Electroshock therapy has long suffered from a controversial and bizarre public image, effectively removing it as a treatment option for many patients. In Electroshock, Max Fink, M.D., draws on 45 year
Electroshock therapy has long suffered from a controversial and bizarre public image, effectively removing it as a treatment option for many patients. In Electroshock, Max Fink, M.D., draws on 45 yea
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), despite its controversial history, may well represent the only viable treatment for severe psychiatric illness in those for whom medication is not an option. In Elect
Catatonia is a syndrome of motor dysregulation (mutism, peculiar postures, repetitive speech, negativism and imitative movements), and is found in as many as ten per cent of acutely ill psychiatric inpatients. Although its classification has been controversial, the identification of catatonia is not difficult, but it is often missed, leading to the false notion that the syndrome is rare. Catatonia has various presentations, and may be caused by many neurologic and general medical conditions, most commonly mood disorder. Treatments are well defined, and when used, catatonia has an excellent prognosis. This book, by two leading neuropsychiatrists, describes the features of catatonia, teaches the reader how to identify and treat the syndrome successfully, and describes its neurobiology. Patient vignettes from the authors' practices, and many from the classical literature, illustrate the principles of diagnosing and treating patients with catatonia. It is an essential clinical reference f
What are the real disease entities in psychiatry? This is a question that has bedeviled the study of the mind for more than a century yet it is low on the research agenda of psychiatry. Basic science
The riddle of melancholia has stumped generations of doctors. It is a serious depressive illness that often leads to suicide and premature death. The disease's link to biology has been intensively s
Few mental illness treatments are more reviled in the public mind than Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy. However, in reality, ECT is a safe and effective treatment for cases of clinical depression and
