Adult Psychopathology Case Studies

by Irving B. Weiner (editor)

A unique case study book, Adult Psychopathology Case Studies presents adult client case studies that describe the ways in which people with psychological disorders are likely to think, feel, and act. Written by experienced clinicians and well-known authorities in their respective specialties, it brings together the work of an international group of contributors who address the nature, origin, development, manifestations, course, and prognosis of a diverse range of adult psychopathological conditions. Close examination is given to the clinical, personal, contextual, theoretical, ethical, and legal dimensions of case studies, along with insightful, real-world focus on overlapping themes, such as culture, substance abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Authors illustrate rational case formulation, but stop short of exhaustive or doctrinaire analyses that would discourage alternative opinions on how and why a disturbance occurred or its likely outcome-giving students an opportunity to apply their own knowledge to each case and providing instructors with material that will spark lively classroom discussion and debate. The contributors also bring a broad range of theoretical perspectives to the diverse array of case studies, including psychoanalytic, psychodynamic-interpersonal, cognitive, and cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations of psychopathology and psychotherapeutic methods. Adult Psychopathology Case Studies includes thirteen full-length case studies in the following * Personality disorders * Anxiety and somatoform disorders * Identity disorders * Habit disorders * Serious or psychotic disorders Also included are six brief case studies * Adjustment disorder * Dependent personality disorder * Schizotypal personality disorder * Generalized anxiety disorder * Polysubstance dependence * Depressive disorder Adult Psychopathology Case Studies offers an engaging and perceptive look into the

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2003

Reviews

[Gerald Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I can't say I've been extensive in my search, finding books on psychology that are written by people in the field itself who handle the subject realistically and empirically is often difficult. This issue becomes even greater when it comes to the area of counseling and therapy. I can only speculate on why this is but I imagine for now that it has to do with the numerous and disparate approaches to the field along with the sensitive subject matter concerning those being treated. That being said, this book offers a decent insight into different representations of mental and behavioral disorders as well as some of their treatment.

It would have been nice if the book decided wholly whether it wanted to explore treatment modalities or not. The author stated initially that he wished to avoid biasing the reader toward any treatment approach, though some cases still mentioned their theoretical leaning in passing and even revealed part of their method of treatment (though this was probably unavoidable given the structure of the book itself). Some cases included are only a blurb outlining the general symptomology that you might find anywhere, others are more in-depth. Overall, it's worth a read and delivers what it promises.