Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (WPA Series in Evidence & Experience in Psychiatry)

Despite the growing interest in the role of psychological trauma in the genesis of psychiatric disorders, few volumes have addressed these issues from a multidisciplinary and international perspective. Given the complexity of reslience and posttraumatic disorder, and given ongoing trauma and violence in many parts of the world, it is crucial to apply such perspectives to review existing knowledge in the field and provide directions for future research. This book has a broad scope. A key focus is PTSD, because of its clinical and health importance, its obvious link with trauma, and its interest for many clinicians and researchers. However, the book also examines resilience and a range of mental health consequences of trauma, because it has become increasingly clear that not all individuals react to trauma in the same way. It is important for mental health professionals to be aware of the broad range of potential responses to trauma, as well as of relevant evidence-based treatments. The book includes chapters that address a wide range of topics on trauma-related disorders, including nosology and classification, epidemiology, neurobiology, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy. Each chapter comprises a critical review of the existing literature, aimed at being useful for the practitioner. This is followed by selected commentaries from other authorities on the topic, representing diverse geographical locations and points of view, who refine some of the perspectives offered in the review, provide alternative views, or suggest important areas of future work. As the editors comment in their preface, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is "arguably the most controversial of all the psychiatric diagnoses." This book covers several aspects of PTSD. The authors discuss the numerous advances in empirical work, thread through the theoretical controversies, and offer clinicians and policy makers a practical approach to clinical and community intervention. Editors Stein (psychiatry, U. of Cape Town, South Africa), Friedman (psychiatry, pharmacology, and toxicology, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, US Department of Veterans Affairs), Blanco (psychiatry, Columbia U.), and 34 co-authors provided material for the book. While intended for a professional audience, the book also would appeal to general readers who want to learn more about the topic and current research. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) PTSD and related disorders / Matthew J. Friedman Epidemiology of PTSD / Carlos Blanco Neurobiology of PTSD / Arieh Y. Shalev, Asaf Gilboa, and Ann Rasmusson Pharmacotherapy of PTSD / Dan J. Stein and Jonathan Ipser Psychological interventions for trauma exposure and PTSD / Richard A. Bryant (Disaster) public mental health / Joop de Jong.