DSM-IV-TR® Case Studies A Clinical Guide to Differential Diagnosis

DSM-IV-TR® Case Studies: A Clinical Guide to Differential Diagnosis will help the reader gain an understanding of how to use DSM-IV-TR in actual clinical situations. This book, co-authored by Allen Frances, Chair of the Task Force on DSM-IV, translates the clinical concepts and terminology of DSM-IV-TR into vivid three-dimensional examples, to help the clinician take full advantage of the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. The case studies bring to life the process of differential diagnosis and illustrate how important this process can be for treatment planning.

This casebook follows the organizational pattern of DSM-IV-TR and provides examples of the most commonly encountered disorders. For each case, the book provides

* A five-axis DSM-IV-TR diagnosis
* A discussion of the most likely differential diagnosis and how to choose among them
* A review of treatment options

The final chapter, titled “Test Yourself,” includes a number of complex cases, each accompanied by a brief discussion, which allows the reader to compare notes with the authors.

Changes to this edition include:

* Updated material on psychosocial treatment of ADHD
* Updated material on treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
* More discussion of atypical antipsychotics
* Focus on cognitive problems in schizophrenia

DSM-IV-TR® Case Studies: A Clinical Guide to Differential Diagnosis will help students and clinicians become familiar with the symptoms that make up each DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. A good understanding of, and memory for, the symptoms that define the most commonly encountered diagnoses will improve interviewing and diagnostic techniques. The case studies can serve as easily remembered examples to help the reader recall the criteria sets and will benefit all clinicians who desire to become more comprehensive and accurate interviewers.

Contents

Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence. Delirium, dementia, and amnestic and other cognitive disorders. Substance-related disorders. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Mood disorders. Anxiety disorders. Somatoform disorders. Factitious disorders. Dissociative disorders. Sexual and gender identity disorders. Eating disorders. Sleep disorders. Impulse-control disorders not elsewhere classified. Adjustment disorders. Personality disorders. Medication-induced movement disorders. Test yourself.

Reviews

"I found this book helpful in elucidating the differences as well as illuminating the gray areas of differential diagnostics. I especially appreciated the emphasis on the necessity for open-ended or revised diagnoses when the onset of symptoms occurs at an early age or the etiology is undetermined. It seems to reinforce the notion that diagnoses are often works in progress rather than set in stone, which also allows for more flexibility in treatment modalities."—Doody Publishing