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
|
|
|
“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