The research literature on the impact of alcohol on the brain has seen a rapid expansion in recent years. Alcohol and the Adult Brain presents an up-to-date overview of some of the issues relevant to understanding and working with people with cognitive impairment as a result of chronic alcohol use. One issue causing barriers to effective treatment and care is the stigma associated with alcohol dependence, resulting in the belief that difficulties associated with alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) are 'self-inflicted'. Cognitive changes resulting from alcohol excess and poor nutrition can directly affect an individual's ability to motivate themselves, make decisions, and make the informed choices that underlie behaviour change. Attitudes held by professionals, reinforced by societal norms, that a person is 'choosing to drink' and 'not motivated to engage with treatment', in combination with the often subtle cognitive deficits associated with ARBD, can result in a lack of timely intervention, with enormous personal, social and economic cost. The chapters in this book set ARBD in a social and cultural context, provide discussion of the difficulties in definition and diagnosis, and outline the structural brain changes and neuropsychological deficits associated with chronic alcohol use. The book provides an overview of recent research on ARBD, including impairments associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, and discusses up to date recommendations for managing and working with this complex and varied disorder. Alcohol and the Adult Brain will be essential for students and researchers working with ARBD and for practitioners in a range of health, social care and voluntary settings.

In an ageing world, the delivery of psychogeriatric services in an effective and efficient manner is an increasing concern for health service providers and administrators in both developed and developing countries. Despite awareness of the anticipated mental health needs of the ageing population, services for older people have been slow to develop in many places, and in some places do not exist at all. This volume brings together the theory and practice of psychogeriatric service delivery from an international perspective. It examines the range of different service models, perspectives and ideas with the evidence-base for each, providing a unique resource for those planning and administering psychogeriatric services. The first section of the book discusses the theory behind psychogeriatric service delivery, including its history, service delivery principles, needs analysis, population-based service planning, economics and funding, and evidence-based service delivery. Section two concentrates on practice, describing examples of service delivery from a number of European, American, African, Asian and Australasian settings. The third section focuses on solutions, evaluating the range of delivery settings and considering the needs of both consumers and carers.

Most physical illness effects people at the extremes of life, particularly in late life. A significant proportion of hospitalized older patients will experience some mental health problems, and medical units lacking specialist old age psychiatric services must rely on adult psychiatric and consultation liaison services for support. These generalists assume the role of old age psychiatrists by default. A key aim of the book is to provide guidelines for the appropriate treatment of psychiatric disorders in older people when medical illness complicates the picture. The book is divided into five sections. The first two sections cover the nature of the problem and initial assessment procedures. Section three focuses on specific disorders, including, amongst others, the most common reasons for referral - dementia, depression and delirium. Section four provides guidelines for treatment including pharmacological therapies, psychotherapeutic interventions and the use of ECT. The book concludes with short section considering the ethical and legal issues involved. This book covers the theoretical and practical knowledge required by psychiatrists in training, those seeking to specialize in consultation liaison or old age psychiatry, geriatricians and general practitioners. It will also be of interest to all other members of the healthcare team responsible for the medical management of older patients.

Brian Draper was tired of feeling tired; "life in its fullness" felt like a life crammed full of stuff, and no more. "I don't want to be the kind of father who turns up late and exhausted for his children's school concert and sits at the back fiddling with a Blackberry, distracted, vacant. I want to be THERE, in the front row, fully present." Drawing on the guidance of Christian wisdom, he began to notice opportunities, day to day, to reduce the quantity, and increase the quality of life - to make room for his soul. LESS IS MORE distils a wonderful spiritual principle which is especially significant at this point in history, when time is limited and money is in short supply. Chapters include: Clearing the loft - literally and spiritually; Using your senses to savour what is free; Finding rhythm; Giving freely; Expressing yourself.

'Brian Draper is Britain's foremost popular spiritual thinker; he has no equals in linking the inner with the political and personal outer. This is a remarkably practical exploration of elusive yet core elements of our existence.' - Oliver James The beauty of mindfulness is that it's incredibly simple both to 'get' and to practise. And the results - increasingly backed by neuro-scientific evidence - are priceless: calmness and reduced stress, more creativity, greater awareness, compassion. . . And yet there's a danger that mindfulness can be used in a purely consumerist and self-serving way to help people to become better adapted cogs in a still-toxic model of work and life. Brian Draper challenges us to live not just mindfully but soulfully. Not merely to be less stressed, but to flourish, dynamically and creatively - to be present - through living intentionally and compassionately.

In our busy, pressured world, the natural world can be a powerful counter-balance, offers wisdom for the challenges, pain and dislocations of life as well as for beauty, wonder and healing. In Soulful Nature, Brian Draper and Howard Green encourage you to get outside and make deeper connections with creation and its creator. They chart walking journeys through rural landscapes and town streets over the course of a year, showing how the natural cycle of the changing seasons can awaken us to the rhythms of our own lives. Each chapter explores a different landscape, zooming in on the small details of the natural world as well as panning out to the wide-screen beauty of time and place. Simple and practical spiritual exercises are provided throughout.

Aocording to the philosopher Danah Zohar (who coined the idea of spiritual intelligence), we live in a 'spiritually dumb' culture, alienated from each other, too busy to take time to reflect, and trying desperately to juggle the myriad pulls and pushes of life without cracking up. How can we find meaning from meaninglessness, hope from despair, reconciliation from alienation and wholeness from fragmentation? In this book, Brian Draper asks how ordinary people, whether religious or not, can nudge themselves (or be gently nudged) to live on a daily basis with increasing integrity, wholeness and well-being - to become more spiritually intelligent. The book is split into 4 main sections: 'awakening', 'seeing your world afresh', 'living the change' and 'passing it on'. The narrative style is contemplative, reflective and engaging.

In this comprehensive yet accessible guide, Brian Draper, a leading expert on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, describes the symptoms, treatment and management of dementia. Covering everything from assessment and diagnosis to drug and psychosocial treatments, community and residential care options, assistive technology, support for families and other caregivers, ethical and legal considerations, end of life decisions and the latest research and treatment developments, the book provides a complete road map for those supporting someone with dementia, in either a personal or professional capacity. The book will demystify dementia and increase understanding about why it occurs, current treatments and therapies and how it may be managed. Filled with useful information and advice, it will be an invaluable resource for relatives and carers, and a useful reference on the desk of any professional working with individuals with dementia.