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Behavioral Medicine and Women: A Comprehensive Handbook
Book Reviews DONNA B. GREENBERG, M.D. BOOK REVIEW EDITOR
Behavioral Medicine and Women: A Comprehensive Handbook Edited by Elaine A. Blechman and Kelly E. Brownell New York, Guildford, 1997 ISBN 1–57230–2186, 876 pages, $75.00 Reviewed by Barbara Wojcik, M.D., and Elisabeth J. Shakin Kunkel, M.D.
I
t was not so long ago that women had only a few advocates in the medical community. Women—and their unique experience of illness, health, and stress—went largely unaddressed. Still today, many of the pharmacologic agents and therapeutic approaches we use for our female patients are based on extrapolated data from studies on men. This text, in its comprehensive overview of the current and expanding knowledge in women’s health, serves as a testament to the changing face of medicine. The broad scope of this volume is impressive. The book is divided into nine sections: 1) Life Course Perspectives and Effect on Mental and Physical Health; 2) Stress and Coping; 3) Prevention; 4) Health Care Paradigms, Policies, and Settings; 5) Body Image and Substance Abuse; 6) Sexuality and Reproduction; 7) Physiological Disorders With Behavioral and Psychosocial Components; 8) Linkages Between Behavioral, Psychosocial, and Physical Disorders; and 9) Gender, Culture, and Health. The sections are addressed with 14 succinct chapters written by over 150 leading experts in the field. Spe132
cific topics range from “Coping,” to “Medical Training,” to the major psychological and physiological disorders. These chapters provide the clinician with a quick, authoritative reference source. In addition, brief annotated references at the end of each chapter serve as a valuable resource of quality articles and texts for further reading. The wide appeal of the book to both allied health professionals and physicians makes this text unique. Its easy readability, depth of scope, and applicability to clinical practice and education make this a valuable addition to the library of any health professional involved in the care of women. This book is particularly valuable for residents and trainees in the mental health arena. It provides a conceptual framework that fosters a greater sensitivity to the issues and stresses unique to women. The information is ideal for using in the education of medical students. It is densely packed with facts and information, and helps the clinician to empathize with the women, whom they are treating. More and more, trainees are seeking information about women’s health and life course—evidence of medicine’s growing commitment to diversification in training, research, and care of the community. We look forward to the next edition of this highly recommended text, as we watch and experience the growth of this important field. Dr. Wojcik is a Psychiatry Resident, Medical College of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University; and Dr. Kunkel is Director of Consultation-
Liason Psychiatry and Associate Professor, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University.
Assessing Competence to Consent to Treatment: A Guide for Physicians and Other Health Professionals Edited by Thomas Grisso and Paul S. Appelbaum New York, Oxford University Press, 1998 ISBN 0–19–510372–6, 224 pages, $29.95 Reviewed by Ronald J. Schouten, M.D.
T
hose who teach about informed consent, as well as those who consult on this issue, routinely turn to the works of Paul Appelbaum and Tom Grisso for guidance. Their previous academic work in this field has been excellent, and this new volume is no exception. While there has been no shortage of academic treatises on informed consent, the need for a concise guide on the assessment of competence to make treatment decisions has gone unmet. This small volume answers that need, clearly and concisely. It is successful in its attempt to lay out the whys and hows of competence assessment. The emphasis in this book is on the clinical aspects of informed consent. The chapters are structured to provide the consulting clinician with helpful guidance in dealing with the dilemmas that often arise when competence is assessed. Summaries at the end of each of the seven chapters provide takePsychosomatics 40:2, March–April 1999
Behavioral Medicine and Women: A Comprehensive Handbook Edited by Elaine A. Blechman and Kelly E. Brownell New York, Guildford, 1997 ISBN 1–57230–2186, 876 pages, $75.00 Reviewed by Barbara Wojcik, M.D., and Elisabeth J. Shakin Kunkel, M.D.
I
t was not so long ago that women had only a few advocates in the medical community. Women—and their unique experience of illness, health, and stress—went largely unaddressed. Still today, many of the pharmacologic agents and therapeutic approaches we use for our female patients are based on extrapolated data from studies on men. This text, in its comprehensive overview of the current and expanding knowledge in women’s health, serves as a testament to the changing face of medicine. The broad scope of this volume is impressive. The book is divided into nine sections: 1) Life Course Perspectives and Effect on Mental and Physical Health; 2) Stress and Coping; 3) Prevention; 4) Health Care Paradigms, Policies, and Settings; 5) Body Image and Substance Abuse; 6) Sexuality and Reproduction; 7) Physiological Disorders With Behavioral and Psychosocial Components; 8) Linkages Between Behavioral, Psychosocial, and Physical Disorders; and 9) Gender, Culture, and Health. The sections are addressed with 14 succinct chapters written by over 150 leading experts in the field. Spe132
cific topics range from “Coping,” to “Medical Training,” to the major psychological and physiological disorders. These chapters provide the clinician with a quick, authoritative reference source. In addition, brief annotated references at the end of each chapter serve as a valuable resource of quality articles and texts for further reading. The wide appeal of the book to both allied health professionals and physicians makes this text unique. Its easy readability, depth of scope, and applicability to clinical practice and education make this a valuable addition to the library of any health professional involved in the care of women. This book is particularly valuable for residents and trainees in the mental health arena. It provides a conceptual framework that fosters a greater sensitivity to the issues and stresses unique to women. The information is ideal for using in the education of medical students. It is densely packed with facts and information, and helps the clinician to empathize with the women, whom they are treating. More and more, trainees are seeking information about women’s health and life course—evidence of medicine’s growing commitment to diversification in training, research, and care of the community. We look forward to the next edition of this highly recommended text, as we watch and experience the growth of this important field. Dr. Wojcik is a Psychiatry Resident, Medical College of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University; and Dr. Kunkel is Director of Consultation-
Liason Psychiatry and Associate Professor, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University.
Assessing Competence to Consent to Treatment: A Guide for Physicians and Other Health Professionals Edited by Thomas Grisso and Paul S. Appelbaum New York, Oxford University Press, 1998 ISBN 0–19–510372–6, 224 pages, $29.95 Reviewed by Ronald J. Schouten, M.D.
T
hose who teach about informed consent, as well as those who consult on this issue, routinely turn to the works of Paul Appelbaum and Tom Grisso for guidance. Their previous academic work in this field has been excellent, and this new volume is no exception. While there has been no shortage of academic treatises on informed consent, the need for a concise guide on the assessment of competence to make treatment decisions has gone unmet. This small volume answers that need, clearly and concisely. It is successful in its attempt to lay out the whys and hows of competence assessment. The emphasis in this book is on the clinical aspects of informed consent. The chapters are structured to provide the consulting clinician with helpful guidance in dealing with the dilemmas that often arise when competence is assessed. Summaries at the end of each of the seven chapters provide takePsychosomatics 40:2, March–April 1999