The new edition of this popular handbook has been thoroughly updated to include the latest data concerning treatment of first-episode patients. Drawing from their experience, the authors discuss the presentation and assessment of the first psychotic episode and review the appropriate use of antipsychotic agents and psychosocial approaches in effective management.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781472453983, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative 4.0 license. Experiences of hearing the voice of God (or angels, demons, or other spiritual beings) have generally been understood either as religious experiences or else as a feature of mental illness. Some critics of traditional religious faith have dismissed the visions and voices attributed to biblical characters and saints as evidence of mental disorder. However, it is now known that many ordinary people, with no other evidence of mental disorder, also hear voices and that these voices not infrequently include spiritual or religious content. Psychological and interdisciplinary research has shed a revealing light on these experiences in recent years, so that we now know much more about the phenomenon of "hearing voices" than ever before. The present work considers biblical, historical, and scientific accounts of spiritual and mystical experiences of voice hearing in the Christian tradition in order to explore how some voices may be understood theologically as revelatory. It is proposed that in the incarnation, Christian faith finds both an understanding of what it is to be fully human (a theological anthropology), and God’s perfect self-disclosure (revelation). Within such an understanding, revelatory voices represent a key point of interpersonal encounter between human beings and God.
This book offers a clinical guide that brings together a broad range of brief interventions and their applications in treating psychosis. It describes two core approaches that can narrow the current, substantial gap between the need for psychotherapeutic interventions for all individuals suffering from psychosis, and the limited mental health resources available. The first approach involves utilizing the standard therapeutic modalities in the context of routine clinical interactions after adapting them into brief and effective formats. To that end, the book brings in experts on various psychotherapeutic modalities, who discuss how their particular modality could be adapted to more effectively fit into the existing system of care delivery. The second approach, addressed in detail, is to extend the availability of these brief interventions by utilizing the circle of providers as well as the social circle of the clients so that these interventions can be provided in a coordinated and complementary manner by psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, case managers, peer support specialists and other providers on the one hand, and by family members, friends, social and religious institutions on the other.
The issues surrounding mental health in Australia have for the past year created a great deal of exposure in the media. Andrew Denton's programme Enough Rope recently devoted an entire programme to the problems of Hearing Voices. This book contains a wealth of information of great practical value to people who hear voices as well as to those who simply wish to learn more about this fascinating aspect of human psychology. It also addresses many complex questions regarding personal identity, the nature of consciousness, the relationship between mind and brain and the place of spirituality in human life - issues which will be of interest to all thoughtful readers. John Watkins is an internationally-known and respected counsellor and educator whose main professional interest is in exploring and promoting holistic approaches to the development and maintenance of mental Health. In this latest book, he provides: a detailed description of a wide variety of voice hearing experiences, an overview of the theories accounting for how and why this happens, a range of practical techniques for coping with or stopping voices, guidelines for applying spiritual discernment to hearing voices, and strategies for optimising the personal value of voice hearing experiences.
other books on dramatherapy do not address the needs / experiences of people who hear voices innovative practical solutions for effective therapy based on recent research foreword written by of the originators of psychodrama (Zerka Moreno) and afterword written by very-well know figure in this field Sue Jennings.
Today most of us accept the consensus that madness is a medical condition: an illness, which can be identified, classified and treated with drugs like any other. In this ground breaking and controversial work Richard Bentall shatters the myths that surround madness. He shows there is no reassuring dividing line between mental health and mental illness. Severe mental disorders can no longer be reduced to brain chemistry, but must be understood psychologically, as part of normal behaviour andhuman nature. Bentall argues that we need a radically new way of thinking about psychosis and its treatment. Could it be that it is a fear of madness, rather than the madness itself, that is our problem?
A comprehensive exploration of the history, phenomenology, meanings and causes of hearing voices that others cannot hear (auditory verbal hallucinations).
Can you imagine giving voice to your greatest fears? Can you imagine wondering if what you know is true? Can you imagine being told you have schizophrenia? Who would you talk to? What would you do? We have experienced these very things. We are people who live every day with schizophrenia, and we want to share our stories. Our Voices tells you what it's like to be diagnosed with a major mental illness, to live with symptoms, and to navigate the mental health system. We created this book to share our personal perspectives and to illuminate the shared perceptions, experiences and challenges people with schizophrenia face. Colette, Manisha, Michael, Claudia and Pickens, the masterminds and architects of Our Voices, are writers, painters, poets, swimmers, activists, volunteers, readers, friends, and family members. Here they share their voices and those of 20 others, to illustrate the daily experience of schizophrenia.
This is the story of a woman’s struggle with mental illness through which she finds spiritual meaning and, ultimately, God. As a person who has experience severe psychiatric illness and landed on her feet, Marcia A. Murphy offers a unique first-person perspective. She is qualified to tell what such illness is like, its symptoms, stigmatization, hospitalizations, and daily life. Ms. Murphy takes you into her world and provides insights into the spiritual meaning of her illness. Her story gives desperately needed hope to others who are ill, their families, psychiatric professionals, as well as to those who know someone who is ill. Experts in the field from Harvard, Yale, Boston University, the University of Iowa and elsewhere have endorsed this memoir. WHAT THE BOOK OFFERS: General Readers will learn what it is like to experience mental illness and gain compassion for those with such illness. Those with mental illness may be encouraged and given hope. Those who treat persons with such illness will gain appreciation of what recovery means and how it may be achieved.
