A Family Approach To Psychiatric Disorders

The book reflects the remarkable changes in both psychiatry and family therapy over the past several decades.

Mental Illness in the Family traces the development of treatment approaches with families of the mentally ill over the past three decades. The essays in this book reflect the work of clinicians currently dealing with families in a variety of settings and from a number of perspectives. Topics covered include patients' views on programs for the mentally ill, the needs of families coming to terms with the mental illness of a family member, 'the forgotten sibling, ' the concept of grief, the confusion that a family member can experience when dealing simultaneously with the mental health and the criminal justice systems, and the effect of parental mental illness on young children. This volume will be of particular interest to social workers, clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals who work primarily with individuals and families who have been affected by major mental illness.

An overview of the core competencies for the delivery of evidence-based family interventions for child and adolescent mental health issues.

The book examines various scientific, economic, and cultural forces that have affected the mental health field's viewpoint—and that of society in general—regarding the genesis of some behavioral disorders, and how dysfunctional family dynamics play an often overlooked role. Millions of Americans have psychological issues or are affected by those of their family members, ranging from anxiety and bipolar disorder to mood and personality disorders. The growth of Big Pharma, combined with an increasing desire of managed care providers to find simple and "quick fixes," has resulted in an often myopic focus on biological causes of dysfunctional symptoms. There is plenty of evidence to indicate that this propensity to only prescribe pills is often deeply misguided, however. This book examines the role of dysfunctional family interactions in the genesis and maintenance of certain behavioral problems. The author presents a case for regaining a balance in terms of the biological, psychological, and family-system factors in psychiatric disorders and suggests a way to accomplish this.

Use these interventions and treatments to help people with mental health problems and their families! Family Therapy and Mental Health: Innovations in Theory and Practice explores the application of family therapy approaches to the treatment of a variety of mental health problems. A variety of treatment modalities are used with patients and their families to address these problems, including family psychoeducational approaches, the McMaster Model, cognitive behavioral family therapy, brief therapy, and systemic and narrative approaches. Each chapter of Family Therapy and Mental Health examines the gender and cultural issues that are relevant to the population and model it describes, and includes a case example. In addition, each chapter describes how the model is integrated with psychiatric services and examines the use of medication in each case. For complete contents, and to see our distinguished roster of contributors, please visit our Web site at http://www.haworthpress.com This volume presents a variety of family therapy approaches to conditions that include: schizophrenia bipolar disorder anxiety depression personality disorders suicide addictions There are also complete chapters describing family therapy approaches to special issues such as: women and mental health brain injury aging The text of Family Therapy and Mental Health: Innovations in Theory and Practice is written with a strong clinical focus and will be helpful and informative for frontline clinicians as well as students in graduate programs. The book's broad range, covering the mental health issues that clinicians typically encounter in the real world, ensures that they will find information they can use today and every day, and wisdom that students can carry with them through their careers.

A unique resource to the field, Family Intervention for Severe Mental Illness provides practical clinical guidelines for implementing a core set of four family intervention services for severe mental illness: short-term education, family consultation, single family behavioral family therapy, and multiple family groups. The authors provide a model for implementing family intervention services in routine mental health treatment settings and address organizational issues related to leadership, staffing, monitoring of treatment quality and outcomes, and reimbursement of services. They also provides valuable resources for agencies implementing family intervention that can be used across the different intervention programs. The appendix is a rich supplement that includes a comprehensive set of educational handouts for family members about different psychiatric disorders in their treatment.

Family Matters focuses on research and clinical material which bridges the traditional gap between child and adult mental health. Rather than considering child and adult problems separately, the authors address the often complex interactions between the two, covering such topics as: · The implications of childhood trauma in later life · The impact of parental mental health problems on children · How interactions within a family can affect the mental health of all individuals within the family The authors review existing research and cover their own recent studies and practical experience, and put forward new theoretical models to underpin their recommendations for changes in practice, such as liason initiatives between child and adult services and specialised services to treat adolescents, parenting breakdown and perinatal psychiatric illness. The findings and recommendations in Family Matters have have important implications for the organsiation and funding of mental health and related services, and staff training, and should be read by all those in professions concerned with child and adult mental health, including psychiatrists, family therapists, psychotherapists, nurses, health visitors and social workers, and health service managers.