Introduction to Psychopathology

Book excerpt: I was most impressed by the author′s thoroughness in writing this book. She seems to leave no stone uncovered... [this is] a work which should become a necessity for all counsellors, counselling psychologists, psychiatric nurses and psychotherapists... This is a book to which I will make reference time and time again, and one which will occupy a prominent place in my library′ - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling `An invaluable handbook for students of psychotherapy and a good reference for established therapists... I recommend that all therapists have a copy of this book on their shelf′ - Psychology, Health & Medicine Assessment and referral skills are essential for counsellors and psychotherapists. Practitioners need to have an understanding of the clinical manifestations of severe emotional distress. They must, for example, be able to recognize when clients are a suicide risk or when they are suffering from a psychotic episode. This lively textbook provides a clear overview of the issues involved in our understanding of psychopathology and offers guidelines on appropriate interventions. Alessandra Lemma explores a range of key topics, covering how psychiatric diagnoses and classifications are arrived at, and the issues that can arise when working in conjunction with other mental health practitioners, such as psychiatrists. She addresses the needs of practitioners in relation to some of the more common forms of mental distress - depression, anxiety and eating problems - as well as some of the more controversial diagnoses, such as schizophrenia and `borderline personality disorder′. The book concludes with a discussion of alternatives to mainstream approaches, including those which seek to deconstruct the concept of psychopathology. Introduction to Psychopathology offers a framework for assessing clients which incorporates a broad range of models and approaches, and which takes into account psychological, social and biological factors. It will be an invaluable resource for students of counselling, counselling psychology, psychotherapy and clinical psychology.