12 Psychiatry of menstruation and pregnancy Introduction Psychiatric disorders are more common in women. Genetic, social and cultural theories have been put forward to explain these findings. Table 12.1 shows…
8 Schizophrenia and delusional (paranoid) disorders Introduction Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating psychiatric disorders. It is a major psychosis that can manifest itself in a variety of ways,…
20 Psychiatry of the elderly In some countries the term psychogeriatrics has traditionally been used to refer to the psychiatry of the elderly. However, besides having pejorative connotations, this term…
19 Cultural psychiatry This chapter considers the presentation of psychiatric disorders in non-Western populations, including immigrants to Western countries. This is followed by a brief description of specific disorders that…
2 The life net Introduction It is usual, when discussing animal development, to refer to the ‘life cycle’. In many ways this is appropriate. One could argue that human beings…
4 Doctor–patient communication Introduction Consideration of the relationship between doctor and patient is essential in all fields of medical specialization, even in those where there is no direct patient contact….
1 Introduction Psychiatry is that branch of medicine dealing with mental disorder and its treatment. The word is derived from psyche, the Greek word for soul or mind, and iatros,…
Syndromes of cognitive impairment As described on page 7, organic disorders are ‘diseases of the body’ which present with psychiatric symptoms. In contrast, functional psychiatric disorders are considered to be…
Personality disorders – introduction and classification Personality and its assessment Personality determines the way people behave and feel in response to things that happen to them. It has a strong…
Child psychiatry I The psychiatric disorders that present in childhood are distinct from those in adults because they arise within complex and intimate family relationships, and are influenced by the…
