Schizophrenia Into Later Life
Treatment, Research, and Policy
Format:Paperback
Publisher:American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published:3rd Jun '03
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Carl Cohen, one of the leading experts on social support, aging, and schizophrenia, has put together a book not just about schizophrenia into later life but really about schizophrenia across the life cycle. The book assembles a range of contributors with expertise in biology, sociology, neuropsychology, health services, and pharmacological and psychosocial treatment. Chapters on epidemiology, phenomenology, care giving, and policy delve much deeper than just the aging process. It contains both the sublime and the mundane in terms of material such as a theoretical comprehensive research model as well as up to date, but soon to be outmoded, current practice and pharmacological treatment. Clearly it is the most important effort in the last decade to address the topic of schizophrenia and the only truly important work on aging and schizophrenia that I know of. According to Professor Cohen, the editor, the population of older persons suffering from a lifetime of schizophrenia is expected to double over the next 30 years and as usual our society is ill-prepared to address their needs. Those of us who spend our careers working with these inspirational but complicated, confusing, and long-suffering people who struggle against all odds to make a life for themselves will deeply appreciate this book. David L. Cutler, M.D., Editor, Community Mental Health Journal, Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Public Psychiatry Training Program, Dept of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Sciences University
This book is an overview of the current state of knowledge about schizophrenia in later life and its implications for service, research, and policy. Broad coverage includes information on demographic and clinical characteristics of older schizophrenic persons, treatment approaches, research strategies, and economic and health policy issues.
We are on the verge of a crisis in mental health. Over the next 30 years the number of chronically mentally ill people 55 years of age and older will double. With multiple disorders relating to mental illness and old age, these people will require unique services from a health care system that is ill prepared to deliver them. Schizophrenia Into Later Life: Treatment, Research, and Policy is the first major multidisciplinary reference on this important topic—a landmark work for researchers, service providers, and policy makers.
Broad in scope, it discusses the demographic and clinical characteristics of older schizophrenic persons, details treatment approaches, suggests research strategies, and covers the relevant economic and health policy issues.
• The most up-to-date, comprehensive source of information on this understudied group. It will help community psychiatrists, gerontologists, psychologists, policy makers, and social scientists meet a growing demand for services.
• A multidisciplinary approach with contributing experts from fields of biological psychiatry, social psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, social work, psychology, and neuropsychology will help professionals integrate services for the best outcome.
• A primary resource on the subject—sections include epidemiology, biological aspects, psychosocial features, clinical care, and public policy.
Today there is a distressing lack of age-appropriate clinical, rehabilitative, or residential programs for older patients with chronic mental illness. Schizophrenia in Later Life: Treatment, Research, and Policy will guide researchers, service providers, and policy makers in creating innovative new programs to help this underserved and growing population.
The book is an easy read and free of jargon, and it will prove informative to mental health administrators, citizen advocates for the mentally ill, and mental health clinicians. It will be important also to many general physicians who attend the elderly, especially in nursing facilities. In a book this broad, integration across topics is difficult, but in the final chapter Cohen draws from the field of gerontology to provide an integrative model that may be used to guide future research.
-- William T. Carpenter, M.D. * New England Journal of Medicine *Regrettably, a literature review reveals that only 1 percent of the literature on schizophrenia has addressed issues of aging. Cohen's multidisciplinary reference, which aims to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge about schizophrenia in later life and to examine the implications for service, research and policy, helps fill that gap. It will serve as a guide for much-needed planning for integrated services.
* Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow *This book is easy to read and deals with a broad spectrum of services needed for the comprehensive clinical care of people with schizophrenia. Thus, it will be a valuable reference to clinicians (e.g. physician, social worker, psychologist, case manager) and students as well as consumers.
-- Myung A. Lee, M.D. * Journal of Clinical Psychiatry *Cohen has edited an important book that summarizes the work and research that is proceeding in a longitudinal study of the course of schizophrenia. . . . A missing resource has been put in place with the publication of this text.
-- F. M. Baker, M.D., MPH * The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease *This high quality book addresses a growing issue in psychiatry. In this book, leading thinkers lend their expertise on the subject. There will no doubt be other significant works to follow.
-- Daniel Loiterstein, M.D. * Doody's Book Reviews *For once, with a multi-author volume, I was truly appreciative of a degree of editorial diligence that has ensured true chapter complimentarity. The result is a book that I found easy to read from start to finish. I would recommend that every psychiatrist involved in the care of older people does just this. . . . Schizophrenia Into Later Life should go some way to raise awareness and concern about this enormous patient group. This book really should be on every Old Age Psychiatrist's bookshelf.
-- Robert Howard * International Psychogeriatrics *Schizophrenia Into Later Life is an important book on the consequential but neglected areas of research, service and policy for people with schizophrenia as they age. . . This comprehensive volume is valuable and recommended for anyone who works with, studies or develops policies for aging individuals with serious mental illness.
-- David R. Levine, M.D. * Psychiatric Times *The strength of the book lies in its exhaustive coverage of all aspects of schizophrenia throughout the lifespan to lead to greater understanding of the issues pertinent to those patients who are moving into older age. With the anticipated doubling in numbers of elderly people with chronic mental illness in the next 30 years it will become increasingly important for old age psychiatrists to be able to manage this group effectively and as a complete source this book is indispensable reading. Indeed as an in-depth overview of schizophrenia throughout the life cycle it would be valuable reading for all psychiatrists and an ideal revision source for trainees.
* International Journal of Geriatric PsychiatISBN: 9781585620371
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 16mm
Weight: 467g
344 pages