by Richard W. Roukema

If you care for someone with a mental illness -- whether as a family member, friend, or practitioner -- this hands-on reference is for you. The acclaimed What Every Patient, Family, Friend, and Caregiver Needs to Know About Psychiatry is now available in a long-awaited second edition. Like the first, it is written in a simple, concise style for the layperson -- and is packed with need-to-know information on adult psychiatric disorders, including their causes, approaches to treatment, and what caregivers can do to help. It is an excellent resource for therapist's waiting room.

What Every Patient, Family, Friend, and Caregiver Needs to Know About Psychiatry features a wealth of immediately usable guidance for caregivers. It's an excellent text for introduction to psychiatry classes in colleges and nursing schools for helping students develop valuable knowledge and skills to apply in practice.

This one-stop resource is the first place to turn for practical guidance for the latest research-based techniques. You'll • Get a solid understanding of the causes of psychiatric disorders, including stress, genetics and heredity, and emotional and physical problems• Develop hands-on skills for the full range of emotional and mental disorders, including psychosomatic disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, sexual problems, loss, personality and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease • Find out how the psychiatrist should function in the patient-caregiver-doctor relationship -- and learn how to choose a psychotherapist.

This second edition has been extensively revised and updated with new information on diagnostic techniques and brain scans, the role of genetics, new medications and psychotherapeutic approaches, and more. In addition, it features a unique and illuminating look at mental health in our post-9/11 nation, including the rising incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Whether you're a social worker or psychologist, nurse or other professional, friend or family member, you'll get a sound framework to help you achieve better results.