Comprehensive Review of Geriatric Psychiatry--II

Book excerpt: Geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry are at a historic turning point. Major growth in clinical interest and research activity has sparked new discoveries in the field. No longer are senility and depression viewed solely as a fate in growing old, an unavoidable concomitant of aging. "Comprehensive Review of Geriatric Psychiatry-II" was developed in response to the major advances in the field. As in the first edition, eminent contributors offer their collective expertise on emerging issues in the psychiatry of aging, providing mental health practitioners with a focused but comprehensive review of the field. Much of the first edition has been rewritten, revised, or updated, and new chapters have been added to reflect recent advances in theory and practice. Targeted to all mental health professionals involved in the care of elderly people, this exceptional work covers the aging process, evaluation and diagnosis, and the major psychiatric disorders typically encountered by psychiatrists who treat aging patients. Newly written material is presented on topics such as genetics, normal aging, ethnocultural and sociodemographic aspects of aging, self and experience across the second half of life, Alzheimer's disease, grief and bereavement, and geriatric consultation-liaison psychiatry. Updated information on medical-legal and ethical issues is provided. Clinicians and residents alike will find the self-assessment section, a significant part of which is new, extremely beneficial.