Review of The colors within: One rainbow reclaimed.

Reviews the book, The colors within: One rainbow reclaimed by Jana Adams (2006). In this book, the author uses an illustrated fairy tale to depict the recovery process of one abused child as she navigates the complex journey into adulthood. Vivid metaphors, compelling language, and powerful images that capture both the fundamental loss experienced by an abused child and her gradual restoration of an integrated sense of self comprise this beautifully written book. Touching on the many challenges faced by survivors of childhood abuse, Adams provides a picture that trauma clinicians will recognize as an accurate characterization of the issues often confronted by the patients they treat. The unique value of this book lies in its potential as a therapeutic tool to help patients process traumatic experiences related to abuse. It will be of interest to any clinician who seeks to understand trauma from a nonacademic perspective and aspires to utilize a creative form of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Solution-oriented therapy for chronic and severe mental illness.

Reviews the book, Solution-oriented therapy for chronic and severe mental illness by Tim Rowan and Bill O'Hanlon (see record 2001-01051-000). This book presents clever and compelling interventions that are very informed, caring, egalitarian, and anchored in what we now know that clients with severe mental illness (SMI) want. The first eight chapters are extraordinarily good. They cover hopeful approaches for demoralized patients, methods of challenging beliefs such as the impossibility of change, ideas that blame, and ideas that disempower or invalidate clients or families. The last four chapters, however, lacked innovation, were too short and too basic, and simply did not have much to say. The cases the authors presented suggested that the clients they were working with were high functioning people with SMI. The authors do not appear to address the patients with neurocognitive deficits, lower IQs, poor verbal skills, and deficits in basic life skills. Also, the reference list is very brief and ignores most of the work that has appeared in the last 10 years or so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Expressed emotion in families: Its significance for mental illness.

Reviews the book, Expressed emotion in families: Its significance for mental illness by Julian Leff and Christine Vaughn (1985). The authors, Leff & Vaughn, along with George Brown, the originator of the "expressed emotion" concept provide an opportunity to observe their minds at work. In presenting the origins and clinical, theoretical, and research developments focused on the initial observations that high levels of expressed emotions in the families of schizophrenic patients can be debilitating, the volume not only provides a wealth of significant information about schizophrenia and how research ideas are formulated, tested, refined, and retested but also provides significant insights into the thought processes--the intuitions, doubts, and confidences--of the researchers every step of the way. The book is a landmark study of the role of emotional attitudes and their expression by family members in the course and outcome of schizophrenia. From its British origins, the research has sparked heuristic cross-cultural replication and innovations. While the book should be essential reading for every family psychologist and psychotherapist, its main audience will probably be researchers interested in family processes and schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Psychopathology of Women.

Reviews the book, The Psychopathology of Women by Ihsan Al-Issa (1980). The Psychopathology of Women, is a comprehensive examination of how Western culture influences the experience, expression and treatment of psychopathology in men and women. The chapters examine the major DSM - III categories in light of Dr. Al-Issa's premise that the diagnosis, experience and treatment of mental illness are related to sex roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Madhouse and The Lobotomist.

Reviews the books, Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine by Andrew Scull (see record 2005-06776-000); and The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness by Jack El-Hai (see record 2005-02343-000). In both books, the history of experimental clinical psychiatry is laid bare with devastating accounts of the efforts to conquer mental illness by any means necessary. Both books are fascinating reading and may illuminate our current context in which the biological avenues for treating mental disorders continue to traffic in hopes of a one-size-fits-all cure, while psychoanalysis ambivalently struggles with how to conduct rigorous research to demonstrate the efficacy of our treatment. Andrew Scull's book Madhouse offers a well-documented historical account of a bizarre episode in American psychiatric history. The centerpiece of Scull's investigative work is Henry Cotton, MD, the superintendent of the Trenton State Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, from 1907-1930. Once Cotton arrived at Trenton, he was appalled by the conditions he found and instituted reforms such as eliminating the culture of violence by attendants, removing over 700 pieces of restraining equipment from the hospital, and introducing occupational therapy. Jack El-Hai gives us the next segment of psychiatric surgery in his book The Lobotomist, a biography of the neurologist, turned surgical outlaw, Walter Freeman, MD. Walter Freeman was a neurologist fascinated with science and experimentation. Settling into work at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Washington, DC, in 1924, Freeman eventually joined the faculty of George Washington University where he remained until 1954. At that time neurosyphilis was the scourge of mental hospitals producing thousands of victims who were totally disabled by the neurological sequellae of tertiary illness. Thus lobotomy became an efficient outpatient procedure that could be applied to a larger patient population. Both of these books are important reading. Of all the great medical advances of the last century, surely the one that stands out as perhaps the greatest is the Nuremberg Code of 1947, which requires a competent patient giving informed consent to treatment and to research efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice.

Reviews the book, Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice edited by J. Donald Read and D. Stephen Lindsay (1997). This book is a serious and ambitious attempt to bring various forms of professional expertise to bear on the vexed issue of psychotherapeutically recovered versus false memories of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. The volume is the outcome of a NATO Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) that took place over an 11-day period at Les Jardins de l'Atlantique in France. It reflects the input of no fewer than 95 participants, most of them psychologists, with a minority of contributors from other relevant fields such as anthropology and the legal profession. The explicit aim of this collaborative undertaking was to promote productive dialogue among the various stakeholders in the recovered memory debate, especially among researchers and clinicians, whose views on these issues are often highly divergent. The final product bears witness to the successful achievement of this aim. This volume will stand as a definitive reference on the topic of recovered memory for the more serious researchers in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The mental health of Asian Americans.

Reviews the book, The mental health of Asian Americans by Stanley Sue and James K. Morishima (1982). In The Mental Health of Asian Americans, Sue and Morishima assess the current status of theory and research strategies in this field and initiate dialogue regarding future directions for our investigative energies and service delivery efforts. They are largely successful at this ambitious mission. Their work represents one of the best and most comprehensive texts on the special issues related to Asian-American mental health. Although this book was published in 1982, the theories presented and issues discussed remain extremely pertinent to the problems encountered today in providing services to this population. The authors' major intent is not to demonstrate how to deal with cross-cultural issues in treating Asian-American clients, although therapeutic techniques with a particular client may be extrapolated from their discussion and numerous case examples. Instead, the authors focus on strategies for improving research and delivery of mental health services, and attaining a theoretical understanding of treatment issues within the cultural context. The content is aimed at those who are in training or currently participating in mental health research and service delivery to persons of Asian descent. Yet, this book is of interest to all professionals who are seeking a well-researched text which is grounded in theory and describes the importance of cultural factors in developing mental health services to an ethnic minority population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The mental hospital. A study of institutional participation in psychiatric illness and treatment.

Reviews the book, The mental hospital. A study of institutional participation in psychiatric illness and treatment by Alfred H. Stanton and Morris S. Schwartz (see record 2005-02933-000). This is a rich and rewarding book. It is a report of research, conducted in collaboration by a psychiatrist and a sociologist, into the social organization of a psychiatric hospital and into the effects of this social organization on the behavior of patients. Although it is primarily intended as a contribution to administrative psychiatry, it is also a major contribution to the general literature of social science and, in particular, to the broad area of personality and social structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The fourth mental measurements yearbook.

Reviews the book "The fourth mental measurements yearbook," edited by Oscar K. Buros (see record 1953-06280-000). Most reviews of earlier editions of the Mental Measurements Yearbook have begun with accolades. The reviewer of this latest edition sees no reason to deviate from this course: Buros' Fourth Mental Measurements Yearbook is a monumental work, even longer than the previous edition and of inestimable value to purveyors and users of information about tests. The series of detailed indexes remains an excellent feature of the volume. Projective tests, aptitude test batteries, and tests for specific vocations all receive noticeably more attention in the present volume than in the Third Yearbook. Past reviewers have argued for changes in editorial policy, notably for the exclusion of tests which do not meet certain predetermined criteria. The present reviewer chooses to concern himself with only one aspect of editorial policy: the exclusion of tests thoroughly reviewed in previous yearbooks for which there has been no new edition since the last yearbook. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury.

Reviews the book, The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury by Diana S. Everstine and Louis Everstine (see record 1993-97113-000). The major premise of this book is that PTSD, as defined in the DSM-III-R, should be reconceptualized and recognized as "trauma response." This shift in focus emphasizes normalcy and a nonpathological recovery process as opposed to adherence to a disease model of psychological affliction in which a "disorder" is diagnosed and treated. The stated purpose of this book is to help clinicians identify, measure, and treat emotional trauma. This book is comprehensive and divided into four parts, covering topics such as the phenomenon of trauma, treatment for adult trauma, hidden trauma, trauma in the work place and trauma and the law. According to the reviewer, the book as a whole reflects valuable learning that has accrued from the authors' clinical experiences in working with victims of trauma. A diverse readership would benefit from this addition to the clinical literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The mental hospital in the 21st century.

Reviews the book, The mental hospital in the 21st century by Emmanuel Persad, Shane S. Kazarian, and Llewellyn W. Joseph (1992). The authors not only review past endeavors in the delivery of mental health services but speculate as to the role the mental hospital may take in the years to come. The starting point for this book is a conference entitled "The Role of the Mental Hospital in the 21st Century" sponsored by the London Psychiatric Hospital in October 1990. The book features 20 brief chapters regrouped in three sections. In all, 29 contributors mainly from Canada, bring forth varying perspectives on the role of the mental hospital. The real contribution of this book is that it puts into perspective the magnitude of the challenge that confronts the major stakeholders in developing a comprehensive and balanced system of mental health services. The present book could serve as a starting point for some serious debate among the stakeholders about the way the mentally ill are treated and to determine how the role of the mental hospital should change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Mad travelers: Reflections on the reality of transient mental illness.

Reviews the book, Mad travelers: Reflections on the reality of transient mental illness by Ian Hacking (see record 1998-08112-000). The American Psychiatric Association produced its first Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) in 1952. It took 16 years to make the revisions that were published as DSM II, 12 years to produce DSM-III, 7 to produce DSM-III Revised, and a mere 7 more to create DSM-IV. It appears that the official accounts of mental, emotional, and behavioural problems change over the years. Moreover, some disorders change so drastically that they can assume epidemic proportions in one situation, while virtually non-existent in another. Such disorders are the focus of Hacking's book. The book is based on talks he gave in the Page-Barbour lecture series at the University of Virginia in 1997. Hacking's purpose is to explore what he calls "transient mental illnesses," those that seem to be confined to a particular time and place—an ecological niche that permits and even nourishes them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The competent child.

Reviews the book, The competent child by Joseph M. Strayhorn (see record 1988-97840-000). The Competent Child is an outline of Strayhorn's approach to psychotherapy. The value of this text rests in its ability to present a clear and practical guide to therapy with children, while respecting the individuality of the therapist and client. In developing his approach to psychotherapy, Strayhorn was guided by two concepts: 1) all psychotherapy can be subsumed under a competence-based approach and 2) psychotherapy is essentially a learning-based intervention which involves the acquisition of skills. The first five chapters of the book provide the background for understanding the skills X method approach and instruct the reader as to how to assess a child's skills. The next three chapters are devoted to the application of the approach to children, adolescents and parents. In chapter nine Strayhorn discusses the difficulties one can have in producing positive results in therapy and attempts to deal with some of the difficulties one might run in to. The final two chapters propose ways of expanding the competence approach into preventive mental health and raise research questions. The book can be recommended to seasoned child practitioners looking to expand their repertoire of skills and to novices seeking to go beyond theory to practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The dissociative mind.

Reviews the book, The dissociative mind by Elizabeth F. Howell (see record 2005-14945-000). In her book, The Dissociative Mind, Elizabeth Howell presents a complex and thorough overview of what she describes as a "sea change" in psychoanalytic theory. From her vantage point as both psychoanalyst and traumatologist, she demonstrates how, in the last 15-20 years, relational trauma and the resulting impact on the individual mind-namely the splits and fissures that comprise dissociation- have made their way back into psychoanalytic thinking. Howell's elaboration of the overwhelmed, traumatized mind is very useful in clients who present with problems in thinking or who have limited capacity to symbolize. However, detailed clinical material of how an analyst thinking of dissociated self states would work with such a client, what Bromberg termed the "relational bridge," would support her fundamental assertions more effectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The parent-child connection.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(2) of Canadian Psychology Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-08913-001). In the October 1989 issue (Vol. 30, No. 4, p. 697), Arnold Rincover's affiliation with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education was incorrectly given as Associate Professor. He has been an Extramural Instructor at O.I.S.E.] Reviews the book, The parent-child connection by Arnold Rincover (1988). The parent-child connection is a well written book that offers valuable advice to help parents of young children evaluate and understand their children's behaviour. It also offers useful suggestions on managing child behaviour, although these parenting tips are most likely to be useful to those parents who least need them (i.e., those with numerous personal and social resources, whose children are presenting only minor behavioural difficulties). The two general themes of the book, child behaviour as communication and developmental norms as guidelines for deciding if behaviour is problematic, are well-suited to the purposes of a parent reference book. They offer an appropriate framework for discussing specific child behaviours and helping parents to determine if these behaviours are problematic in their children. This book is a welcome addition to the list of available parenting books, and may prove particularly useful for younger parents in need of accurate and understandable information about normal child development and behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The addiction-prone personality.

Reviews the book, The addiction-prone personality by Gordon E. Barnes, Robert P. Murray, David Patton, Peter M. Bentler, and Robert E. Anderson (see record 2000-08683-000). In the first section of this text, Barnes et al. embark on a review, almost exclusively of the alcohol-personality literature using l979 as the point of departure. This date marked the publication of a previous review by Barnes, in which the traits of stimulus augmenting-reducing, ego strength, neuroticism, and field dependence were featured. The literature to that date, viewed sympathetically, was replete with untestable theoretical ideas, methodologically limited investigations, and suspect and contradictory conclusions. These facts, recognized by Barnes, nonetheless resulted in a conclusion emphasizing these four traits and the initiation of a 20-year journey chronicalled in this text. Thus, the present review, in part, represents an effort to evaluate this 1979 conclusion in light of more recent findings. As one might suspect, this attempt though laudable is only partially successful. Although embarking on a treacherous time-consuming voyage with prospects of disaster and time wasted, Barnes et al. have produced a composite, cogent, and consistent picture of the role of personality in alcohol problems, which is both highly informative and challenging. Barnes, Murray, Patton, Bentler, and Anderson have not only survived the passage, justifying years of concentrated effort, but also have provided interested researchers and therapists with a relatively consistent picture to guide inquiry and practice. In particular, the challenge is raised to the treatment community to begin to account for these predictors in their efforts, and to develop appropriate treatment and prevention strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Psychological Assessment of Children.

Reviews the book, The Psychological Assessment of Children by James O. Palmer (see record 1970-20599-000). The Palmer text begins with a nod to the science-practitioner model. It is ego-oriented and depends heavily of the case history approach viewed within developmental constructs. Psychiatric taxonomy is largely avoided. The organisation of material covers 5 parts; I Hypotheses of Assessment, II Methods of Data Collection, III Procedure in Assessment, IV Analyses of the Assessment, and and V Assessment and Recommendations. The final chapters comprise a linking of assessment for psychotherapy and other kinds of intervention. Test manual kinds of materials, test norms, and scoring procedures are not covered. Nor are specific tests reviewed, the assumption being that the student will be receiving technical training concurrently. Palmer's purpose seems to be the provision of holistic kinds of conceptual frameworks within which the technician can function instead as a professional. Worth examining for class adaption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Creativity, mental illness and crime.

Reviews the book, Creativity, mental illness and crime by R. Eisenman (see record 2007-11163-000). By combining published research findings, data from official sources such as the United States Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Study, a certain amount of data from his own research, and the knowledge of many years experience, the author reflects upon issues such as drug and sex education in schools, school-sanctioned violence against children, the desirability of the death penalty, and mistreatment of the mentally ill in a prison treatment program, to give a few examples. Unfortunately, however, such topics are not linked by a genuine unified theme or a systematic attack on the issues mentioned in the title, and the book is really a set of loosely linked statements on issues broadly connected with socially disapproved behavior, and treatment of criminals and those who, more generally, do not "fit in". The secret to profiting from reading it is not to treat it as another standard academic book. The author draws attention to often neglected issues in a very direct way, getting straight to the heart of the matter, and adopting a clear position. In doing so, he risks censure for adopting politically incorrect positions such as emphasizing the viciousness and lack of remorse of many young offenders, pointing out that those students who report greatest availability of drugs in their school receive the least drug education, or even concluding that the death penalty is something that society needs. What the author has to say is short and to the point, unequivocal, clearly stated in highly readable English, and often thought provoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The encyclopedia of child care and guidance.

A most distinguished editorial staff, advisory board, and large roster of contributors were involved in producing this massive book. Part I, the first two-thirds of the book, contains more than 1,000 alphabetically arranged, cross-referenced entries followed by a classified list of agencies and organizations and an annotated list of further readings. Part II consists of 30 excellent chapters on various aspects of child development and the social forces affecting children. The encyclopedia portion of the book is consistently addressed to the stereotype of a literate but completely naive parent. The style is chatty and nontechnical while the pages are decorated with an abundance. Certainly few will quarrel with the repetitive message: Be loving and patient but seek professional help when a real problem exists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)