Personality disorders have been described as "the stepchildren of psychiatry". They have only recently been recognized as categories of psychiatric illness, and still need to be better defined. So far only the category of antisocial personality disorder has been fully validated, while schizotypal and borderline categories now have reasonable acceptance. This book interprets the personality disorders as products of the interaction between social influences and other etiological factors as part of a broad biopsychosocial model, and sets out to explain how personality traits develop into personality disorders. Strongly oriented towards recent empirical findings, the author's analysis leads him to question certain common assumptions about the origins of personality disorders, and in particular the simplistic notion that they may be traced back to dramatic childhood events. He argues that although biological, psychological, and social factors are all necessary, none of them is by itself sufficient to produce personality disorder. This basic model is also a model of treatment, in which biological, experiential, and social factors should all be addressed in therapy, and his treatment recommendations focus particularly on social adjustment through the adaptive use of personality traits. Illustrated with revealing case vignettes, this balanced, humane, and rational account of a difficult and sometimes contentious area will greatly assist clinicians in the understanding and treatment of individuals with personality disorder.

It is 1967. A mysterious disease appears in an English town. People fall down suddenly, poleaxed, and many die. Is it caused by a bacterium, a virus, a poison? Nobody knows, and top doctors squabble over its cause. But then two junior doctors and a young anthropology student, who has recovered from the disease, join together. The three investigators continue their work to find out the cause of the disease, a virus whose worst effects are only shown in those who are very anxious. They think they have found the cause and the solution. But will they be in time? This is a gripping dystopian tale, very much relevant to events unfolding today and written by Emeritus Professor of Community Psychiatry at Imperial College, London, Peter Tyrer whose long-standing interest in the connections between mental and physical health informed the novel.

Rapid changes are taking place in the practice of psychiatry and nowhere is this more pronounced than in its community aspects. Although much that has changed sometimes appears to have done so without adequate forethought or research there is already a considerable body of knowledge that underscores recent developments. In this book, first published in 1995, prominent researchers in this expanding subject debate the implications of knowledge derived from a variety of sources, and look ahead to impending developments that will need further research enquiry. The chapters are wide in scope and topical in content and the discussions after each are frank and informative. This book will be of help to all those involved in the organisation of psychiatric care.

Personality disorder affects more than 10% of the population but is widely ignored by health professionals as it is viewed as a term of stigma. The new classification of personality disorder in the ICD-11 shows that we are all on a spectrum of personality disturbance and that this can change over time. This important new book explains why all health professionals need to be aware of personality disorders in their clinical practice. Abnormal personality, at all levels of severity, should be taken into account when choosing treatment, when predicting outcomes, when anticipating relapse, and when explaining diagnosis. Authored by leading experts in this field, this book explains how the new classification of personality disorders in the ICD-11 helps to select treatment programmes, plan long-term management and avoid adverse consequences in the treatment of this patient group.

Selection of the best outcome measures is a crucial step in psychiatric research. There are excellent instruments available for most areas of interest and researchers are often faced with a confusing choice. Getting it right will save you time and money, affect the validity and comparability of your results and, ultimately, improve the impact of your publications. This booklet, extracted from the third edition of Research Methods in Psychiatry and with a new foreword and introduction, will help guide you through the crucial process of selecting the rating scales to use in your research. Crucially, each scale is listed with its citation rate as a guide to its popularity among the research community and the potential comparability of results.

The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is now published and all countries of the world will be asked to implement it in practice. The ICD-11 has made significant revisions to the classification of mental health disorders, which have real-world implications for clinical practice. This volume provides a clear overview of the major changes to the main psychiatric classifications that will have an impact on clinicians in their day-to-day practice. Each chapter is authored by an authority in the field, who has also been involved in the revision to the classification. The book also covers disorders that have been newly added to the ICD-11, such as Gaming Disorder, Binge-Eating Disorder, Complex PTSD, Prolonged Grief Disorder and more. This is an essential text for mental health professionals internationally, to help them make sense of the new classification, and how best to put it in to practice.

This is a book of psychiatry at its most practical level. It answers the sorts of questions psychiatrists ask on a daily basis. What treatments are available for the condition this patient has? What is the evidence for the effectiveness of each of these treatments? Is there any value in combinations of treatment? And, can I be sure that the evidence and recommendations are free from bias? This handy pocket reference summarises the key elements of the Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry. The text has been revised to provide the most up-to-date evidence for treatment decisions, with an accompanying summary table for each chapter to reinforce the recommendations. It is an essential guide for mental health professionals of all disciplines as well as medical students and trainees.