The Dementias: Diagnosis, Treatment, and ResearchMyron F. Weiner, Anne M. Lipton Confusion. Fear. Isolation. This is the human experience of dementing illness, and it is at the heart of this practical, informative volume by a broad range of clinically grounded experts. This book is designed to meet the needs of clinicians dealing with persons with dementing illness and to serve as an introduction to the pathophysiology of dementing illness and a resource for clinical investigators. The giant strides in dementia research since the publication of the first edition in 1991 have generated optimism that we will soon be able to delay onset and even prevent these diseases that devastate both patients and caregivers. This third edition has been revised, updated, and expanded to cover changes in the classification, management and treatment of dementing illnesses and to give a more extensive account of basic and clinical research findings. At the same time, this remarkable volume indicates the interaction of the patient's personality, the caregiver, and the environment with the pathophysiology of dementing illnesses that creates the variety of symptoms accompanying these illnesses and impacting their treatment. Like the second edition, this third edition has three sections, flowing from diagnosis through management/treatment to research. New to this edition are A world-class presentation on the molecular and genetic basis of Alzheimer's disease A beautifully illustrated chapter on contemporary neuroimaging Discussions of mild cognitive impairment, the frontotemporal dementias, and the dementias associated with Lewy bodies This third edition is exceptionally valuable for addressing the day-to-day challenges of dealing effectively and humanely with persons with dementing illness. Case examples are used in the chapters on psychological/behavioral and drug management to indicate practical approaches to maintaining patients at their optimal level of function. Unlike similar texts, this volume also reviews legal and ethical issues in the care of persons with dementing illness and shows how clinicians and caregivers how to mobilize community resources. Extensive reference lists round out each chapter. The book concludes with 11 assessment guides and rating scales and an index. Now more than ever, there is hope that advances in understanding dementing illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease will lead to their effective treatment, and ultimately to their prevention. Until then, clinicians, families, and society will continue to be faced with the challenges posed by these illnesses -- making this book a "must read" for physicians and other health care professionals, whether in training, in practice, or engaged in clinical research. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 86
... loss but from behavioral symptoms such as wandering and agitation . The chapters on psychological and behavioral management and drug management are excellent summaries of practical approaches to maintaining the best possible level of ...
... loss of personhood is well described in patients ' own words in Cohen and Eisdorfer's The Loss of Self : A Family Resource for the Care of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders ( New York , WW Norton , 2001 ) and in many other ...
... loss in persons older than age 50. They include objective evidence of impairment on a standardized memory test ( compared with the mean established for young adults ) , evidence of adequate intellectual func- tion , and absence of ...
... loss of the abstract attitude - detected by the similarities and proverbs part of the mental status examination . Proverb interpretation is highly culture bound and may yield false - positive results in persons from other cultures ...
... loss of reason , 3 ) loss of comprehension , and 4 ) loss of ability to care for vegetative functions . Kraepelin ( 1913 ) dis- tinguished the so - called functional psychoses from the consequences of ob- vious brain damage , calling ...