Review of Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment.

Reviews the book, Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment by Larry Michelson and L. Michael Ascher (see record 1988-98155-000). In this book, Michelson and Ascher present an up-to-date cognitive-behavioral text with a focus on the theory, assessment, treatment, and research on anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Part I deals with theoretical issues in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety, and cognitive assessment and methodological issues in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Part II of the book will especially appeal to the clinician in that it specifically speaks to the treatment of simple phobias, panic disorders, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, sexual dysfunction, migraine and tension headaches, and hypertension. The range of the book will appeal to the treating clinician, the researcher, and the graduate student as well as the teaching professional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatments.

Reviews the book, Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatment by David A. Wolfe and Eric J. Mash (see record 2005-16249-000). The primary goal of this edited volume is to capture the current state of knowledge about the important behavioural and emotional adjustment problems and disorders of adolescence. Through 20 chapters by foremost experts, the reader is apprised of the unique features of these disorders in adolescents in comparison with children and adults, and of the importance of developmental issues and a developmental perspective. Any thought that adolescent disorders are adequately addressed by upward extension of knowledge of child disorders and downward extension of knowledge of adult disorders is compellingly dispelled. The unique compilation of empirical findings specifically for adolescents is a boon to those pursuing research, teaching or evidence- based practice with this age group. This book will be mandatory reading for any mental health professional, including academics, graduate students, and clinicians working with or teaching about troubled adolescents. As a text, it is excellent for a graduate course on the subject, and an essential reference source for those teaching abnormal development at the undergraduate level or providing clinical service to adolescents and their families. The book will be a classic in the field and a mandatory starting point for any professional interested in a detailed overview of the state of the art in Western societies, including researchers interested in an overview of areas outside their own specific expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Body image, eating disorders, and obesity.

Reviews the book, Body image, eating disorders, and obesity edited by J. Kevin Thompson (1996). This book is composed of a collection of papers, authored by an impressive group of contributors, is a valuable addition to the study and treatment of the full array of eating disorders. The purpose of this book is to emphasize the central importance of "body image" in the effective assessment and management of eating disorders and obesity. The book is divided into three sections: I. Body Image Disturbance, II. Eating Disorders, and III. Obesity. Each section is organized to present assessment instruments, interview methodologies, and medical evaluation of physical status. According to the reviewer, the material in this book is very organized, comprehensive, and well presented. Researchers and clinicians alike should find the material relevant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Sell decision: Implications for psychological assessment and treatment.

This article describes 2 important practice considerations affirmed in the U.S. Supreme Court's Sell v. United States (2002) decision: (a) the importance of providing least restrictive services prior to interventions that violate patients' liberty interests, and (b) contextual and environmental factors may be considered in clinical determinations of dangerousness. The psychological treatment of behavior disorders fall within the purview of least restrictive or intrusive interventions compared with the involuntary administration of psychoactive medications. To legitimately comply with the least restrictive criterion, the provision of psychological services is essential. This long-held criterion is rarely acknowledged today as providers use restricted service arrays and attempt to resolve complex and co-occurring behavior problems with medications and restraints. Less restrictive psychological interventions are required for effective treatment of challenging behaviors. A 2nd significant implication lies in the court's affirmation that it is legitimate to consider contextual factors such as history and current environmental conditions in determining dangerousness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the commentaries and online forum of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

Although there is a long history of clinical and theoretical literature on the pathogenesis and treatment of personality disorders, the past two decades have seen a dramatic increase in research in this area, leading to an improved understanding of the nature, course, correlates, and consequences of personality disorders as well as the structure and development of personality pathology more broadly. Notable advancements in this area include the use of novel experimental and behavioral paradigms to better understand the mechanisms underlying personality disorders, the use of advanced statistical procedures to refine and further clarify our conceptualization of personality pathology, and the extension of research on personality pathology to children and adolescents, as well as underserved populations. The rapid advancement of research in this area also provides a unique opportunity to create a dialogue between basic and clinical researchers and clinicians. Starting with the second issue of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment (PD:TRT), we will use our Target Conceptual article as the springboard for such a dialogue. Furthermore, to expand the scope and influence of this material, the published Target Conceptual article, Commentaries, and Author Response will be supplemented by an open Online Forum. This Forum will provide an opportunity for other researchers, clinicians, and consumers to contribute to the dialogue as well, promoting an active exchange of ideas between the authors of the Target Conceptual article and Commentaries and the members of the personality disorders research and clinical community as a whole. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Personality: Current Theory and Research.

Reviews the book, Personality: Current Theory and Research by Janet Beavin Bavelas (1978). Personality is not the easiest topic to teach well. Even the question of what content to include and emphasize is problematic. The majority of introductory texts adopt a stance whereby the study of personality largely becomes identified with the study of personality theories. A problem with the theory based approach to personality is that many such theories are of declining importance in contemporary psychology. In this text, Janet Bavelas adopts a theory oriented perspective. However, she is not content merely to describe and evaluate the various theories selected for inclusion. She places the theories within a historical context and attempts to show how critical and empirical appraisal led to the decline of one class of theory and the elevation of another class. The book possesses many positive features. Introductory students find personality theories interesting and the historical context adds to the interest. The coverage is broad and zeros in on many central issues that preoccupy the present generation of personologists. Whether or not to adopt the Bavelas book for an introductory personality course would depend on the orientation of the instructor. For those who teach a traditional course, which emphasizes balanced evaluation and/or comparative analysis of the major theories, other texts might serve better. But for instructors concerned primarily with developments on the level of metatheory, the text probably has no equal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Treatment of childhood disorders, 3rd edition.

Reviews the book, Treatment of childhood disorders, 3rd edition edited by Eric J. Mash and Russell A. Barkley (see record 2006-05090-000). This is an impressive compilation of chapters by distinguished authors in their respective fields, covering the major domains related to common childhood psychopathology, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, fear and anxiety, depression, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, substance use, and eating disorders. This landmark book, now in its third edition, provides the current state of knowledge about treatment intervention within these domains. This pioneering book continues to represent a major (and highly successful) undertaking to synthesize the wide literature base of treatment for common childhood disorders. Its ability to parsimoniously convey extensive information in a manner that is easily accessible to readers facilitates the advancement of treatment for childhood psychopathology by transferring treatment knowledge from the research laboratory to the clinical office. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of What emotions really are: The problem of psychological categories.

Reviews the book, What emotions really are: The problem of psychological categories by Paul E. Griffiths (see record 1997-30238-000). The author has made an important contribution toward integrating theory and research on emotions from fields as diverse as sociobiology, philosophy of language, evolutionary psychology, and neuroscience. Griffiths's provocative review of the major theoretical paradigms is disciplined in its attention to the historical contexts of the theories he considers. He demonstrates how those contexts shape the questions that particular theoretical models attempt to answer, and why models fail in their ambitions when they do fail. By laying out the competing paradigms and organizing them according to their basic assumptions, he creates a useful map of the issues confronting a general theory of emotion and argues convincingly for the revision of some basic psychological categories. He concludes that emotion as a general concept has no scientific utility and should be eliminated from psychological language because there is no single kind of process that underlies the behavior identified with emotion. (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)     

Implications of attachment theory and research for the assessment and treatment of eating disorders.

In this paper, we review the research literature on attachment and eating disorders and suggest a framework for assessing and treating attachment functioning in patients with an eating disorder. Treatment outcomes for individuals with eating disorders tend to be moderate. Those with attachment-associated insecurities are likely to be the least to benefit from current symptom-focused therapies. We describe the common attachment categories (secure, avoidant, anxious), and then describe domains of attachment functioning within each category: affect regulation, interpersonal style, coherence of mind, and reflective functioning. We also note the impact of disorganized mental states related to loss or trauma. Assessing these domains of attachment functioning can guide focused interventions in the psychotherapy of eating disorders. Case examples are presented to illustrate assessment, case formulation, and group psychotherapy of eating disorders that are informed by attachment theory. Tailoring treatments to improve attachment functioning for patients with an eating disorder will likely result in better outcomes for those suffering from these particularly burdensome disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Motivational interviewing in the treatment of psychological problems.

Reviews the book, Motivational interviewing in the treatment of psychological problems by Hal Arkowitz, Henny A. Westra, William R. Miller, and Stephen Rollnick (2007). The purpose of this book is to describe applications of motivational interviewing (MI) to the treatment of a variety of psychological disorders. This excellent book, edited by the originators of MI (Miller and Rollnick) along with two highly regarded scientist-practitioners (Arkowitz and Westra), begins with an introduction to the spirit and techniques of MI and provides an overview of the ways in which MI has been applied in clinical practise. The main portion of the book consists of 11 chapters written by foremost MI experts describing the use of MI in their research and clinical work treating anxiety disorders, depression, pathological gambling, eating disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, as well as the use of MI in the corrections system and with suicidal and dually diagnosed patients. Each chapter is similarly organised and offers a brief overview of the clinical population and treatment as usual, a rationale for using MI in treatment, a summary of available research regarding the use of MI in the population, and detailed examples of clinical applications of MI to treatment, including problems and suggested solutions. The chapters are well written and informative, with many offering vivid clinical examples. It is difficult to identify any significant weaknesses. There is some redundancy throughout the text, particularly with regard to the general spirit, principles, and techniques of MI. This is likely intentional and meant to reiterate important points; it also nicely allows each chapter to stand alone. In sum, this terrific book provides a highly readable and informative account of the application of MI to the treatment of psychological problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inaugural editorial for Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

The past two decades have witnessed a remarkable proliferation of research examining personality disorders and personality processes across a continuum from normal to pathological functioning. The field of psychology has played an important role in this regard, spurring advances in our understanding of basic mechanisms and in the development of novel intervention strategies. As part of an effort to further stimulate these advances, I am excited to serve as the founding editor of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment (PD:TRT). In this incoming editorial, I focus on diversity as a key theme of the Journal in its early stages and throughout its development. As a core diversity issue, personality disorders research often has relied on convenience sampling including analogue college student samples as well as readily available patient groups. Work using these samples has an important place in the literature and has contributed greatly to knowledge, but an expanded perspective with a more broad range of recruitment can help challenge commonly held assumptions about personality disorders and help broaden the scope of research and intervention efforts to underserved groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Treating substance abuse: Theory and technique.

Reviews the book, Treating substance abuse: Theory and technique edited by Frederick Rotgers, Daniel S. Keller, and Jon Morgenstern (see record 1995-99052-000). The authors initially postulate the question of "why we produced this book": They indicated that it is "a response to forces of change." Their answers are a reflection of "the increasing uneasiness among substance abuse treatment providers, the unstable, and often poor outcomes that result from mainstream treatments." Those who suffer from psychoactive substance use disorders, (PSUD's) constitute a staggering population; and many fail to benefit from treatment over a period of time. The authors organized the book into five major approaches to treatment theory and techniques. (1) 12-step, (2) Psychodynamic, (3) Marital-Family therapy, (4) Behavioral, and (5) Motivational enhancement. This book is essential for the beginning practitioner in the field of substance abuse, but it also serves as a valuable adjunct for those of us who have been in the field for a period of time. The authors were thorough, organized, and clear in their presentations. The text is well written and certainly a valued, up-to-date, adjunct to the field of substance abuse theory and treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy.

Reviews the book, Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy edited by Letitia Anne Peplau and Daniel Perlman (1982). In 1979, a conference was held at UCLA on the topic "loneliness." The papers presented there formed a nucleus for the volume edited by Peplau and Perlman, although a considerable amount of new material has been added. The book is divided into six sections, each preceded by an introductory chapter by the co-editors. Various definitions of loneliness and different approaches to studying it are surveyed, and a brief history of academic interest in this topic is provided. The editors should be commended for their thoroughness in covering this young, developing field of investigation, which already abounds with an almost bewildering variety of approaches and "schools of thought." It is clearly too early to write a conclusive chapter about the essence of loneliness or the likely path that research on this topic will take in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The therapeutic community. A new treatment method in psychiatry.

Reviews the book, The therapeutic community. A new treatment method in psychiatry by Maxwell Jones in collaboration with A. Baker, T. Freeman, J. Merry, B. A. Pomryn, J. Sandler, and Joy Tuxford (1953). This monograph by a British social psychiatrist and his collaborators describes an attempt to develop a new method for the vocational and psychological rehabilitation of those most difficult of all nonpsychotic psychiatric patients, the chronically unemployable neurotics, psychopaths, and character disorders. Sponsored by the Ministries of Health, Labour, and Pensions, an Industrial Neurosis Unit was established with a small staff of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, government "disablement resettlement" officers, occupational instructors, a research technician, and nurses. Patients with psychiatric disabilities who had particular employment problems were sent to this unit from around the country. Regarded as a progress report on the first stages of a long-term effort, this monograph is indeed valuable. True, it is short on theory and the discussion of group dynamics, and the therapeutic process is somewhat superficial. Nevertheless, the manner in which ongoing research is integrated with the therapeutic process as an essential feature of the total program is gratifying, whatever the limitations of the actual data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches.

Reviews the book, Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches edited by Robert J. McMahon and Ray Dev. Peters (1985). This volume includes 11 original chapters from the 1983 Banff International Conference on Behavioral Sciences. Together, these chapters provide an overview of a number of high-quality programmes of research in the area of childhood disorders. The editors state that the purpose of the current offering is to focus on recent advances in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of childhood behaviour disorders, with particular attention being given to the role of developmental processes. The book contains two major sections. The first provides an overview of the conceptual foundations for a "behavioural-developmental" approach to childhood disorders. The second, which constitutes approximately 80% of the volume, illustrates programmes for the assessment and treatment of childhood disorders spanning the developmental spectrum from infancy to adolescence. Although this volume's attempt to bridge the gap between behavioural and developmental work may fall short, it is nevertheless a worthwhile contribution that nicely illustrates a range of outstanding programmes of clinical research for a variety of childhood disorders. (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)