Psychiatry of sexuality
13 Psychiatry of sexuality Introduction Psychosexual disorders can be divided into disorders of sexual preference and disorders of sexual functioning. The forensic aspects of the former are addressed in Chapter…
Sleep disorders
14 Sleep disorders Normal sleep Sleep is usually described as a series of phases characterized by changes in physiological variables, most notably the electroencephalogram (EEG), as illustrated in Figure 14.1….
Eating disorders
18 Eating disorders Eating disorders traditionally include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, obesity and psychogenic vomiting. In the USA over recent years ‘binge eating disorder’ has been added to this list….
Mental health legislation
22 Mental health legislation In the UK there are different legal systems for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, although they have developed in parallel. UK mental health legislation…
The dissociative (conversion) and hypochondriasis and other somatoform disorders
11 The dissociative (conversion) and hypochondriasis and other somatoform disorders Introduction This chapter deals with the various types of neurotic and stress-related disorders previously included under the term hysteria. This…
Personality disorders
15 Personality disorders Introduction ‘Personality’ can be defined as the lifelong persistent and enduring characteristics and attitudes of an individual, including that person’s ways of thinking (cognition), feeling (affectivity) and…
Psychiatry of menstruation and pregnancy
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…
Schizophrenia and delusional (paranoid) disorders
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,…
Cultural psychiatry
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…
Psychiatry of the elderly
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…
