Review of Mental health law in Canada.

Reviews the book, Mental health law in Canada by Harvey Savage and Carla McKague (1987). Mental health professionals who come into contact with the law in the course of their work generally have an interest in the well-being of the client. However, they often feel dismayed and confused because of their lack of understanding of mental law and the legal system in general. Until recently, mental health professionals in Canada could not turn to a single volume which would help explain mental health law, including their clients' rights. However, Harvey Savage and Carla McKague's book, Mental health law in Canada, will help alleviate some of the concern and confusion Canadian mental health professionals have come to know. Although some authors have written about Canadian mental health law in specific contexts (e.g., criminal responsibility or fitness to stand trial), Savage and McKague's contribution is the only available comprehensive source directed to the law affecting psychiatric patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Introduction to psychology and law: Canadian perspectives.

Reviews the book, Introduction to psychology and law: Canadian perspectives by Regina A. Schuller and James R. P. Ogloff (see record 2001-06385-000). The book begins with an introduction by the editors underscoring the breadth of applications of psychology in legal forums and describing the well-known history of this field, along with the inevitable tension that exists between the disciplines of psychology and law. Standard ethical issues facing psychologists in this intersection are also explored. The introduction is followed by a chapter by Gordon Rose, which gives a ready overview of the Canadian legal system and typical procedures in criminal and civil actions. This information is an essential foundation for understanding the environment into which psychology must fit. The subsequent 12 chapters are collected in three sections relating to criminal procedure, forensic clinical psychology, and forensic civil psychology. Most chapters begin with a Canadian case vignette and conclude with four discussion questions that arise from the chapter material. These questions will be very useful as a regular component of class participation. This book presents a balanced balanced mix of experimental and clinical psychological information to be applied to the law covered by the text. With few exceptions, such as in the case of young offenders issues, the range of topics covered is adequate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Canadian mental health law and policy.

Reviews the book, Canadian Mental Health Law and Policy by John E. Gray, Margaret A. Shone, and Peter F. Liddle (2000). The authors of this book have produced a multidisciplinary text that succinctly summarizes the main points of Canadian mental health laws and the variability across provinces and territories in these laws and in their typical interpretation and application. This book offers a concise guide to the laws dealing with key issues such as involuntary hospital admission, authorization of psychiatric treatment, and treatment refusal. Although not always an easy read for those unfamiliar with legal terms and writing, the book is geared to a wide audience that includes legal and policy specialists, mental health professionals, and advocates for the mentally ill. These authors are to be congratulated for their efforts to disseminate and explain information on Canadian mental health law and to promote a more humane and scientifically grounded set of legal standards and interpretations that are pertinent to the disposition and treatment of Canadian citizens with severe mental disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Judging the jury.

Reviews the book, Judging the jury by Valerie P. Hans and Neil Vidmar (1986). Judging the Jury has a primary emphasis on the jury system in the United States. As the authors point out, the judicial models of the U.S. and Canada are quite different. The Canadian system is more similar to the British tradition, while the American courts have departed from this tradition in a number of significant ways. There is a greater reliance on the jury for both civil and criminal matters in the U.S.; indeed, Canadian courts do not even allow trial by jury for less serious crimes. In general, the American model gives the jury considerably more power and discretion. The book's focus on the U.S. obviously limits its application in Canada. Given that one author is a Canadian scholar and the other has extensive experience in Canadian jury research, perhaps their next book will feature the Canadian jury system. This book provides an excellent background for social scientists interested injury research, but it will also be of interest to anyone interested in the administration of justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Head Start: A Canadian model. A review of Poverty and the child, a Canadian study.

Reviews the book, Poverty and the Child, a Canadian Study by Thomas J. Ryan (1972). The primary purpose of the author of this book appears to be to persuade the Canadian government to establish a Canadian equivalent to the Head Start Project which was launched by the government of the United States in 1964. The principal thesis advanced is that the behavior which leads to poverty is learned during the first years of life and most of the volume is devoted to the presentation of research findings which lend support to this view. Finally, it is argued that effective long range plans for interrupting the poverty cycle must involve the socialization or re-socialization of the children of welfare families. In so far as this book points out the urgent need for innovative effort and research on behalf of not only the disadvantaged but all Canadian children and a national commitment which would make this possible it has been an important contribution. However, it probably will not be viewed as a significant addition to the literature in child study. Some will regard the emphasis placed on the shaping effects of the environment as excessive. Furthermore many will be surprised that so little attention is paid to the current disenchantment with Head Start as it has been implemented in the United States. If Canada is to launch a program of compensatory education it should not repeat the mistakes made south of the border. Perhaps here we might begin with a new perspective namely to identify and build on strengths rather than capitulate to the social pathology model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The law, standards of practice, and ethics in the practice of psychology.

Reviews the book, The law, standards of practice, and ethics in the practice of psychology by David R. Evans (see record 1997-36222-000). The strength of this book, as the title suggests, is its focus on Canadian law, legal precedent, and ethical standards. The book covers, among other things, informed consent, confidentiality, assessment and treatment of children and adults, custody and access assessments, assessment of young offenders and treatment of correctional clients, the practitioner as expert witness, and malpractice. This text is destined to become a standard, and because the law is constantly changing as cases set new precedents, it will have to be revised on a regular basis. In that context, I offer some minor criticisms that are intended to be possibilities for making the text stronger in future revisions: I would suggest that an index of names be added to the present subject index, and an index of the Canadian legal cases cited. At present these cases are merely referenced after each chapter without the page numbers that one would get in an index. There are appendices after most chapters (I counted 14 separate appendices). Next time around, Evans might consider adding a list of appendices, with hints about their contents, after the table of contents. These criticisms aside, laudatory reviewers sometimes say "all psychologists (lawyers, doctors, etc.) should have this book on their shelves." In the case of this new book on legal and ethical rules concerning the practice of psychology in Canada, I can make that claim without hyperbole. For Canadian psychologists, particularly those who transact business with the public, this book is essential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pain in children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Pain in children and adolescents by P. J. McGrath and A. M. Unruh (1987). This book is an extremely comprehensive work, dealing not only with specific clinical problems but also with such broader and complex issues as ethics and service delivery in pediatric pain. McGrath and Unruh go a long way to unravel the 'mystery' of pain in children by discussing clearly and concisely the literature on the assessment and measurement of pain in children. Clinical problems such as post-operative pain, abdominal pain, headache, muskuloskeletal pain, colic, injuries, psychogenic pain, and chronic intractable pain are all dealt with in individual chapters divided into clearly labelled sections, making it very easy for busy clinicians to locate their particular area of interest. One of the strengths of this book is the methodological expertise of the authors, which is evident in their evaluations of the research cited in the text. Novice researchers reading this book will be reminded of the many pitfalls to be avoided in research design, and postgraduate students seeking topics for research will find numerous suggestions in the 'future directions' sections of the book. The publishers are to be congratulated on their attractive presentation of the book. The type is large and very easy to read, the text is well spaced, and considering the amount of material in the book, it is remarkably compact in size and very reasonably priced. Providing as it does a comprehensive summary and analysis of the literature to date on pain in children, it is essential reading for all clinicians, paramedics, and researchers concerned with this important and long neglected area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding and treating the pathological gambler: Book review.

This book represents an introduction to basic cognitive and behavioral treatment principles and strategies that guide the authors' clinical research on pathological gambling. While this book is primarily presented as a clinical tool and will be highly useful to clinicians already well-versed in cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological gambling, those new to the field will find the absence of supporting references a frustrating aspect of this otherwise helpful text. At minimum, a bibliography of key books and articles would have greatly enhanced the value of this work. In addition, the authors do not present any empirical evidence for their clinical approach, leaving the reader without any sense of how effective this approach has been shown to be or why it is superior to any other clinical approach to excessive gambling. Although the intention of this book was primarily to outline a clinical approach to excessive gambling, the definitive evaluation of the approach presented in this text will rest on its demonstrated empirical efficacy. Until then, this book will be of great use to clinicians who treat problem gambling and who wish to employ an approach that has been found to be effective with other addictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of From denial to recovery: Counseling problem drinkers, alcoholics, and their families.

Reviews the book, From denial to recovery: Counseling problem drinkers, alcoholics, and their families by Lawrence Metzger (see record 1987-98723-000). This book admirably complies with the author's stated reason for writing it: "A compelling reason for writing this book is to aid care givers who may have avoided or been baffled by alcoholic clients in the past. Their lack of training and expertise in dealing with this problem has meant that alcoholics and their family members...have been neglected to the point where the problem simply becomes self-perpetuating and expands generationally." To this end, this book can serve as an excellent introduction to the field of alcoholism treatment for practitioners trained in the behavioral sciences. Unlike many works in the alcoholism literature, this book is properly annotated and, to a large degree, research based. As such, it will appeal to practitioners with a scientific background. The author proceeds to give an excellent overview of the current state of the art in alcoholism treatment. None of the particular criticisms noted should detract from these general observations. Overall, the major strength of this work is its explication of the details of alcoholism treatment in a format which will be palatable to students of the behavioral sciences. It would be an excellent addition to courses on addictions treatment. The most specific strengths of this work are in the diagnostic formulation for differentiating levels of alcohol abuse and the explication of a very thorough alcoholism diagnostic interview. In my view, if the reader can remember that (a) alcoholism is not caused by bad genes, (b) patients who have blackouts must abstain from alcohol, and (c) the self-help movements are the primary treatment modalities for addictions, then this work will be an excellent addition to any library on alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety disorders in adults.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 43(4) of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-16947-001). In this review, it was incorrectly reported that the series in which this title appears, Guidebooks in Clinical Psychology, is published by Guilford. In fact, the publisher is Oxford University Press. We apologize to the authors and publishers concerned for this error.] Reviews the book, Anxiety disorders in adults by Peter D. McLean and Sheila R. Woody (see record 2001-00540-000). This recent volume by McLean and Woody, part of Guilford's new series of guidebooks in clinical psychology, is the best example of this new generation of psychotherapy books. The authors have a wealth of experience in conducting clinical research and in supervising clinicians and graduate students in providing treatments in clinical trials. This book is a gem. The scientist-practitioner model is the cornerstone of clinical psychology training in Canada, and it was a real pleasure to read a work that so fully embodies the spirit of the scientist-practitioner model. McLean and Woody's book belongs on the shelf of everyone who trains students to work with anxiety-disordered clients or who provides direct services to this astonishingly underserved segment of the population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The education of the patient with cardiac disease in the twenty-first century.

Reviews the book, The education of the patient with cardiac disease in the twenty-first century edited by N. K. Wenger (1986). Patient education, with particular emphasis on cardiac disease, is the theme of this work. The book is encyclopedic and contains in a single volume the current state of the art, as well as the near-future of patient education. Physicians and psychologists will find this book to be a helpful tool in educating medical students in how to communicate and relate to their patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Shifting the paradigm in community mental health: Towards empowerment and community.

Reviews the book, Shifting the paradigm in community mental health: Towards empowerment and community by Geoffrey Nelson, John Lord, and Joanna Ochocka (2001). This book, as it combines theory, practice, and research (a case study) about the processes of empowerment and integration of consumers of mental health care in a Canadian setting, delineates strategies and approaches that can be factors in fulfilling this important aim. Shifting the Paradigm in Community Mental Health is a welcome contribution to the literature on the implementation of consumer empowerment and involvement in mental health treatment and care. The authors offer an approach enabling the reader to see the dimensions for empowerment and community integration termed the empowerment-community integration paradigm. The book will be useful for a wide audience, including consumers, professionals, stakeholders, researchers, and policy makers, and should be in the libraries of all institutions, formal and informal, that deliver mental health care. The overall clarity of the writing and all the approaches will be very much appreciated by all those who work or receive services in mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases.

Reviews the book, Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases by Patricia Keith-Spiegel and Gerald P. Koocher (see record 1985-97634-000). This well written and interesting book offers comprehensive coverage of how the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists (1981) apply in any setting where psychologists are involved. This book should be of special interest to Canadians who are interested in the new Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics. The CPA Code organized the areas of concern covered by the APA code, plus new and emerging issues, under an umbrella of four general principles and many associated standards of conduct. Both the book and the CPA Code attempt to raise the level of consciousness about ethical issues and ethical decision-making. The result? They complement each other and together provide a useful combination of philosophy, standards, and concrete examples of unethical or questionable behaviour by a psychologist. All who read this book will become aware of the complexity associated with ethics in the practice of psychology. The authors are to be congratulated on providing a scholarly work, long needed by the public and psychologists alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Record Keeping Guidelines.

These guidelines are designed to educate psychologists and provide a framework for making decisions regarding professional record keeping. State and federal laws, as well as the American Psychological Association's "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct," generally require maintenance of appropriate records of psychological services. The nature and extent of the record will vary depending upon the purpose, setting, and context of the psychological services. Within these guidelines, more directive language has been used when a particular guideline is based specifically on mandatory provisions of the Ethics Code or law. However, some areas are not addressed in those enforceable standards and regulations. In these areas, more aspirational language has been used. This document aims to elaborate and provide assistance to psychologists as they attempt to establish their own record keeping policies and procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Clinical Assessment before Trial.

Reviews the book, Clinical Assessment before Trial by C. D. Webster, R. J. Menzies, and M. A. Jackson (1982). The stated scope and purpose of this text are most ambitious. Webster, Menzies, and Jackson propose to answer seven or eight major questions for three specific purposes. They hope to encourage a compassionate interest in the mentally disordered offender, provide an academic study of the actions of clinicians, and give a sociological perspective on the interconnection of medicine and law. They have obviously given considerable thought of how the format of the book might assist in accomplishing their goals. They offer chapters addressed to the questions they ask and provide a walk-through of the issues using two hypothetical cases as examples. It is worth pointing out that the authors provide excellent references to Canadian forensic agencies and some corresponding data about these services. The bibliography is also very useful for Canadian students (and practitioners) who wish access to more detailed material than the text is able to provide. On the whole, the reader is provided with a reasonable academic introduction to clinical assessment before trial. The book fails to the extent that the authors appear to have gambled about how to use the space provided. In the end, the book has a resulting weakness. The main section does not have the space needed to become a major text. And yet the one-third of the book that is Appendices could just as well have been published in a regular journal. Better judgment would have provided the authors with more room to address the many important points dealt with in the main section fully. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology and life (Canadian edition).

Reviews the book, Psychology and life (Canadian edition) (2009), by Richard J. Gerrig, Philip Zimbardo, Serge Desmarais, and Tammy Ivanco. As part of an effective strategy to deal with the many emerging challenges of teaching large introductory psychology classes, a modern textbook geared toward introductory psychology must keep up with these changes and offer useful features that address the needs of the student. To this end, Psychology and Life (Canadian Edition) presents an impressive update of the classic textbook by Gerrig and Zimbardo. The text continues to hit on the key principle of psychology as a science with a thorough and updated research-based presentation. The textbook is well organised into 17 chapters covering the range of typical introductory psychology topics. The chapters are written in a midlevel text that will be accessible to the broad range of students enrolled in most introductory psychology courses. While maintaining a high level of readability and interest, the work is solidly grounded in research as it highlights psychology as a science. As the title of the textbook suggests, the authors make a conscious effort to demonstrate that the research and curriculum presented in each chapter have an immediate impact on daily life. This is a well-written, organised, and appealing text that students will find engaging and instructors will find suitable for providing a solid grounding in the science of contemporary psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Developments in the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors.

Reviews the book, Developments in the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors, edited by Ted D. Nirenberg and Stephan A. Maisto (see record 1987-98442-000). The editors identify two goals of this book: "The first is to provide a review of the recent treatment advances for each of the addictions. The second is to highlight similarities among the addictions in etiology, maintenance and treatment." My reading of the book prompted a sense of limited recent progress on treatment effectiveness and much important work yet to be done in understanding commonalities among addictive behaviors. The book's 15 chapters are organized into 4 parts: Introduction, Assessment of Addictive Behaviors, Treatment of Addictive Behaviors, and Special Issues. The variability of chapter quality was considerable, but the reviewer found at least one outstanding contribution in each part. Overall, the reviewer was disappointed that the book made only passing reference to the high prevalence of cannabis and cocaine abuse and omitted any mention of assessment or treatment of patients abusing these drugs in isolation or in combination with other addictive behaviors. On the other hand, by juxtaposing some provocative reviews of work on obesity and abuse of alcohol, opiates, and tobacco the authors at least succeed in raising the issue of commonality in a way that will hopefully encourage more integrated work in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Anxiety disorders in adults": Correction.

Reports an error in "Review of Anxiety disorders in adults" by John Hunsley (Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 2002[Aug], Vol 43[3], 212-214). In this review, it was incorrectly reported that the series in which this title appears, Guidebooks in Clinical Psychology, is published by Guilford. In fact, the publisher is Oxford University Press. We apologize to the authors and publishers concerned for this error. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-16946-001.) Reviews the book, Anxiety disorders in adults by Peter D. McLean and Sheila R. Woody (see record 2001-00540-000). This recent volume by McLean and Woody, part of Guilford's new series of guidebooks in clinical psychology, is the best example of this new generation of psychotherapy books. The authors have a wealth of experience in conducting clinical research and in supervising clinicians and graduate students in providing treatments in clinical trials. This book is a gem. The scientist-practitioner model is the cornerstone of clinical psychology training in Canada, and it was a real pleasure to read a work that so fully embodies the spirit of the scientist-practitioner model. McLean and Woody's book belongs on the shelf of everyone who trains students to work with anxiety-disordered clients or who provides direct services to this astonishingly underserved segment of the population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology of language.

Reviews the book, Psychology of Language by Allan Paivio and Ian Begg (1981). The present volume constitutes a well-organized and sometimes provocative contribution that merits careful consideration. From the start, the authors set to work toward achieving their stated goals of emphasizing "historical and interdisciplinary concerns". They present a careful analysis of the three positions which they contrast throughout the book: the linguistic, the behavioural, and the cognitive. The particular version of the cognitive view that receives the most detailed consideration is Paivio's dual-coding theory. After the basic principles of these orientations are presented, they are brought to bear upon the central problems of language, including meaning, comprehension, memory and acquisition. Who will benefit from this book? The authors state that they hope it will be useful to upper year undergraduate and graduate students. It is the reviewer's feeling that most undergraduates would find this to be a difficult text. It is the serious and even sophisticated student of language for whom it will be of greatest value. Omissions notwithstanding, Psychology of Language presents many thoughtful and scholarly ideas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)