The "epigenetic puzzle" which is schizophrenia, forms the focus of this Monograph, But The Authors Do Not Sit Comfortably With The Notion That this is an entity. Rather, they approach the non-affective psychoses on a broad epidemiological base, ascertaining cases of so-called "functional" psychoses over a quarter of a century. They examine admission policies, showing that patients are admitted to hospital on the grounds of their particular presentation, rather than their diagnosis. They explore Differences Between Males And Females With Psychotic Disorders, And Show that gender is a more powerful influence than diagnosis. They investigate trends over time, and find that demography is the major influence. Looking at criminality, they show that the factors predicting criminal Behaviour In Individuals With Psychotic Illness Are Much The Same In those without psychotic illness. And they trace the longitudinal course of illness, putting paid to the schizophrenia/manic depression dichotomy.; This monograph is an overview of the ideas and many of the findings generated by a highly productive group of researchers. It has a good chance to become one of the standard references in several of the key aspects of schizophrenia.

The "epigenetic puzzle" which is schizophrenia, forms the focus of this Monograph, but the authors do not sit comfortably with the notion that this is an entity. Rather, they approach the non-affective psychoses on a broad epidemiological base, ascertaining cases of so-called "functional" psychosis over a quarter of a century. They examine admission policies, showing that patients are admitted to hospital on the grounds of their particular presentation, rather than their diagnosis. They explore differences between males and females with psychotic disorders, and show that gender is a more powerful influence than diagnosis. They investigate trends over time, and find that demography is the major influence. Looking at criminality, they show that the factors predicting criminal behavior in individuals with psychotic illness are much the same in those without psychotic illness. And they trace the longitudinal course of illness, putting paid to the schizophrenia/manic depression dichotomy. Their powerful message isthat diagnostic criteria are spurious, complacent constructs, which lull us into a false sense of security, and which should be challenged. They suggest that it is epidemiology which can place the current vogue for diagnostic conformity in its correct perspective.
Epidemiology has a vital role to play by exploring the attributes of the clinical concept of schizophrenia and their correlates in relation to the population base from which cases are drawn. While many clinical and biological studies still operate with truncated distributions of such attributes because of unsystematic or opportunity sampling, an epidemiological sample is less likely to be affected by such bias andmore likely to be representative of the entire spectrum of manifestations of the notional disease. The study of epidemiologically defined samples of schizophrenia cases should therefore lead to more precise questions about syndrome boundaries, clinical heterogeneity, and associations with possible risk factors.
To mention some of the highlights of the monograph, the analyses of crime and schizophrenia, and of the comparative incidence of disorders in Afro-Caribbean and African immigrants, are methodologically ingenious and lead to well supported conclusions. The description of the clinical profile of late onset schizophrenia is a timely contribution to a topic which attracts less attention in the current literature than is warranted by its critical importance for any aetiological theories about the disorder.
This monograph is an excellent overview of the ideas and many of the findings generated by a highly productive group of researchers. It has a good chance to become one of the standard references on several of the key aspects of schizophrenia.

Psychiatric comorbidities such as depression, anxiety and substance use are extremely common amongst people with schizophrenia. They add to poor clinical outcomes and disability, yet are often not at the forefront of the minds of clinicians, who tend to concentrate on assessing and treating the core symptoms of schizophrenia, notably delusions and hallucinations. There is an imperative to assess every patient with schizophrenia for psychiatric comorbidities, as they might masquerade as core psychotic symptoms and also because they warrant treatment in their own right. This volume addresses these issues using a clinical lens informed by the current literature. Published as part of the Oxford Psychiatry Library series, the book serves as a concise and practical reference for busy clinicians.

This is a comprehensive, up-to-date and evidence-based review of women's mental health. It starts by considering the social and cultural contexts of women's lives today before addressing how developmental aspects pertain to mental health, exploring biological, evolutionary and psychosocial parameters. The heart of the book contains a series of chapters with a clinical emphasis. These aim to elucidate causal mechanisms for gender differences in mental disorder considering hormonal and environmental influences. The therapeutic implications of gender are then addressed in some detail, with a focus on inter-partner and other forms of violence, substance misuse, personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The book concludes with a detailed section considering psychosis and its sequelae in women and their families. The book's scope is intended to be broad, and it is aimed at a clinical audience including psychiatrists and general physicians, as well as mental health nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists.

This is a major international textbook for psychiatrists and other professionals working in the field of mental healthcare. With contributions from opinion-leaders from around the globe, this book will appeal to those in training as well as to those further along the career path seeking a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of effective clinical practice backed by research evidence. The book is divided into cohesive sections moving from coverage of the tools and skills of the trade, through descriptions of the major psychiatric disorders and on to consider special topics and issues surrounding service organization. The final important section provides a comprehensive review of treatments covering all of the major modalities. Previously established as the Essentials of Postgraduate Psychiatry, this new and completely revised edition is the only book to provide this depth and breadth of coverage in an accessible, yet authoritative manner.

Gender impacts significantly on the onset and nature of schizophrenia suffered by women: the female brain develops more rapidly than the male; estrogens produce antipsychotic effects; the female brain ages differently from the male, with a massive preponderance of female very-late-onset schizophrenia that may be related to a relative excess of dopamine D2 receptors. This comprehensive review is as much about women as it is about schizophrenia, encompassing the biological, endocrinological, epidemiological, reproductive, psychological, and social aspects of schizophrenia as experienced by women. An international, multidisciplinary team of clinicians and mental health researchers review past and current literature, and also assess sex-specific issues and evaluate their therapeutic, clinical, and social implications for more appropriate and effective treatments of schizophrenia in women now and in the future. This volume is essential reading for all clinicians, practitioners, and researchers involved with mental health and with women's health.

This is a comprehensive, up-to-date and evidence-based review of women's mental health. It starts by considering the social and cultural contexts of women's lives today before addressing how developmental aspects pertain to mental health, exploring biological, evolutionary and psychosocial parameters. The heart of the book contains a series of chapters with a clinical emphasis. These aim to elucidate causal mechanisms for gender differences in mental disorder considering hormonal and environmental influences. The therapeutic implications of gender are then addressed in some detail, with a focus on inter-partner and other forms of violence, substance misuse, personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The book concludes with a detailed section considering psychosis and its sequelae in women and their families. The book's scope is intended to be broad, and it is aimed at a clinical audience including psychiatrists and general physicians, as well as mental health nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists.