 |
 |
Human Nature Review 2002 Volume 2: 431-432 ( 14 October ) URL of this document http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/society.html Book Review Psychiatry in Society edited by Norman Sartorius, Wolfgang Gaebel, Juan Jose Lopez-Ibor, and Mario Maj Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2002 Reviewed by Dr. Itzhak Levav, Special Adviser for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Department for Information and Evaluation of Mental Health Services, Jerusalem, Israel. The World Psychiatric Association has published this book, and deserves congratulation for this initiative. The reason is simple, Psychiatry in Society provides the reader with a large variety of timely topics within the field of social psychiatry, eleven in number, that were prepared by twenty-one distinguished authors from many different parts of the world. Both features, the timely topics and the global community of writers, create the uniqueness of the book. Its emphasis on current macrosocial issues that influence (or must influence) practice is of universal interest. The book is opened by L. Eisenberg in a chapter that discusses 'The Impact of Sociocultural Changes in Psychiatry'. This chapter is a delight: the author selects recent studies and weaves their findings into a coherent and colourful fabric that enables him to make his case..." Because all human disease is social, changed social conditions alter the epidemiology and course of disease". By the end of this brief chapter, the reader comes to understand where she stands in reference to her time, thus challenging the often ahistorical position of most psychiatrists (and other mental health workers) that compromises practice. One line of this intellectually stimulating chapter is worth quoting: "Modernization... is not a royal road to better health", a rather sobering sentence in the mouth of a reformer. Full text http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/society.html Psychiatry in Society by N. Sartorius (Editor), Wolfgang Gaebel (Editor), Juan Jose Lopez-Ibor, Mario Maj Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471496820; 1st edition (April 2002) AMAZON - US http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471496820/darwinanddarwini/ AMAZON - UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471496820/humannaturecom/ Editorial Reviews From Book News, Inc. Each of the 11 contributions in this volume deals with the interaction between psychiatry and a particular set of social factors. Based in part on presentations delivered at the 11th World Congress on Psychiatry, the papers explore the impact of medical ideology on psychiatric care, the influence of changes in health care systems on mental health care, and the legal, ethical, and economic contexts of care. Other topics include mental health problems in refugees, the mental health consequences of disasters, and messages spread by the mass media.Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR Book Info Based in part on a presentation delivered at the 11th World Congress of Psychiatry, held in Hamburg, Germany on August 6-11, 1999. Provides an overview of the recent socio-economic and cultural changes affecting mental health and mental health care. For psychiatrists and psychologists, mental health workers, managers, and policy makers.