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Psychological factors in cardiovascular disorders
636 Psychological
Book Reviews Factors in Cardiovascular
Disorders.
ANDREW
STEPTOE.
Academic Press, 1981. Price f18.20.
THIS BOOK is in four sections. Section 1 discusses the relationship between higher nervous activity and cardiovascular processes, emphasising autonomic and neuroendocrine influences. Section 2 reviews the research evidence bearing upon this relationship. Section 3 is concerned more directly with psychological factors, such as personality, socio-demographic variables, type A behaviour and life-events. The final section is devoted to prevention and management. The references are comprehensive and copious, taking up nearly fifty pages. The book has a strong empirical bias and critical outlook and the areas selected for discussion are those with a solid research basis. This emphasis, while laudable, has resulted in a book which will be of much greater value to specialist research workers ‘than to clinicians. (Generally the clinician will find little to help him with patient management; the final section, which is devoted to this topic, is by far the shortest in the book.) Even the specialist may be confused by the extensive use of medical and psychological jargon. Some attempt at clarification would have been useful, perhaps in the form of a glossary. A further problem is that the proof-reading is very inadequate. With such a large and scattered literature condensed into a short space (just over 200 pages), the book is also terse and highly condensed. Readers will probably prefer to read selected chapters of the book, rather than its entirety. Despite these reservations, the author has succeeded remarkably well in his ambitious and difficult task, and has provided a valuable service in drawing together knowledge from several disciplines, and presenting it in an up-to-date and scholarly fashion. The book can be recommended.
University
DAVID F. PECK of Edinburgh
Psychotropic Drug Handbook. 3rd Edition. PAUL J. PERRY, BRUCE ALEXANDER and BARRY I. FISKOW. Harvey Whitney Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1981. pp. 198. Price not given. Now TVits third edition this book is an attractive little text attempting to encompass an ever expanding body of knowledge. American terminology is employed throughout but this is not a major disadvantage. The prose is economic, the style didactic and the overall resuit effective. The text is rather ambitious for a handbook and although clear enough the type is minute, presumably in an attempt to cram as much material into as small a form as possible. The overall effect could have been enhanced and rendered more suitable for rapid reading by the inclusion of additional subheadings. In places the book reflects the heavy input from pharmacology (two out of the three authors are clinical pharmacists) and lists of drugs detailing their pharmacological vital statistics are tedious. The various groups of drugs are classified and discussed under the headings of general statement, mechanism of action, dosage, pharmacokinetics, pharmacological profile, adverse effects, rational prescribing and product list. An attempt is made at cost coding the various drug preparations in American dollars; a valuable concept but of practical relevance to a limited readership. Another useful concept is the chapter on patient instructions but it does contain needless detailed repetition of information contained elsewhere in the book and is presented in an infantilising didactic form. There is a good clinical element present in the book and the chapters on drug interactions, management and treatment of drug overdosage, management of withdrawal and amytal interview are particularly useful. Overall this is a valuable little book but not one I would rush out to buy had 1 not received a complimentary copy! A. J. YELLOWLEES Registrar in Psychiatry, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Book Reviews Factors in Cardiovascular
Disorders.
ANDREW
STEPTOE.
Academic Press, 1981. Price f18.20.
THIS BOOK is in four sections. Section 1 discusses the relationship between higher nervous activity and cardiovascular processes, emphasising autonomic and neuroendocrine influences. Section 2 reviews the research evidence bearing upon this relationship. Section 3 is concerned more directly with psychological factors, such as personality, socio-demographic variables, type A behaviour and life-events. The final section is devoted to prevention and management. The references are comprehensive and copious, taking up nearly fifty pages. The book has a strong empirical bias and critical outlook and the areas selected for discussion are those with a solid research basis. This emphasis, while laudable, has resulted in a book which will be of much greater value to specialist research workers ‘than to clinicians. (Generally the clinician will find little to help him with patient management; the final section, which is devoted to this topic, is by far the shortest in the book.) Even the specialist may be confused by the extensive use of medical and psychological jargon. Some attempt at clarification would have been useful, perhaps in the form of a glossary. A further problem is that the proof-reading is very inadequate. With such a large and scattered literature condensed into a short space (just over 200 pages), the book is also terse and highly condensed. Readers will probably prefer to read selected chapters of the book, rather than its entirety. Despite these reservations, the author has succeeded remarkably well in his ambitious and difficult task, and has provided a valuable service in drawing together knowledge from several disciplines, and presenting it in an up-to-date and scholarly fashion. The book can be recommended.
University
DAVID F. PECK of Edinburgh
Psychotropic Drug Handbook. 3rd Edition. PAUL J. PERRY, BRUCE ALEXANDER and BARRY I. FISKOW. Harvey Whitney Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1981. pp. 198. Price not given. Now TVits third edition this book is an attractive little text attempting to encompass an ever expanding body of knowledge. American terminology is employed throughout but this is not a major disadvantage. The prose is economic, the style didactic and the overall resuit effective. The text is rather ambitious for a handbook and although clear enough the type is minute, presumably in an attempt to cram as much material into as small a form as possible. The overall effect could have been enhanced and rendered more suitable for rapid reading by the inclusion of additional subheadings. In places the book reflects the heavy input from pharmacology (two out of the three authors are clinical pharmacists) and lists of drugs detailing their pharmacological vital statistics are tedious. The various groups of drugs are classified and discussed under the headings of general statement, mechanism of action, dosage, pharmacokinetics, pharmacological profile, adverse effects, rational prescribing and product list. An attempt is made at cost coding the various drug preparations in American dollars; a valuable concept but of practical relevance to a limited readership. Another useful concept is the chapter on patient instructions but it does contain needless detailed repetition of information contained elsewhere in the book and is presented in an infantilising didactic form. There is a good clinical element present in the book and the chapters on drug interactions, management and treatment of drug overdosage, management of withdrawal and amytal interview are particularly useful. Overall this is a valuable little book but not one I would rush out to buy had 1 not received a complimentary copy! A. J. YELLOWLEES Registrar in Psychiatry, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh