This book brings together a number of international writers who are concerned with understanding and treating psychoses. The orientation of the book is psychoanalytic, but the authors understand the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to these disorders for which there remains no comprehensive cure. Detailed clinical cases are presented along with contemporary conceptualizations of psychotic states.
This book explores psychosis as knowledge cut off from history, truth that cannot be articulated in any other form. It gives a nuanced picture of delusion as a repair of language itself, following Freud and Lacan in historic and contemporary forms of psychotic art, writing and speech.
This highly readable book provides a comprehensive examination of the use of Open Dialogue as a treatment for psychosis. It presents the basic principles and practice of Open Dialogue, explains the training needed to practice and explores how it is being developed internationally. Open Dialogue for Psychosis includes first-hand accounts of the process by people receiving services due to having psychotic experiences, their family members and professionals who work with them. It explains how aspects of Open Dialogue have been introduced in services around the world, its overlap with and differentiation from other psychological approaches and its potential integration with biological and pharmacological considerations. The book concludes with a substantive section on the research available and its limitations. Open Dialogue for Psychosis will be a key text for clinicians and administrators interested in this unique approach, particularly those who recognise that services need to change for the better and are seeking guidance on how this can be achieved. It will also be suitable for people who have experienced psychosis and members of their families and networks. See the below link to the dedicated book webpage: https://opendialogueforpsychosis.com/
Do psychotic disorders make sense? Are psychotic symptoms amenable to interpretation? Understanding Psychosis: A Psychoanalytic Approach takes the various pathways to psychotic illness outlined by psychoanalytic clinicians and scholars and integrates them into a model that allows a systematic assessment of relevant psychodynamic dimensions in the diagnosis of psychotic disorders, and which serves as a guide to psychotherapy with psychotically ill patients. Joachim Küchenhoff reviews and integrates various psychoanalytic concepts and theories about psychosis into a multi-dimensional psychodynamic model that allows an assessment and understanding of the patient’s subjective experience, objective psychological capabilities, and interpersonal resources. Küchenhoff helps the therapist to establish a basic attitude in working psychodynamically with patients and to understand the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship. Understanding Psychosis also addresses specific issues that can arise in work with clients experiencing psychosis, including understanding imminent crises or precursor states, elucidating semiotic qualities in seemingly negative symptoms, differentiating the psychotic and a non-psychotic part of the personality and providing a dynamic approach to the psychopharmacological treatment. Clinical vignettes and three detailed case reports are included in the book. Understanding Psychosis will be an essential guide for psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts working with patients experiencing psychosis. It will also be of use to psychologists, and academics and students of psychotherapy, psychiatry and psychoanalysis for psychosis.
This book reviews the descriptive features of psychotic symptoms in various medical conditions (psychiatric, early psychosis, general medical, neurological and dementia), non-medical settings (individuals without the need for care or at high risk for psychosis) and age groups (children and adolescents, adults, older adults). Similarly, the perspectives of many disciplines are provided (history, psychiatry, psychology, psychopathology, neurology, phenomenological philosophy) so that readers may become familiar with different approaches that are used to define, evaluate and categorize psychosis, at times independently of clinical diagnosis. This book is a resource book for those requiring an understanding of clinical and conceptual issues associated with psychosis, with chapters written by academics and clinicians who are leaders in their respective fields. The book also provides a guide regarding the methods of assessment for psychosis and its symptoms, with 120 rating scales, which are described and evaluated. The Assessment of Psychosis will be particularly useful to the clinical and research community, but also to readers interested in individual differences and human psychopathology.
This book investigates the functioning of linguistic phenomena, especially in the area of semantics and pragmatics of the language of schizophrenics. By making semantics and pragmatics the primary objects of this work, the author departs from the traditional approach of those psycholinguistic and psychiatric studies which aim to explain how the language of schizophrenics differs from the common language. This book, on the other hand, basically attempts to provide the reason why this language differs. The shift from description to explanation required the development of a new psycholinguistic method and the assertion that schizophrenia is a semiotic illness. The remarkable humanistic value of this book lies in the sensitivity of the author's approach to the mentally ill and in the concept that the language of schizophrenics is understandable, and consequently, that it is possible to actually understand the sick person. The social consequences of this are of immense significance for those attempting to communicate, whether as doctors or family members, with the one in 100 persons who use schizophrenic language. Dr. Wrobel's interpretation of so-called schizophrenic illumination, in which the curtain is torn, behind which the essence of things is cancelled and the schizophrenic reaches the heart of the meaning of everything, numbers among the most apt descriptions of this unusual psychopathological phenomenon. Z. Ryn, Professor of Psychiatry
This book offers a new approach to understanding and treating psychotic symptoms using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT for Psychosis shows how this approach clears the way for a shift away from a biological understanding and towards a psychological understanding of psychosis. Stressing the important connection between mental illness and mental health, further topics of discussion include: the assessment and formulation of psychotic symptoms how to treat psychotic symptoms using CBT CBT for specific and co-morbid conditions CBT of bipolar disorders. This book brings together international experts from different aspects of this fast developing field and will be of great interest to all mental health professionals working with people suffering from psychotic symptoms.
Psychotic Disorders: Comprehensive Conceptualization and Treatments emphasizes a dimensional approach to psychosis--one of the most fascinating manifestations of altered brain behavior--that cuts across a broad array of psychiatric diagnoses from schizophrenia to affective psychosis and organic disorders like epilepsy and dementias. Written by an international roster of over seventy leading experts in the field, this volume comprehensively reviews, critiques, and integrates available knowledge on the etiology, mechanisms, and treatments of psychotic disorders, and outlines ways forward in both research and clinical practice towards more objective, mechanistically-based definitions of psychotic disorders. Chapters address topics such as psychosis phenomenology, biomarkers and treatments, the overlaps and interfaces between psychiatric disorders within the psychosis dimension, and novel disease definitions. Furthermore, the volume incorporates findings on potential mechanisms, bridges between various system levels (i.e., genetic, epigenetic, molecular and cellular, brain circuit and function, psychological, social, environmental and cultural) and their interactions, as well as the potential role in causation and/or mediation in psychotic disorders. Finally, the volume outlines a broad array of treatment approaches, from the readily available (e.g., psychopharmacology, various modalities of psychotherapy) to the experimental (e.g., cognitive interventions, neuromodulation). With a concluding section of forward perspectives conjecturing future directions and related challenges, this book aspires to stimulate new knowledge, generate novel frameworks, and carry new directions forward on psychotic disorders.
Emerging from cognitive behavioural traditions, mindfulness and acceptance-based therapies hold promise as new evidence-based approaches for helping people distressed by the symptoms of psychosis. These therapies emphasise changing the relationship with unusual and troublesome experiences through cultivating experiential openness, awareness, and engagement in actions based on personal values. In this volume, leading international researchers and clinicians describe the major treatment models and research background of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Person-Based Cognitive Therapy (PBCT), as well as the use of mindfulness, in individual and group therapeutic contexts. The book contains discrete chapters on developing experiential interventions for voices and paranoia, conducting assessment and case formulation, and a discussion of ways to work with spirituality from a metacognitive standpoint. Further chapters provide details of how clients view their experiences of ACT and PBCT, as well as offering clear protocols based on clinical practice. This practical and informative book will be of use to clinicians and researchers interested in understanding and implementing ACT and mindfulness interventions for people with psychosis.
This practical guide outlines the latest advances in understanding and treating psychotic symptoms and disorders, articulating step-by-step the clinical skills and knowledge required to effectively treat this patient population. A Clinical Introduction to Psychosis takes an evidence-based approach that encourages a wider perspective on clinical practice, with chapters covering stigma and bias, cultural factors, the importance of social functioning, physical health, sleep, and more. A broad array of treatment modalities are discussed, including cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive remediation, psychosocial interventions, trauma-informed therapies, and recovery-oriented practice. The book also provides a concise overview of the latest advances regarding cognitive profiles in people with psychotic disorders, the developmental progression of cognitive abilities, and the clinical relevance of cognitive dysfunction. The book additionally familiarizes readers with issues and controversies surrounding diagnostic classification, transdiagnostic expression, and dimensional assessment of symptoms in psychosis. - Provides treatment and assessment methods for psychotic symptoms and disorders - Looks at how psychosis develops and the impact of stigma on clinicians and clients - Studies the links between trauma, PTSD, and psychosis, as well as sleep and psychosis - Covers digital technologies for treating and assessing psychosis - Outlines strategies for treating visual and auditory hallucinations - Examines how to incorporate consumer and clinician perspectives in clinical practice
