What causes psychiatric disorders to appear? Are they primarily the result of people s environments, or of their genes? Increasingly, we are told that research has confirmed the importance of genetic influences on psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This timely, challenging book provides a much-needed critical appraisal of the evidence cited in support of genetic theories of psychiatric disorders, which hold that these disorders are caused by an inherited genetic predisposition in combination with environmental agents or events.
Autism spectrum disorder has received increasing research in recent years, with more information on assessment and treatment than can be readily assimilated from primary literature by clinicians. Clinical Assessment and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders summarizes evidence-based assessments and intervention for Autism across the life-span, providing clinicians with a practical overview of how best to assess and treat this disorder. The book begins with a discussion of what warrants a determination of being "evidence based" and a description of the disorder from a life span perspective.
Autism is a baffling brain disorder that profoundly affects children's communication and social skills. It is also a spectrum disorder, which means it can occur in a variety of forms and intensity. Most cases of autism appear before a child's third birthday. Recent years have marked a stunning rise in the number of children diagnosed as autistic, with the U.S. Department of Education reporting a 173-percent rise in the number of autistic students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Act between the 1992-93 and 1997-98 school years.
Edward R. Ritvo MD is an internationally recognized medical expert, researcher and pioneer in the field of autism and Asperger's disorder, and co-author of the official diagnostic criteria in the DSM ("Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"). Much of what is known about these disorders today is based on his painstaking research and groundbreaking discoveries. In this book, he shares his forty years' experience and opens his extensive UCLA casebook to the reader. "Understanding the Nature of Autism and Asperger's Disorder" is 'a consultation with Prof. Ritvo' - a thoroughly accessible introduction for professionals, families, spouses and individuals with autism and Asperger's Disorder.
Bulimics on Bulimia is a collection of accounts by people who are living with the disorder, shedding new light on the day-to-day struggle of coping with bulimia. This book challenges the stereotypical image of the bulimic teenage girl, revealing that bulimia affects a far wider range of people, and dispelling the myth that bingeing involves only food and purging involves only vomiting. The powerful stories in this book provide new perspectives on the experience of bulimia, revealing the complex realities of the illness and the different ways in which different people view themselves and the disorder that has become a part of their lives.
