Libri ricevuti
In questa rubrica vengono presentati i libri, ricevuti o segnalati, in ordine alfabetico per Autore. I libri sono presentati dalle schede delle rispettive Case Editrici. La presentazione non esclude la possibilità di una futura recensione nei prossimi numeri della Rivista di psichiatria.

Ackerman MJ
Essentials of forensic psychological assessment
Wiley, Chichester 2010, pagine 352, € 33,00

Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to confidently administer, score, and interpret the key assessment instruments used by forensic psychologists Mental health professionals are frequently called on to perform forensic assessments for a wide variety of court cases. To use these instruments properly, professionals need an authoritative source of advice and guidance on how to administer, score, and interpret them. Now fully revised and in a second edition, Essentials of Forensic Psychological Assessment is that source. The Second Edition is completely updated to reflect current research and theory in the field, including the most recent codes and standards published by the American Psychological Association. In addition, this volume offers updated coverage of the most frequently used instruments in forensic psychological assessments, including the MMPI ®-2 and MMPI-2-RF, PAI®, Rorschach®, ASPECT, and various neuropsychological assessment instruments. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, this book is designed to help busy mental health practitioners, and those in training, quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of major psychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered.


Armstrong CL
Handbook of medical neuropsychology.
Applications of cognitive neuroscience
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 490, € 138,00

The recent surge of interest in the neuroscience of autism, HIV/AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other disorders has brought with it an increasing awareness of the effects of medical conditions on the brain and behavior: an awareness extending through the research and practice arenas, among those working with pediatric and adult clients alike. Comprehensive in scope and highly detailed in its coverage, the Handbook of Medical Neuropsychology is organized to give readers knowledge of the field, whether one needs to understand a clinical evaluation, design a research study, or gain a deeper understanding of disease processes and corresponding behaviors. Featuring the most up-to-date information on cognitive neuroscience to enhance the work of the practitioner, the student, or the researcher, the book handles theory, historical background, practical considerations, and controversial areas with clear explanations, clinical expertise, and real-world insight, and critiques diagnostic and assessment tools specific to disorders. The wide selection of commonly seen and rarely encountered diagnoses covered includes: Primary nervous system disease and injury. Vascular system disease. Developmental, genetic, and structural disorders. Dementia and normal aging. Immune-related disorders. Endocrine disease. Metabolic conditions. Plus a chapter on current and emerging approaches to rehabilitation. Opening out a specialty as it grows in importance, the Handbook of Medical Neuropsychology is an essential resource for the neuropsychology clinician, researcher, or graduate student. It will be stimulating and relevant reading for years to come.


Casher MI, Bess JD
Manual of inpatient psychiatry
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2010, pagine 192,
€ 40,00

Inpatient units treat some of the most difficult psychiatric patients. This compact clinical manual is convenient for use on the ward and serves as a standard guide for treatment, addressing the common questions and issues that clinicians face in day-to-day psychiatric work with this challenging patient group. Chapters are organized around the diagnoses found on inpatient psychiatric units, with additional chapters addressing documentation and the care of young adult inpatients. Charts, tables and clinical hints amplify the text, allowing practicing clinicians to find the information they need quickly and easily, and enabling students to master the field for board and end-of-clerkship exams. This practical manual is essential reading for practicing psychiatrists, psychiatric residents and all psychiatric educators, as well as serving as an accessible reference for physicians in other specialties who consult on the psychiatric ward, psychiatric nurses and medical students.
Cawthorn A, Mackereth PA
Integrative hypnotherapy.
Complementary approaches in clinical care
Elsevier-Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh 2010, € 38,00

Many CAM therapists and conventional health care professionals use hypnotherapy as part of their package of care. This book addresses a gap in the market by providing fully evidence-based instruction on how to integrate the theory and practice of hypnotherapy to health care settings. It presents a combined approach of using hypnotherapy alongside other therapies, and is authored by a multidisciplinary team (nurses, psychologists, hypnotherapists and CAM therapists) who use hypnotherapy in their practice and have a track record in integrating therapies in clinical settings. Edited by well-known and popular educators in the field, the book will meet the needs of CAM students and practitioners and conventional health care professionals. The book will be divided into two Sections: Key concepts and Approaches in practice. The Approaches in practice section will cover the application of hypnotherapy to specific situations/problems (eg managing pain, smoking cessation, gastro-intestinal disorders, life-threatening illness, anxiety, weight management.
Chiorri C
Fondamenti di psicometria
McGraw-Hill, Milano 2010, pagine 512, € 31,00
Lo spauracchio principale della psicometria è rappresentato dai suoi aspetti matematici e dalla necessità di applicare le formule, che probabilmente veicolano un’immagine della materia (e di chi la insegna) come fredda e asettica. Ecco perché questo manuale si caratterizza per un taglio curioso e divertente, grazie alla presenza di aneddoti e a qualche battuta di spirito. Nel capitolo 1 vengono presentate le nozioni fondamentali della psicometria e della statistica psicometrica, in particolare le variabili e le loro scale di misura, i vari tipi di test psicologici e le loro proprietà psicometriche, ossia validità e attendibilità. Nel capitolo 2 viene illustrato come ottenere e interpretare le statistiche descrittive e realizzare rappresentazioni grafiche e tabulari dei dati. Il capitolo 3 affronta inizialmente i concetti base della teoria della probabilità e del calcolo combinatorio, in modo da fornire gli strumenti conoscitivi necessari per affrontare il nucleo di quest’opera, ossia la statistica inferenziale. Sempre in questo capitolo vengono introdotte le distribuzioni di probabilità, le distribuzioni campionarie e il procedimento di verifica delle ipotesi. Nei capitoli 4, 5 e 6 vengono descritte le procedure statistiche per verificare ipotesi con, rispettivamente, uno, due e tre o più campioni mentre il capitolo 7 mostra come valutare l’associazione fra due variabili.
Cohen MA et al.
Handbook of AIDS psychiatry
Oxford University Press, Oxford 2010, pagine 398, € 47,00
The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry is a practical pocket guide that provides protocols for the recognition and treatment of the psychiatric disorders most prevalent in persons with AIDS and most relevant for primary physicians, infectious disease specialists, and other caregivers because of their impact on health, adherence, behavior, and quality of life. The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry introduces a unique concept relevant to the prevention of HIV transmission by linking early childhood trauma and effective parenting with decreasing risk behaviors and improving adherence to risk reduction and medical care. The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry is a practical guide for AIDS psychiatrists and other mental health professionals as well as for other clinicians who work with persons with HIV and AIDS and a companion book to the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry (Cohen and Gorman, 2008). The Handbook provides insights into the dynamics of adherence to risk reduction and medical care in persons with HIV and AIDS as well as strategies to improve adherence using a biopsychosocial approach. Psychiatric disorders can accelerate the spread of the virus by creating barriers to risk reduction. Risky sexual behaviors and sharing of needles in intravenous drug users account for the majority of new cases each year. Delirium, dementia, depression, substance dependence, PTSD, and other psychiatric disorders complicate the course and add considerably to the pain and suffering of persons with AIDS. HIV infection and AIDS also are risk factors for suicide, and the rate of suicide has been shown to be higher in persons with AIDS. Psychiatric care can help prevent HIV transmission through recognition and treatment of substance-related disorders, dementia, and mood disorders such as mania. Comprehensive, coordinated care by a multidisciplinary AIDS team, including AIDS psychiatrists, can provide a biopsychosocial approach that is supportive to patients, families, and clinicians. Psychiatric interventions are valuable in every phase of infection, from identification of risk behaviors to anticipation about HIV testing; from exposure and initial infection to confirmation with a positive HIV antibody test; from entry into systems of care to managing complex antiretroviral regimen; from healthy seropositive to onset of first AIDS-related illness; from late stage AIDS to end-stage AIDS and death. There is no comprehensive handbook of AIDS psychiatry to guide clinicians in providing much needed care. The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry is a practical pocket guide that provides protocols for the recognition and treatment of the psychiatric disorders most prevalent in persons with AIDS and most relevant for primary physicians, infectious disease specialists, and other caregivers because of their impact on health, adherence, behavior, and quality of life.


Craig LA, Lindsay WR, Browne KD
Assessment and treatment of sexual offenders with
intellectual disabilities: a handbook
Wiley, Chichester 2010, € 47,00

A practical handbook for practitioners that covers the assessment, treatment and management of sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities – an area of growing interest within clinical forensic psychology. New for the Wiley Series in Forensic Clinical Psychology: a practical handbook that covers the assessment, treatment and management of sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Summarizes the research literature on the characteristics and prevalence of sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Discusses risk assessment and innovations in treatment and management. Includes contributors world-renowned in the field of assessment and treatment of sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities such as Tony Ward, Glynis Murphy, and Douglas Boer.


Didier JP, Bigand E
Rethinking physical and rehabilitation medicine.
New technologies induce new learning strategies
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 246, € 115,40

“Reeducation” consists in training people injured either by illness or the vagaries of life to achieve the best functionality now possible for them. Strangely, the subject is not taught in the normal educational curricula of the relevant professions. Reeducation thus tends to be developed anew with each patient, without recourse to knowledge of what such training, or assistance in such training, might be. However, new paradigms of reeducation are in fact possible today, thanks to advances in cognitive science and the development of new technologies such as virtual reality and robotics. In turn, they lead to the rethinking of the procedures of physical medicine, as well as of reeducation. The present book addresses primarily those professionals involved in reeducation: the clinician, kinestherapist, ergotherapist, speech therapist, psychometrician, clinical psychologist, and neuropsychologist. More generally, it addresses also those in occupations in physical rehabilitation and in both primary and ongoing education. The first part looks anew at reeducation in the context of both international classifications of functionality, handicap, and health and the concept of normality. The second part highlights the function of implicit memory in reeducation. And the last part, illustrated by practical examples, shows the integration of new cognition technologies in the new paradigms of reeducation.


GiardinoAP, Lyn MA, Giardino ER
A practical guide to the evaluation of child physical abuse and neglect
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 400, € 139,00

The impact of child maltreatment on victims, families, and society - from immediate medical care and legal services to long-term mental health care and law enforcement - cannot be understated. And it remains a severe problem in spite of increasing public awareness and stricter laws. To keep up with growing body of professionals staying informed on this subject, the second edition of “A practical guide to the evaluation of child physical abuse and neglect” assists the reader in recognizing abuse/neglect (exclusive of sexual abuse) in children and youth, and determining its extent. Illustrated with clinical photographs, the Guide details systematic evaluation procedures, explains the tasks of an evaluation team, and expands and updates the knowledge base in these and other major areas.


Harwood TM, L’Abate L
Self-Help in mental health: a critical review
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 312, € 138,50

They’re fast, cheap, and promise amazing results - no wonder more people seek mental health advice from self-help books and sites rather than seeking therapy. Complicating this picture: many resources are inappropriate, ineffective, even dangerous. For the clinicians who would gladly recommend self-help for their clients, the challenge is finding reliable, evidence-based sources of help among the vast quantities available.


Koziol LF, Budding BE
Subcortical structures and cognitionimplications
for neuropsychological assessment
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, € 80,50

The study of neuropsychology traditionally begins with geography: the neocortex as the seat of cognition and behavior, and the subcortical regions coordinating movement. Subcortical Structures and Cognition breaks with this traditional view, arguing for a practice-oriented rethinking of brain organization. The authors’ structural/functional analysis redefines the cerebral hemispheres, basal ganglia, and cerebellum as operating in parallel to control cognition, affect, and behavior as well as movement. Case studies and empirical data flesh out this intricate scenario, linking pathology in subcortical structures with psychiatric, learning, and developmental disabilities. These findings are at the forefront of clinical research, significant not only in theoretical terms but also leading to new advances in testing, assessment, and treatment.


L’Abate L
Relational competence theory: research and mental
health applications
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 326, € 138,50

Relational competence – the set of traits that allow people to interact with each other effectively – enjoys a long history of being recorded, studied, and analyzed. Accordingly, Relational Competence Theory (RCT) complements theories that treat individuals’ personality and functioning individually by placing the individual into full family and social context. The ambitious volume Relational Competence Theory: Research and Mental Health Applications opens out the RCT literature with emphasis on its applicability to interventions, and updates the state of research on RCT, examining what is robust and verifiable both in the lab and the clinic. The authors begin with the conceptual and empirical bases for the theory, and sixteen models demonstrate the range of RCT concerns and their clinical relevance, including.


Linden M
Embitterment: societal, psychological, and clinical
perspectives
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 300, € 115,40

Embitterment is a distinct state of mood known to everybody. It can be seen in the context of exceptional though normal negative life events. It is an emotional reaction i.e. to humiliation, to being severely disappointed by others or to violations of basic values. Embitterment is accompanied by other emotions like hope- and helplessness, lowered mood and inhibition in drive, aggression towards oneself and others. It can end in suicide or even murder suicide. But despite the high prevalence rates, the detrimental effects on the individual and the forensic and societal importance embitterment has so far not found appropriate scientific attention. In this book pioneers in embitterment research summarize the current knowledge on embitterment, its triggers, phenomenology and consequences. The work shall stimulate the international debate, contribute to a better understanding of embitterment and appreciate the impact of exceptional but normal negative life events on psychological well-being in its full extent.


Lugli L, Mizzau M
L’ascolto
Il Mulino, Bologna 2010, pagine 240, € 19,00

Aspetto importante nella psicologia della comunicazione, l’ascolto ha ricevuto una alterna e non sempre adeguata attenzione nei modelli teorici e nella ricerca. Questo volume, frutto della collaborazione di qualificati studiosi della materia, descrive le basi relazionali e psicologiche dell’ascolto, ne individua le dinamiche fondamentali attraverso l’analisi di alcuni ambiti della vita quotidiana e professionale in cui si esercita l’“arte di ascoltare”. Un testo utile non solo per gli studenti, ma anche per psicologi, psicoterapeuti, insegnanti, medici, professionisti dell’area sanitaria.


McGlashan TH, Walsh B, Woods S
The Psychosis-Risk syndrome. Handbook for diagnosis
and follow-up
Oxford University Press, Oxford 2010, € 47,00

Using the authors’ over thirteen years of experience at the psychosis-risk clinic at Yale University School of Medicine, The Psychosis-Risk Syndrome presents a concise handbook that details the diagnostic tools and building blocks that comprise the Structural Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes, or SIPS. Clear and to the point, this volume provides an in-depth description of this new clinical high-risk population, along with instructions on how to use the SIPS to evaluate persons for psychosis-risk.
Melillo R, Leisman G
Neurobehavioral disorders of childhood:
an evolutionary perspective
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 448, € 115,40

Attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, and autism, to name but a few, may be viewed as points on a spectrum of developmental disabilities in which those points share features in common and possibly etiology as well, varying only in severity and in the primary anatomical region of dysfunctional activity. This text focuses on alterations of the normal development of the child. A working theory is presented based on what we know of the neurological and cognitive development in the context of evolution of the human species and its brain. In outlining our theory of developmental disabilities in evolutionary terms, the authors offer evidence to support the following notions: Bipedalism was the major reason for human neocortical evolution; Cognition evolved secondary and parallel to evolution of motricity; There exists an overlap of cognitive and motor symptoms; Lack of thalamo-cortical stimulation, not overstimulation, is a fundamental problem of developmental disabilities; A primary problem is dysfunctions of hemisphericity; Most conditions in this spectrum of disorders are the result of a right hemisphericity; Environment is a fundamental problem; All of these conditions are variations of the same problem; These problems are correctable; Hemisphere specific treatment is the key to success.


Millichap JG
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder handbook:
a physician’s guide to ADHD
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 182, € 161,60

“Readers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder handbook: a physician’s guide to ADHD”, second edition will find a concise and scholarly work covering the most recent advances in causes and management of ADHD. The book provides answers to the numerous questions that surround ADHD, such as: How is ADHD diagnosed? What causes ADHD? What are the risks of associated learning and behavior disorders, tics, seizures, and headaches? What treatments are available? What are the choices of medications and the risks of side effects? Do children outgrow ADHD?


Mitcheson L et al.
Applied cognitive and behavioural approaches to the
treatment of addiction: a practical treatment guide
Wiley, Chichester 2010, pagine 237, € 99,00

“Applied cognitive and behavioural approaches to the treatment of addiction: a practical treatment guide” offers practicing clinicians a guide to incorporating the latest cognitive and behavioural interventions in the treatment of their clients’ substance use problems. Developed from several years of collective experience in clinical practice and work with relevant staff groups, this book reveals how such approaches can facilitate a deeper understanding of substance misuse in patients. It provides a comprehensive set of treatment interventions, including strategies to help clients manage their emotions without recourse to drugs and alcohol. A structured approach to treatment is also described – from assessment to formulation – and shows how cognitive approaches can be used to enhance motivation for change and assist with clients’ engagement in therapy. Above all, this book reveals how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is invaluable in enabling clients not just to stop drug and alcohol use, but to to make the necessary changes that are vital to the success of sustaining this recovery. The techniques outlined are recommended for the specialist practitioner in the field of addiction, as well as for mental health professionals working in primary care, mental health secondary care, or private practice.


Ritsner MS
Brain protection in schizophrenia.
Mood and cognitive disorders
Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, pagine 997, € 230,00

Neuroprotection is a novel perspective for the treatment of disorders that lead to neurodegeneration and disabilities as a result of deterioration of neurons due to apoptosis, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and other mechanisms. These mechanisms have implications not only for neurodegenerative disorders, but also for schizophrenia, mood and cognitive disorders. The purpose of this book is to provide an up-to-date overview of basic and clinical studies concerning the neuroprotective approach, mechanisms, and several compounds with neuroprotective properties that may contribute to more efficacious treatment of major mental health disorders. The book is divided into two sections. The first section serves as an introduction and overview of conceptual issues of the neuroprotective approach, and some neurobiological advances. Chapters in this section review definitions, perspectives, and issues that provide a conceptual base for the rest of the book. In addition, this part includes chapters in which the authors present and discuss the findings from basic studies of neurodegenerative mechanisms that are associated with the pathogenesis of major mental health disorders. The second section focuses on findings obtained from clinical trials with neuroprotective compounds, and neuromodulatory techniques. The take-home message is that principles of the neuroprotective approach may be applied to treatment of schizophrenia, mood and cognitive disorders. Contributors to this book are among the most active investigators and clinicians in the field who provide new perspectives not only clarifying ongoing controversies but also propose diverse aspects and new insights to neuroprotection. This book is intended for a broad readership, which includes a broad spectrum of readers including neuroscientists, psychiatrists, neurologists, pharmacologists, clinical psychologists, general practitioners, geriatricians, graduate students, and policy makers in the fields of mental health.


Scilanga CN
L’ipnosi in medicina e psicoterapia
Piccin, Padova 2010, pagine 1280, € 38,00

Fin dalla notte dei tempi, l’ipnosi ha permeato la cultura di ogni popolo e non ha mai cessato di agire sotto la soglia della consapevolezza, in varie forme, senza però mutare i suoi principi. Da molti anni in Italia non viene pubblicato un nuovo manuale o trattato di ipnosi. I pochi volumi editi, risalenti a prima degli anni Novanta, si contano sulle dita di una mano. Questa sorprendente carenza editoriale contrasta nettamente con quanto avviene all’estero, soprattutto nei Paesi anglosassoni, dove negli ultimi decenni è stata pubblicata sull’ipnosi clinica, spesso con il patrocinio di prestigiose istituzioni accademiche, una gran quantità di manuali, monografie e raccolte di casi clinici da parte di singoli autori, nonché numerose antologie realizzate con i contributi di una pluralità di esperti. È assai deplorevole che tutte queste opere non siano ancora disponibili in edizione italiana, tanto più che i libri di autori stranieri sull’ipnosi tradotti e pubblicati in Italia sono assai pochi, scritti originariamente da almeno qualche decennio, e spesso praticamente irreperibili perché ormai fuori catalogo. L’intento di interrompere lo stato di oblio in cui versa l’ipnologia nel nostro Paese da così lungo tempo ha costituito una motivazione aggiuntiva per accingermi a scrivere un testo sull’ipnosi clinica, basato sulle conoscenze più aggiornate a livello teoretico e pratico, che potesse rappresentare sia un’utile guida di riferimento per il principiante sia una fonte di novità, approfondimenti e spunti di ricerca per il professionista esperto. Per rendere accessibile la materia ad un vasto pubblico e non solo agli specialisti del settore, ho cercato di adoperare un linguaggio semplice e immediato anche per trattare gli argomenti più complessi, compatibilmente con le esigenze di rigore, chiarezza e completezza dell’esposizione. I termini tecnici sono tutti spiegati nel testo. Come risulterà evidente fin dai primi capitoli, sotto il profilo teoretico la mia posizione può essere definita pragmatico/eclettica. Ritengo infatti che nessuna singola teoria offra una spiegazione esauriente dell’ipnosi e dei fenomeni ipnotici e che per far luce sui differenti aspetti della materia occorra far riferimento ad una pluralità di approcci da utilizzare in modo integrato e flessibile secondo varie combinazioni. L’ipnosi in medicina e psicoterapia si distingue da tutti i libri di ipnologia apparsi in precedenza nel nostro Paese, in quanto nessun autore italiano finora ha mai pubblicato un’opera completamente dedicata all’ipnosi clinica con una simile ampiezza di fonti, un lavoro di ricerca così vasto e una casistica così ricca.