This book is the latest in a series published by the International Society for the Psychological Treatments of the Schizophrenias and Other Psychoses under the overall editorship of Brian Martindale. It arose from their 14th conference held in Melbourne, Australia, where the debate had been on whether biological and psychological interventions could be integrated in the treatment of psychoses.
The editors explain how in the 1990s psychosocial interventions had become afterthoughts to antipsychotic medication as indicated by a survey in Australia in 2000 revealing that less than 40% of individuals with psychotic disorders had received any form of counselling or psychotherapy within the past year. An aim of the book was to redress this imbalance.
The intentions of the chapters is not only to provide evidence of the effectiveness of psychological interventions, but also to promulgate their application in routine care. A wide range of topics is covered and the authorship is truly international with contributors from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Germany, UK, Norway and India.
The book represents a broad church with contributions from the cognitive–behavioural perspective, a more narrative approach and a psychodynamic approach. Topics covered include integration models between biological and psychological approaches, rehabilitation, family therapy, group therapy, psychosocial interventions in clinical practice, the treatment alliance in bipolar disorder, an integrated programme for first-episode schizophrenia and developing psychotherapy in the pre-psychotic phase. There is also a chapter devoted to the contentious question of whether the individual's personal experience at a spiritual level should replace diagnosis as the primary issue.
Particularly interesting were two chapters considering the importance of the cultural element when evaluating psychosis. These related to India and the Maoris in New Zealand, where we were treated to a detailed description of their cultural beliefs, their language and, with the latter, the need to incorporate Maori-speakers in evaluating presenting psychotic states.
While the book covers research data from many countries, it does not lose contact with its applications for clinical practice. This is particularly well illustrated in the area of family interactions, where relatively brief interventions may have telling effects in the prevention of further relapses.
In summary, this book advocates the integration of psychological approaches into the treatment of psychoses. It is an important book to be strongly recommended both for trainees, to familiarise themselves with the literature, and for consultants in considering how to effect their integration within their current approach to psychosis.
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