Psychiatry Research EG

The excellent constellation of editors and authors of this book deserve to be congratulated for producing a comprehensive authoritative and well-balanced book on womens mental health. The editors have wisely chosen their authors and accomplished an important task - managed to hold each author to a specific focus on her/his assigned topic. For a multiauthored book there is remarkably little overlap or repetition. The excellent cross-referencing enables the reader to search and find references and subjects fast. Each author has aptly presented currently available data carefully considered conflicting information and opinions and has provided a synergistic perspective that will be useful to readers as they navigate this complex rapidly evolving body of useful relevant information. The book is divided into five sections, containing 28 chapters in all each dealing with different and essential facets of womens mental health. Section 1 covers psychiatric disorders among women in eight chapters concluding with a poignant piece highlighting the grit and determination of women with MI who have courageously shared their experiences. Section 2 covers the correlation between psychiatry and reproductive health in three chapters describing the need for multidimensional approach during various phases of reproductive life in women. Section 3 covers service delivery and ethics in five chapter, shedding light on vital issues such as ethics in psychiatric research among women integrating mental health into womens health and primary healthcare gender sensitive care for childrenadolescents and adult women etc. Section 4 covers another seminal and sensitive aspect of womens mental health - impact of violence disasters, migration work etc. in five chapters, carefully and meticulously outlining factors impacting womens health at various levels/dimensions. Section 5 covers gender social policy and implications for promoting womens mental health in five chapters. Issues such as origins determining womens mental health gender discrimination and its impact on maternal well-being the adverse impacts of psychological aggression coercion and violence in the intimate partnership on womens mental health have been effectively portrayed, along with suggestions on practical remedial measures. Each chapter is well written thorough and relevant. Each chapter presents its wealth of information in a succinct and well thought-out manner. This book puts many myths and misconceptions on MI to rest. It presents the current state of the art in the rapidly growing field of psychiatry. It is of special interest to those in the mental health field but it also serves the needs of all health care providers. The spectrum and depth of information presented here are rarely found in one comprehensive reference book. This book is a must for a reference library and for any clinician/researcher interested in womens health. Data presented here are built on the central premise that women and men ought to be diagnosed and treated differently by mental health care providers. The research findings listed in this volume are extensive and the sources referred to are current and abundant. The high standard of scholastic excellence is impressive. This book is a very good resource for those whose objective is to either understand or treat, or both the psychological and biological aspects of womens mental health problems. This comprehensive overview is designed to provide a combined psychological psychosocial and policy perspective to guide research and clinical practice. This book is a goldmine of information on the challenges for gender-focused research and clinical treatment of mental health problems. The editors have done a remarkable job of identifying and summarizing the available literature on womens mental health. Its emphasis on womens mental health and challenge of the gender-bias make it a welcome addition to medical literature. It would be a valuable asset for academic psychiatrists and psychologists teaching courses or researching womens mental health issues as well as psychotherapists.