Although adjustment disorders (AD) have been included in the major psychiatric diagnostic classifications for over 50 years, no book devoted solely to the topic of AD's has been published to date. Apart from scant coverage in psychiatric textbooks, there is little to assist the doctor or therapist in understanding or making a diagnosis of AD. The result is the under-recognition of AD's in settings where it is believed to be a common condition. In general practice, where AD's are said to be the most common disorder, they are seldom recognized and are misdiagnosed as depressive illness (major depressive disorder) or generalized anxiety disorder. Even among psychiatrists, AD's are underdiagnosed, except in consultation-liaison psychiatry, and even there, changes in diagnostic practice are afoot. Adjustment Disorder: From Controversy to Clinical Practice provides concise and comprehensive information on AD's and advances a greater understanding and better diagnostic skills among those clinicians working with this group of patients. This accessible and clinically driven book is amplified by up-to-date theoretical information such as exploring the psychobiology of AD's, considering the best evidence-based treatments, and touching on the philosophical questions that AD's raise, such as whether AD's are actually a disease. The chapters follow a natural progression beginning with the history and controversies, through to epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment, then addressing the biology of AD's and concluding with an examination of AD's in special groups such as children and adolescents as well as in medico-legal settings.

Highly Commended in the Psyschiatry category at the BMA Book Awards 2019

About the Author
Patricia Casey is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. She is also an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin, Ireland and the Editor of BJPsych Advances for the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Reviews
This book has very much improved my understanding of the complexities of adjustment disorder ... It seems to me that it fills a distinct gap in the literature and that it could foster improvement in the diagnosis and understanding of AD. * BMA reviewing panel, BMA Medical Book Awards 2019 *


Awards
Winner of Shortlisted for the Psychiatry category of the British Medical Association Book Awards 2019.



Book Information
ISBN 9780198786214
Author Patricia Casey
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 141mm * 12mm