Where There Is No Psychiatrist: A mental health care manual
Vikram Patel
Even though mental illnesses are common and cause great
suffering in every part of the world, many health workers have a
limited understanding about mental health and are less comfortable
dealing with mental illness. This book is a practical manual for
mental health care for the community health worker, the primary
care nurse, the social worker and the primary care doctor,
particularly in developing countries.
After giving the reader a basic understanding of mental
illness, the book goes on to describe more than 30 clinical
problems associated with mental illness and uses a problem-solving
approach to guide the reader through their assessment and
management. Mental health issues as they arise in specific health
care contexts are described, for example in a refugee camp, a
school health programme or with people suffering from AIDS, as well
as in mental health promotion. The final section combines quick
reference information for common problems and it also includes
chapters for the reader to personalise the manual for a particular
location, for example, by entering local information on voluntary
agencies, the names and costs of medicines and words in the local
language for emotional symptoms.
- A problem-solving approach to diagnosis and management.
- Sections on clinical management of common problems associated
with mental illnesses.
- Relevant mental health issues in different contexts of
work.
- Over 150 illustrations and case studies.
- A section for the reader to personalise it for his or her area
of work.
- A practical guide to the use of psychiatric medicines and
simple psychological treatments.
- Extensive cross-referencing in the book and a glossary of all
technical words.
- Simple expanations and descriptions, without jargon.
- Flow-charts on common clinical problems for quick
reference.
*Highly commeded for the
Mental Health category of the British Medical
Association's 2004 Medical Book Competition.*
“Vikram Patel's manual responds to a considerable need of the
World Health Organisation. The places where there is no
psychiatrist are so numerous across the world that teaching a basic
understanding of mental illness to health professionals is vital.
The World Health Organisation should be grateful to Vikram Patel
for having fulfilled such an important gap.”
Dr Benedetto Saraceno
Director, Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence,
World Health Organisation
Summary of Contents
Download the full Contents List of
Where There Is No Psychiatrist 
List of boxes and tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
How to use this manual
Part I. An overview of mental illness
1. An introduction to mental illness
2. Assessing someone with a mental illness
3. The treatment of mental illness
Part II. Clinical problems
4. Behaviours which cause concern
5. Symptoms which are medically unexplained
6. Habits which cause problems
7. Problems arising from loss and violence
8. Problems in childhood and adolescence
Part III. Integrating mental health
9. Mental health in other contexts
10. Mental health promotion and advocacy
Part IV. Localising this manual for your
area
11. Medicines for mental illness
12. Resources in your area
Appendix. Flowcharts for clinical problem-solving
Bibliography
Glossary of terms for mental illnesses and their symptoms
Index
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“In a flat 20 minutes the reader would be equipped to assess
someone with mental illness. The book is simple and has an appeal
at various levels from an average lay reader to a medical
practitioner. This great enduring effort from Vikram Patel is
timely and a godsend for all.”
One India One People journal
“This is no ordinary text. It is designed to be used in the
large tracts of the developing world where there is no easy access
to skilled medical help. It is a very considerable undertaking,
which succeeds with ingenuity and flair. The range of psychiatric
problems covered is impressive. It is impossible to gauge the
benefits to sufferers from mental disorder that this remarkable
book will bring.”
W. A. Lishman
Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry,
London
“The general practitioner (health worker or doctor) tends to
know a lot about physical illnesses but too little about mental
health. Until now, a huge gap has remained in the provision of
primary health care in the field of mental health. Now, at last,
that need has been magnificently filled, with Dr. Vikam Patel's
very comprehensive yet remarkably user-friendly book Where
There Is No Psychiatrist. How I wish had had this book years
before!”
David Werner
Author of Where There Is No Doctor