Reviews (1)

Psychopharmacological overview in practical format
In it's second edition, the book divides into two essential overviews that are very "user friendly". The first part profiles a general clinical psychopharmacology which provides a well written and comprehensible neuroanatomy review, which is basic to the understanding of how psychotropic drugs work. The mental disorders are discussed which these drugs are used to treat, along with ECT, abuse dynamics and interventions.

The second section provides a complete drug profile for more than 100 psychotropics. Included in each profile are facts that exceed most common nursing medication books. The drug index is all encompassing and has index resource to furthur promote a handy reference source. ... Read more

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Healing and Hope for the Unloved and Unaffirmed
An excellent book revealing the importance of unconditional love and affirmation in one's life. Baars & Terruwe describe the discovery and symptoms of Emotional Deprivation Disorder -- a syndrome which results from a lack of unconditional love and emotional strengthening in one's life. EDD manifests itself with symptoms such as feelings of loneliness, insecurity, insignificance, and worthlessness. Unaffirmed persons generally feel unwanted, unloved, inferior, depressed, afraid of the world, oversensitive, unlovable, and unable to make friends and relate to others. This results in an emotional prison which is only able to be opened from the outside -- by another person giving unselfish, unconditional, authentic love. To be healed, the individual must feel worthwhile to another person, loved, and understood. Truly an important book for our time -- a time when so many are deprived of the emotional affirmation and love that they need. ... Read more

Book Description

Drugs and Society, Eighth Edition clearly illustrates the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of ordinary people and provides students with a realistic perspective of drug-related problems in our society. Written in an objective and user-friendly manner, this best-selling text continues to captivate students by incorporating personal drug use and abuse experiences and perspectives throughout. The eighth edition has been revised and updated with the most current views on drug abuse and exposes the issues from a pharmacological, psychological, and sociological perspective.

The authors’ combined expertise and extensive experiences in research, teaching, drug policy-making, and drug policy implementation make this introductory text the most comprehensive and authoritative available. Students in nursing, health science, psychology, social work, and sociology will learn:

why and how drug use and abuse occurs;
the results of drug use and abuse;
how to prevent drug use and abuse; and
how drugs can be used effectively for therapeutic purposes.

Comes with a free student-note taking guide! This workbook and note-taking companion is the perfect resource for students! It will help them pay attention during lectures, take better notes, and study more effectively ... Read more

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Altho a difficult read this is a great teaching text
This text provides informative and up to date information regarding a broad range of drug related topic. Althought the reading level is not easy, the information is extremely useful for drug counselors. The information presented regarding psychopharmacology provides an excellent base of preparation for the certification test used in many states. I highly recommend this text as well as many of the web site exercises. ... Read more

Book Description

In this era of managed care, this text helps health professionals properly assess, manage, and monitor the overall care of persons who have emotional and psychiatric problems. This new text includes practical clinical skills, numerous case studies, and references and suggested readings at the end of each chapter.In addition, this books thoroughly explains effective collaboration with other health disciplines, including when to seek referral and consultation. Nurses, nurse practitioners. ... Read more

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A must have for your professional library
This book is a must have for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse. It helped to bring me to a better understanding of my role as a psychiatric APN as well as moving me beyond myself to see the greater impact that our profession is making and needs to continue to make. The book is a tremendous resource, with a comprehensive overview of concepts and interventions that assist with everyday practice and an overview of the vulnerable populations that we serve. ... Read more

Book Description

First published under the title Psychiatric Nursing, this book provides users with the most up-to-date, evidence-based, culturally competent, authoritative, comprehensive resource available; and presents the information in an accessible, clinically-relevant, and professional format.Comprehensive and easily accessible, this book covers all topics in the psychiatric-mental health nursing profession, including evidence-based practice, applying processes to practice, clients with mental disorders, vulnerable populations, and nursing intervention strategies and outcomes.For psychiatric-mental health nurses and practictioners. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive text offers a unique perspective on the needs of clients with psychiatric disorders.Its fresh and innovative approach is designed to help practitioners understand their clients so they can provide humanistic health care and disease treatment.Current issues in psychiatric mental health nursing affect the care of clients: health care reform, shorter inpatient stays, psycho biology, community care, and technology.The text offers a framework for dealing with these issues while providing a high level of care.The real-life experiences of clients with psychiatric disorders are presented through excerpts from literature, movie clips, and classic art. Special client populations are addressed: the physically ill client; the homeless and incarcerated; the child; the adolescent; the elderly; and survivors of violence or abuse.Emphasis on the art and science of nursing; art through the use of humanities (literary excerpts, movie clips), and science through the theoretical and eepidemiological base underlying disorders. (key words: psychiatric nursing, mental health nursing, psychiatric diorders, epidemiology, cultural assessment, nursing) ... Read more

Book Description

Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing, 8th Edition provides comprehensive coverage of psychiatric nursing. Beginning with fundamental coverage of all key psychiatric nursing principles, it goes on to address the complete continuum of care - including mental health promotion and illness prevention, crisis intervention, and psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. The book then applies psychiatric nursing principles to specific clinical disorders based on adaptive-maladaptive coping responses, the six-step nursing process, and DSM-IV-TR and NANDA diagnoses. Subsequent chapters describe various modalities of treatment (psychopharmacology, somatic therapies, cognitive and behavioral therapies, managing aggressive behavior, and more), hospital-based and community-based care, and treatment of special populations. * The Stuart Stress Adaptation Model provides a consistent nursing-oriented framework for understanding health and wellness. * Evidence-based algorithms are presented in lieu of the less relevant critical pathways found in other texts. * The latest American Nurses Association's Standards of Care prepare students for the realities of evidenced-based care in nursing practice. * A vibrant, full-color design enhances and enriches students' understanding of essential concepts. * Short vignettes in a patient's and family's own words give readers a different perspective of the caregiving process. * Case studies present in-depth clinical scenarios that show each step of the nursing process, demonstrating realistic applications of the nursing process. * Critical thinking questions interspersed throughout the text encourage independent clinical reasoning. ... Read more

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Psychiatric Nursing
This is a great textbook. Very informative without being boring. Includes personal reports from patients, families, and experienced nurses. Each chapter concludes with a short quiz to help focus on the main points. Includes assessment tools such as the Mini Mental Status Exam. Perfect for beginners. This book is a refreshing balance of educational and enjoyable reading. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume of Lippincott's Review Series provides a completereview of mental health and psychiatric nursing. Comprehensive outlinescover fundamental concepts to help students learn and retaininformation. Each chapter concludes with study questions and rationalefor the correct and incorrect answers. A 100 question comprehensiveexamination helps students evaluate their knowledge of this clinicalarea. All questions are coded according to NCLEX components to furtherdirect learners to areas needing additional study. New Second EditionFeatures...Key Concepts -- highlight essential information. NursingAlerts -- provide critical clinical reminders. Lippincott's ReviewSeries reinforces and enhances classroom efforts. One of the best studyand NCLEX prep review resources available. ... Read more

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Excellent! Clear and concise.
This is an excellent book to use to review. The content is easy to read and the book contains everything you need to know. I had the privledge of having Ann Isaacs as an instructor and she is one of the best. The review questions are great to practice for the state boards. ... Read more

Book Description

In this vivid and thoughtful study, David Karp chronicles the experiences of the family members of the mentally ill, and how they draw "boundaries of sympathy" to avoid being engulfed by the day-to-day suffering of a loved one. Working from sixty extensive interviews, the author reveals striking similarities in the experiences of caregivers: the feelings of shame, fear, guilt and powerlessness in the face of a socially stigmatized illness; the frustration of navigating the complex network of bureaucracies that govern the mental health system; and most of all, the difficulty negotiating an "appropriate" level of involvement with the mentally ill loved one while maintaining enough distance for personal health. Throughout, Karp sensitively explores the overarching question of how people strike equilibrium between reason and emotion, between head and heart, when caring for a catastrophically ill person. The book concludes with a critical look at what it means to be a moral and caring person at the turn of the century in America, when powerful cultural messages spell out two contradictory imperatives: pursue personal fulfillment at any cost and care for the family at any cost. An insightful, deeply caring look at mental illness and at the larger picture of contemporary values, The Burden of Sympathy is required reading for caregivers of all kinds, and for anyone seeking broader understanding of human responsibility in the postmodern world. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Have a mentally ill family member? Then chances are...
...you will find part of your story in this book. A second reading may be required to appreciate its sociological insights. My primary satisfaction in first reading it was actually hearing about others who've had experiences similar to what have been the most defining yet harshly individuating and closely guarded experiences of my life. Especially poignant were the first realizations of serious mental illness, but the ongoing survival stories were important as well. As many stories as were outlined, I was still left wanting more. ...

Excellent picture of today's realities -- NOT for guidance
In _Burden of Sympathy_, sociolgist David A. Karp presents a well-articulated view of how people today are trying to cope with mentall illness in their families.

However, it's important to note that the mental health system generally provides little help for *families* of the mentally ill, so the many people Karp interviews are very much trying to learn to cope. Therefore, this is not the book to read if you're looking for guidance. It is, however, a revealing picture of what it means to have mental illness in one's family today.

For example, this book's focus in on the caregiver and his/her relationship to the patient. Almost no one is prepared for the personal, spiritual, moral and emotional challenges (not to mention financial) that seem to burst on you when someone you love has a mental illness. The people in _Burden of Sympathy_ have not gone the whole journey, and this is particularly reflected in one mother's account. She and her husband are not able to fully acknowledge their son's illness until he cruelly -- and possibly life-threateningly -- attacks his brother. The mother expresses concern that because she is completely enveloped in caring for her ill son, that she's failing her other children.

The effect of mental illness on families is almost a system in itself, and due to the focus on caregiver-patient in this book, that system is not illuminated. Children who do not play a caregiving role are also profoundly affected and challenged, and have needs of their own that often are not met -- with consequences casting a long shadow over the rest of their lives. I hope David Karp will explore this issue in future books.

In addition, many of the other inteviewees are also completely enveloped in the mentally ill relative -- with hard consequences for their other relationships and lives. This, in my opinion, is where we are most challenged and most ill-equipped to deal with mental illness in our families. How do you get to acceptance? How do you distinguish your needs from theirs? How do you maintain that balance? How do you embrace the "4th C" (detailed in this book) of "All I can do is cope with it [the situation]"?

_Burden of Sympathy_ is a beautifully drawn picture of how caregivers attempt to cope. This book won't offer guidance in coping, but will offer you the solace of knowing you're not alone.

Like Being in a Support Group
To write this book Karp, a sociologist, performed three-years' worth of in-depth interviewing of family members of mentally ill patients and attended support groups among these family members at McLean's Hospital in Belmont, MA. He also read extensively on mental illness and living with mental illness, mostly from sociological literature and some from medical books and a few medical journal articles. When I first looked at the book at the library, I noticed the chapter called "The Four C's." Looking at this chapter was what caused me to take the book home. I ended up reading almost the entire book carefully.

Throughout the book, Karp discusses and quotes 60 caregivers (by "caregivers," I mean someone with a close relative with mental illness) talking about their relatives and about their own feelings, always focusing on the caregivers' reactions to the events surrounding the illnesses. Karp's main concern is with the obligation family members feel toward their mentally ill relative(s) and with how these family members cope with fulfilling their obligations toward the ill person(s) while trying to live their own lives. One theme that reappears often is that many mentally ill persons refuse to acknowledge their illness at one level or another, thus making their familial caregiver's role more difficult. This includes elderly parents who refuse to get help as well as young spouses with manic episodes who place blame on their healthy spouses. Another theme is the evolution of family caregiver emotions, from those of surprise and pain and hope at first to resentment and even severing of relations in some cases.

Karp notes that parental care and obligation is the strongest of the familial ties with the mentally ill. He also covers numerous siblings, spouses, and children of people with mental illness. Some of the interviewees have both a parent and a sibling with an illness; some of these people are living with the fear of suffering the development of the illness themselves. Many wrestle with depression, seemingly as a result of their problems with their sick relative.

Most of the patients related to Karp's interviewees have depression, mania, schizophrenia, or some combination such as bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disease. Most or all have had hospitalizations. Karp manages to cover a wide range of family relationship and ages with most of the concepts he introduces, thus emphasizing the similarities among those involved with mental illness in the family. The level of illness discussed is generally major.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is powerful and brutally honest, with no happy ending or false hopes. Another strong theme in this book that is visited over and over again is the chronicity and incurability of much mental illness. Quote after quote from the family members discusses early hopes of cure that are dashed by later episodes of illness, medications that work for a while and then stop working or never work at all or cost too much, and hospitalizations that accomplish little besides crisis intervention. At the beginning of each support group meeting Karp attended, the members of the group recited the four C's in unison: "I didn't cause it. I can't cure it. I can't control it. All I can do is cope with it." This is probably the most important part of the book for family members of mentally ill persons. Karp discusses the four C's extensively, claiming that they unite the realms of "...science, therapy, and spirituality." He discusses cause, cure, and control separately. The lack of a section on coping at this juncture is curious; it may imply that the entire book is about coping or that Karp doesn't feel equipped to offer coping advice.

Reading this book was the closest experience I have had to attending a support group of family caregivers for mentally ill persons. As I read the chapter about the four C's, I could feel my own relationship with the four C's. Although I tried hard to consider myself an outsider, I was surprised at how many of the issues addressed in the book are ones that I am familiar with. Reading this book, I felt like part of a group that I would rather not be part of. Because of these feelings, I think other people with mentally ill family members might get something out of this book, but I am not sure a psychiatrist would be comfortable recommending the book.

Along with the four C's, Karp and his interviewees discuss a poignant group of problems that family caregivers face, such as the balance between allowing a person with mental illness to be independent and keeping him or her safe but dependent. Karp claims that, for the family caregivers, too much control results in being controlled by the illness. He acknowledges, however, that giving up control is not simple, as it may result in severe consequences for the patient, which can then tax the family.

The last chapter containing caregiver quotes is called, "Surviving the System." This section covers the family members' experiences with hospitalization, including the difficulties of getting a patient hospitalized sometimes when it is needed as well as insufficient care often encountered during hospitalization. A section is devoted to discussion of psychiatrists. Although most of it is not complimentary, Karp is careful to include some praise of psychiatrists.

Karp concludes with a sociological perspective on mental illness, somewhat summarily. The only optimistic aspect of this book is in the form of Karp admitting that he has heard of a few success stories. He mentions a few people who seem to have conquered these usually devastating mental illnesses, and he includes successes where he finds them. The book is not pessimistic, either. It is alive with the voices of people who are grappling with mental illness in a loved one. The book offers company and understanding, if not solutions, for family members of mentally ill people.

Breathtaking book - a Must Read!
David Karp promises no easy answers, but he is unquestionably our most eloquent chronicler of mental illness. I had to take a lot of deep breaths as I read this book. It is full of gripping stories about the daily crises and terrible contradictions faced by anyone living with a mentally ill family member. The book moves between personal narratives and cultural analysis to explore what we owe the people we love. If you are a caregiver, or simply a reader who is puzzling through the question of commitment and moral obligation in your own relationships, you simply must buy and read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

This supplemental text/reference presents fifty-three nursingcare plans that address the most commonly encountered behaviors andbehavior complexes among adult and adolescent clients in psychiatricmental health nursing. The book's logical, easy-to-use organizationmakes it the perfect complement to any psych-nursing text, and promotescomfort and confidence when used in both classroom and clinicalsettings. Readers can easily identify a client's problem by locatingeither the nursing diagnosis or the client's symptom. Coverage includesbasic psychiatric nursing concepts, issues and interventions; and thetext's Nursing Process focus utilizes the latest NANDA nursingdiagnoses. Therapeutic goals link assessment data and expected clientoutcomes; and expected outcomes are prioritized into initial anddischarge, stressing client safety first. New in this edition: / Twonew sections in Basic Concepts, including: Guidelines for DeliveringCulturally Competent Care, Health Promotion and Early Interventions forCare-givers / Outcomes-focused care / Multiplicity of care settings,including home care and partial hospitalization / Case Management,including critical pathways and transitions into the community /Complete updating of Psychopharmacology content. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Examples of Psychiatric Nursing Care Plans
I am a current nursing student, and i kept this book with me throughout my psychiatric clinical rotation. This book gave me all the nursing diagnoses related to a specific psychiatric problem and the nursing interventions that would be appropriate. This is a must-have for anyone in psychiatric nursing! ... Read more

Book Description

The updated edition of this unique guide provides practical and innovative strategies for care of people with Alzheimer's disease.Written from the viewpoint that activity-focused care promotes the resident's cognitive, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual wellbeing, the text is very readable and highly recommended for caregivers and families of people with Alzheimer's disease. ... Read more

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Resourceful Care Planning Guide
I don't need a thousand words to encourage the publisher to print more books. This book provides wonderful information on the problems that arise and some strategies for care of the individual with Alzheimer's. I really wished I hadn't loaned my copy out...ah well perhaps someone is finding what a great resource it is for the caregiver. ... Read more

Book Description

Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing, 8th Edition provides comprehensive coverage of psychiatric nursing. Beginning with fundamental coverage of all key psychiatric nursing principles, it goes on to address the complete continuum of care - including mental health promotion and illness prevention, crisis intervention, and psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. The book then applies psychiatric nursing principles to specific clinical disorders based on adaptive-maladaptive coping responses, the six-step nursing process, and DSM-IV-TR and NANDA diagnoses. Subsequent chapters describe various modalities of treatment (psychopharmacology, somatic therapies, cognitive and behavioral therapies, managing aggressive behavior, and more), hospital-based and community-based care, and treatment of special populations. * The Stuart Stress Adaptation Model provides a consistent nursing-oriented framework for understanding health and wellness. * Evidence-based algorithms are presented in lieu of the less relevant critical pathways found in other texts. * The latest American Nurses Association's Standards of Care prepare students for the realities of evidenced-based care in nursing practice. * A vibrant, full-color design enhances and enriches students' understanding of essential concepts. * Short vignettes in a patient's and family's own words give readers a different perspective of the caregiving process. * Case studies present in-depth clinical scenarios that show each step of the nursing process, demonstrating realistic applications of the nursing process. * Critical thinking questions interspersed throughout the text encourage independent clinical reasoning. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An outstanding guide for handling a devastating process
I am the director of a university counseling center and have had to perform survivor/family notification several times. I welcome Dr. Iserson's book (really a manual)as there is, to my knowledge, no other comprehensive guide to handling this task. I know I had to improvise on the occasions I have been called upon to perform this function. By luck, what we did followed his guidelines; I can also say that our university staff grappled with many of the issues he discusses, albeit without his guidance. He provides detailed suggestions and checklist type guides for many types of situations. The guidance he provides serves two functions: First, to prevent terrible mistakes or oversights from occuring; second, to provide the professional with some comfort that the best response to terrible events has been made. I strongly recommend this work to individuals who, through their professional roles, may find this task thrust upon them, or to the general reader who desires some guidance against the day that the reader may be called upon to do this. His suggestions are mainstream, compassionate, and provide guidance in handling many variables in these situations.

Comprehensive guide to Sensitive Subject
I applaud the work that went into this book from the standpoint of how widespread the author's subject matter stretched. From a chaplain's perspective who has worked in an ER for several years, I found its content refreshing, especially coming from an physician. It is my experience that many doctors have trouble in breaking bad news. Grave Words gives many good ideas for different kinds of situations and specific pathways that one could integrate into their setting. I have given copies to my ER head nurse, the Trauma Specialist and to the Trauma Surgeons in my center. It had served to bridge our discussions around family care. I reccommend it to any professional who deals with death and bad news on a regular basis. ... Read more