Other Mental Health Books

reviewed by Carol

DSM-IV-TR American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

This book is like the bible for mental illness and can provide some very effective bedtime reading if you're having trouble getting to sleep. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I have read quite a bit. The only downside is the price, but if you use it as a reference on an ongoing basis, it's well worth the money.

DSM-IV-TR Case Book American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2000.

A fascinating companion book to the DSM-IV-TR with lots of real-world examples of mental illnesses. This proves to be interesting reading even without the DSM. You can use the index at the back to read several stories about each disorder, or just plow through the book front to back. The stories are brief, not in any particular order, and much more fun to read than the dry diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV-TR. I can even see some people using this as a bathroom reader.

The Mummy at the Dining Room Table: Eminent Therapists Reveal Their Most Unusual Cases Kottler, Jeffery A., Carlson, Jon. Jossey-Bass 2003.

Face it, you can't survive on a diet of nothing but bipolar books. This is a fun read although I didn't see much in the way of what I would call "abnormal psychology." I suppose it's a measure of how sick I am because in the 32 stories in this book, I thought most of the patients involved were reasonable in their oddity.

PDR Drug Guide for Mental Health Professionals Thomson PDR. 2004.

At first I was disappointed that one of my psych meds wasn't listed, but this book has become so valuable that I keep it in reach of the phone so I can use it as a reference. I don't even do that with the DSM-IV-TR. People who know I have this book often call me to ask about their medications, in that respect, it was well worth the money.