
This book is the first of its kind. The massivemultinational investigations upon which it is based are unique in psychiatry and cross-cultural epidemiology. Recovery from Schizophrenia will be a valuable resource for researchers, epidemiologists, policymakers, and mental health professionals worldwide, providing evidence that supports investment in the care of persons with schizophrenia.

Medically unexplained somatic symptoms are problematic in psychiatry, primary care settings, and other clinical areas. The burden they impose on health-care systems constitutes a significant public health problem. At the international symposium "Rethinking Somatoform Disorders," this problem was addressed by specialists working in somatoform disorders, psychiatric nosology, epidemiology, and biological and cross-cultural psychiatry. The meeting was the third of the Keio University International Symposia for Life Sciences and Medicine, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the World Psychiatric Association.

The diagnosis and assessment of personality disorders has lagged considerably behind that of most other mental disorders. However, the IPDE is an instrument which is compatible, through two modules, with both ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. In the form of a semi-structured clinical interview, it provides a means of measuring major categories of personality disorders which have been previously ignored. It is also unique in that it seeks to secure reliable and uniform diagnosis which is both internationally and cross-culturally acceptable. Written by leading international authorities, this volume forms an invaluable reference manual to the IPDE instrument and its development. Its first section includes an overview of the worldwide field trials of the interview and aspects of epidemiology which affect the current status of diagnosis and assessment research. The second section detailing the full interview schedule and scoring system for the instrument will further facilitate its use by both clinician and researcher.

The diagnosis and assessment of personality disorders has lagged considerably behind that of most other mental disorders. However, the IPDE is an instrument which is compatible, through two modules, with both ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. In the form of a semi-structured clinical interview, it provides a means of measuring major categories of personality disorders which have been previously ignored. It is also unique in that it seeks to secure reliable and uniform diagnosis which is both internationally and cross-culturally acceptable. Written by leading international authorities, this volume forms an invaluable reference manual to the IPDE instrument and its development. Its first section includes an overview of the worldwide field trials of the interview and aspects of epidemiology which affect the current status of diagnosis and assessment research. The second section detailing the full interview schedule and scoring system for the instrument will further facilitate its use by both clinician and researcher.

Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry is the trusted introductory text for students of medicine and other health professions, including psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work and occupational therapy. It has also been the essential reference for family doctors for over quarter of a century. Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry: Fourth Edition has been revised and updated by five editors, leaders in their fields, in collaboration with a new generation of expert psychiatrists. The four-part structure—an introduction to clinical psychiatry; conditions encountered; specific patient groups and clinical settings; and principles and details of typical clinical services, and of biological and psychological treatments—provides a clear overview of clinical practice. It also explores the causes of mental illness and the ethical aspects of its treatment, and covers the full range of psychiatric disorders encountered by health practitioners. The fourth edition emphasises biological, psychological and social factors in assessing and treating patients, includes the integrated use of DSM-5 classification, and provides further reading suggestions. It is richly illustrated with dozens of clinical stories.

Medically unexplained somatic symptoms are problematic in psychiatry, primary care settings, and other clinical areas. The burden they impose on health-care systems constitutes a significant public health problem. At the international symposium "Rethinking Somatoform Disorders," this problem was addressed by specialists working in somatoform disorders, psychiatric nosology, epidemiology, and biological and cross-cultural psychiatry. The meeting was the third of the Keio University International Symposia for Life Sciences and Medicine, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the World Psychiatric Association.