DSM-IV Made Easy: The Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis [Hardcover]

 

"An extremely useful text....Morrison has put 'life' into the DSM-IV criteria with his strategic use of strong vignettes and important 'tips' for using psychiatric code....A real contribution to the thorny problem of constructing meaningful descriptions of patients' difficulties." --Jane Close Conoley, Ph.D.

"Morrison's guide is an accurate and well-organized companion to DSM-IV and is most useful for medical students, psychiatric trainees, professionals in mental health, and coders who use DSM-IV classification rules." --Max Fink, State University of New York, Stonybrook, NY

"A skillful writer, a highly experienced clinician, an excellent teacher, Dr. James Morrison has authored a book that should be of interest to a wide audience including psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, as well as some people whose interest in the subject has nothing to do with a professional orientation. I believe the reader will learn much about psychiatric diagnosis, including its current strengths and weaknesses and a good deal about its underlying philosophy and importance." --Samuel B. Guze, M.D., Spencer T. Olin Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

"In DSM-IV Made Easy, James Morrison, M.D., translates the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV into a user friendly guide for all mental health workers. He enlivens the guide with instructive vignettes highlighting their clinical significance by a diagnostic evaluation. Coding notes help the reader to affix to Axes I - III the proper identifying numbers on these case reports. Throughout the text, he smartly positions his editorials in which he discusses historical aspects, his tips in which he points out clinically significant observations for the differential diagnosis, and his extra credits in which he frequently provides synonyms for DSM-IV terms. He summarizes a wealth of clinical signs in practically organized tables. Congratulations, James, to a marvelous contribution to the library of our invisible college of descriptive psychiatry founded at Washington University in St. Louis in the Show-Me State." --Ekkehard Othmer, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Kansas Medical Center and Sieglinde C. Othmer, Ph.D., authors of The Clinical Interview Using DSM-IV. Vol 1.: Fundamentals, Vol. 2.: The Difficult Patient

"Compared to the 900-page DSM-IV, this book has simpler language, useful explanations of psychiatric terms, chatty diagnostic tips, and simplified criteria lists for the disorders. Unlike the DSM, which was put together by a committee with the goal of providing standards for research as well as clinical practice, DSM-IV Made Easy was designed to be accessible to students and experienced clinicians from all the mental health professions....The tone of the book is conversational, personal, and lively."--Clinical Social Work Journal

"....Morrison's book is like a good workshop explaining the DSM-IV: useful simplifications and practical tips. He also offers cases to help learn the diagnostic criteria. There is a nice appendix which shows how general medical disorders may impact different psychiatric diagnoses. There is an eight page double column index. This would make a good textbook for training mental health professionals."--Clinical Gerontologist

"This is a book to refer to when you need quick, clear information on a specific mental condition or diagnosis....Students wanting to test their ability to identify symptoms and signs embedded in t he case vignettes can compare their observations with the author's notes. Faculty members may use the case vignettes as examples in class. Occupational therapy practitioners working in non-mental health settings may find this an easy way to update their understanding of DSM-IV language."--The American Journal of Occupational Therapy

James Morrison, MD, was educated at Reed College and obtained his medical and psychiatric training at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Oregon Health Sciences University. He is the author of The First Interview, DSM-IV Made Easy, and When Psychological Problems Mask Medical Disorders, and coauthor (with Thomas F. Anders) of Interviewing Children and Adolescents.