Schizophrenia: progress in multidisciplinary treatment
Emerson Arcoverde Nunes
Psychiatrist. Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences Division, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neurochemical Research Unit. Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Cristiano S. Noto; Rodrigo A. Bressan. 2nd Ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2012.
Most psychiatric disorders are of such complexity that a multidisciplinary approach is required to provide proper patient care. This need is evident among patients with schizophrenia, a disorder that represents one of the most stigmatized illnesses in psychiatric clinics. This is not only because of the severity of the symptoms and their consequent limitations but also because of their chronic nature. In a significant number of patients, these symptoms are refractory to existing therapies. This book presents a considerable broadening of content compared with the first edition, which briefly suggested, through a predominantly clinical text, multi-professional therapeutic intervention based on the experience of PROESQ (Programa de Esquizofrenia UNIFESP - EPM) for the care of schizophrenic patients. In this second edition, the book's organizers, with contributions from several experts, managed to go beyond the theme of the title. This work is a contribution toward the development of a practical guide for health professionals regarding best practices for managing patients with schizophrenia.
Composed of twenty chapters divided into three parts, the first part of this work of a little more than 300 pages presents updated chapters on the psychopathology of the disorder. Basic concepts of the disorder are discussed in these seven initial chapters, such as the chapter titled "The Historical Concept of Schizophrenia". Other chapters discuss subjects that have received greater attention only in the last few decades, such as the initial psychotic episode, stigma in schizophrenia and the relationship between drug abuse and schizophrenia. The second part of the book considers the multidisciplinary approach itself and is the eminently clinical part of the work. The eighth chapter, which opens the section, describes a patient's psychiatric assessment model based on the International Guidelines for Diagnostic Assessment (IGDA) developed by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The chapter describes the ten sections of the IGDA, including recommendations for diagnosis and treatment plans, and illustrative service forms that emphasize the didactic and practical features of this publication.
The remaining chapters of the section describe the various multi-professional approaches of the areas involved in the appropriate handling of schizophrenic patients: fundamentals of pharmacological treatment and relapse prevention, nursing care, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation, assessment and intervention in occupational therapy, re-employment and family approaches. These chapters reinforce the multi-professional, practical guide aspects of the present publication.
The third and last part, "New Perspectives", represents the most theoretical section and includes chapters on subjects of current research related to schizophrenia. One of these chapters, "Translational Research", discusses research on animal models of schizophrenia and its similarities with human measures. The following chapter presents new medicines and briefly reviews the substances and neurotransmitters involved in the research on alternatives for schizophrenia treatment. At the end of the section and the book, chapter twenty discusses mental states of risk and prevention strategies and debates the importance of changing the focus of treatment and recovery to health prevention and promotion. Furthermore, this chapter considers the current ethics of the need to provide psychiatric care to people who do not have a psychiatric diagnosis according to the current medical nosology.
Thus, the book fulfils what it proposes, serving as a valuable and concise reference for doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, nurses, students and other professionals interested in a practical, up-to-date guide for managing schizophrenic patients. Such professionals may contribute to treatment that may change the outcomes of this serious mental disorder.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
16 Jan 2013 -
Date of issue
Dec 2012
