For people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders,antipsychotic medications are the key to recovery.

Schizophrenia: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment is a major addition to the literature, offering practical, comprehensive coverage of diagnosis and treatment options, genetic issues, neuroimaging, long-term management of schizophrenia, and future directions and predictions of how clinical care of schizophrenia will change. The book is divided into five sections. Section 1 summarizes the present state of knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. This includes recent changes in the DSM 5 categorization of schizophrenia and its implications for treatment. Section 2 considers recent discoveries into its pathoetiology, including the status of biological markers, genetics and neuroimaging as they relate to diagnosis and potential novel therapeutic approaches. Section 3 explores the optimization of present therapeutic approaches; novel treatments; and management of the substantial risks associated with both the illness and its present therapies. Section 4 discusses progress in the long-term management of schizophrenia, focusing on biological and psychotherapeutic strategies to improve functioning and facilitate recovery. Section 5 considers future directions and predictions of how diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia will change. An invaluable addition to the field, Schizophrenia: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment is a definitive resource that will be of great interest to all clinicians caring for patients with schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic drugs were first discovered in 1953, and not since the late 1970s has the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology taken up this topic. A new treatment of this topic would be due under any circumstances; however, this is now particularly true, since remarkable progress has been made on several fronts in furthering our understanding of the mechanisms of antipsychotic drug action. First, we have learned that schizophrenia is an illness with particu lar neuroanatomical abnormalities, many of which suggest that the illness is caused by errors in neurodevelopment. These findings have helped to form a context for understanding neurochemical aberrations in the illness and suggest new approaches for pharmacological treatment. Propelled forward by rapid advances in neurochemical anatomy, current pathophysiological hypotheses of schizophrenia and antipsychotic drug action have taken on the appearance of complex electrical circuit diagrams. Second, molecular biology studies have now revealed that there is a multiplicity of dopamine receptors (i. e. , D , DZshort' j DZlong, D , D , and D ), some of which may become entirely new targets for 3 4 s antipsychotic drug action. Ironically, the development of drugs that are selec tive for these receptors and that can be used to investigate their function lags behind; yet the discovery of these new receptors offers unparalleled opportu nities for developing drugs with improved efficacy and fewer side effects.

Are we living in a uniquely paranoid age? Catalysed by the threat of terrorism, fears about others have reached a new intensity. The roll call of apparent dangers seems to increase by the day: muggers, child abductors, drug dealers, hoodied teenagers. Crime has apparently reached such high levels that CCTV cameras are required in every town centre, and parents are so fearful that many children never go out alone. Until recently, no one suspected just how common paranoia was. But new research suggests that around a quarter of us have regular paranoid thoughts, and probably lots more have them occasionally. Paranoia is so prevalent that there 's a very good chance that all of us will, at some point in our lives, be among the 25%. Yet, although paranoia is as common as depression or anxiety, most of us know almost nothing about it. What is paranoia? What causes it? Are some people more prone to paranoia than others? Are we more paranoid now than we used to be? How should we deal with our paranoid thoughts? And how can we reduce the amount of paranoia in our society? Co-written by one of the world 's leading psychologists of paranoia, and drawing on the latest scientific research, this lively and accessible book answers these key questions, highlighting for the first time the central role of paranoia in our world today.

Models of Madnessshows that hallucinations and delusions are understandable reactions to life events and circumstances rather than symptoms of a supposed genetic predisposition or biological disturbance. International contributors: * critique the 'medical model' of madness * examine the dominance of the 'illness' approach to understanding madness from historical and economic perspectives * document the role of drug companies * outline the alternative to drug based solutions * identify the urgency and possibility of prevention of madness. Models of Madness promotes a more humane and effective response to treating severely distressed people that will prove essential reading for psychiatrists and clinical psychologists and of great interest to all those who work in the mental health service. This book forms part of the International Society for the Psychological Treatment of Psychoses series edited by Brian Martindale.

Antipsychotic Long-acting Injections (LAIs) were introduced in the 1960s to improve treatment adherence in schizophrenia. Subsequently, first-generation antipsychotic LAIs became widely used in many countries. Since the initial publication of Antipsychotic Long-acting Injections in 2010, new trial data have been published on long-acting injection (LAI) preparations of the drugs Risperidone, Paliperidone, and Olanzapine. Furthermore, a new LAI preparation of the drug Aripiprazole has recently been approved for clinical use in the United States and is likely to be approved in Europe soon. The second edition of this successful book has been fully updated to include this new data, with reference to both observational studies and randomized controlled trials, as well as other new developments in the clinical use of antipsychotic LAIs. New chapters have been added covering the comparison between oral and injectable antipsychotics, Olanzapine LAI, Aripiprazole LAI, and the practicalities of organizing a specialized clinic for long-acting injectable antipsychotics. Existing chapters have also been thoroughly updated to take into account the most recently published research. Antipsychotic Long-acting Injections, Second edition brings together clinical and research findings on LAIs in a comprehensive volume, with chapters written by international experts.