Chronic Mental Illness and the Changing Scope of Intervention Strategies, Diagnosis, and Treatment

This volume contains 18 chapters on the changing scope of chronic mental illness intervention strategies, diagnosis, and treatment. Psychologists and psychiatrists working in India examine chronic mental illness and rehabilitation in terms of homelessness, nursing homes, dumping patients in institutions, and psychosocial intervention strategies for patients with schizophrenia; comorbidities like substance use disorders; the family and global burden, including caregiver stress, quality of life, and quality of care; disabilities and legal issues, as well as chronic mental illness in prison; children and adolescents; and advanced treatment strategies for suicide, schizophrenia, and emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents.

Prasad’s selection of articles for this book helps to provide a comprehensive study of mental illness in India at the current time. Information within chapters focus on the homeless population, those who are incarcerated, and those who live in old age homes. It also focuses on management needs, quality of care and unmet needs, burdens placed on caregivers, suicide, and legal aspects. Substance abuse, OCD, schizophrenia, emotional and behavioral problems, as well as the diagnosis and treatments of these disorders is also highlighted within related chapters. Each chapter is concise and many include case studies which assist the reader to reflect on how information within this text may be used to further research studies and interventions being conducted in both India and in other countries by researchers around the world.

This is an excellent book on the global impact of chronic mental illness with important strategies for how to reduce the burden. It is really an excellent review of the literature on chronic mental illness. Written and edited by clinicians in the field, this is a welcome addition to the psychiatric literature.