Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine »

Eight years have passed since the first edition of Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine was published. In that time, psychiatric (or psychosocial) palliative care has evolved; the net effect on palliative medicine has been transformative. Palliation that neglects psychosocial dimensions of patient and family experience, de facto, fails to meet contemporary standards of comprehensive palliative care. While a focus on somatic issues has sometimes overshadowed attention to psychological, existential, and spiritual end-of-life challenges, the past decade has seen an all encompassing, multi-disciplinary approach to care for the dying beginning to take hold.

The first comprehensive handbook of psychiatric palliative care, this new edition has been fully updated, reorganized and expanded to include eleven new chapters. Written by 67 internationally known psychiatry and palliative care experts, the book is truly an essential reference for all providers of palliative care including psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health counselors, oncologists, hospice workers and social workers. Each chapter has been updated to address new therapeutic modalities and approaches as well as new research trends and opportunities for each topic.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Jeffrey Rado, MD(Rush University Medical Center)
Description:This is an attempt at a state-of-the-art review of psychiatry in the larger context of palliative care. It is a well-written compendium that addresses a wide variety of topics in end-of-life care.
Purpose:The goal is to promote a comprehensive vision of hospice and palliative care that addresses all facets of suffering. In doing so, it shows us how all members of the palliative care team (oncologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, internists, social workers, etc.) can make a huge impact on patients' quality of life by becoming more sensitive to the issues these patients face on a daily basis.
Audience:Although the authors do not clearly specify their audience, the book is written for practitioners in the field of palliative care medicine. It is not appropriate for medical students or more junior residents.
Features:Numerous psychiatric diagnoses are discussed, but communication with patients is the focus. However, the authors also spend considerable time discussing how to improve clinical interactions with family members as well. Psychotherapeutic issues that are particularly well addressed include spirituality, bereavement, dignity, and demoralization. Each chapter ends with a section on controversies and research opportunities which nicely explores the unanswered questions in the field. The book could have benefited from the use of more real-world case examples to illustrate the concepts being discussed.
Assessment:This is a well-organized, thoughtfully written book. The authors include many experts who work at the interface of psychiatry and palliative care. The book is clearly written and summarizes the current state of research in this ever expanding field of study. I would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about psychiatry in end-of-life care or who is contemplating a career in this area.

Contributors xix

Part I Psychiatric and Psychosocial Palliative Care: Critical Milestones

1 Hospice and Palliative Care: A Psychiatric Perspective John L. Shuster Irene J. Higginson 3

2 Integrating Psychiatry and Palliative Medicine: The Challenges and Opportunities J. Andrew Billings Susan D. Block 13

Part II Psychiatric Complications of Terminal Illness

3 An Overview of Care and Management of the Patient at the End of Life Edwin H. Cassem, S.J. 23

4 Diagnosis and Management of Depression in Palliative Care Keith G. Wilson, Ph.D., C.Psych Mark Lander Harvey Max Chochinov, O.M 39

5 Anxiety in Palliative Care Andrew J. Roth Mary Jane Massie 69

6 Delirium in the Terminally Ill William Breitbart Peter G. Lawlor Miriam Friedlander 81

7 Suicide and Desire for Hastened Death in the Terminally Ill Megan Olden Hayley Pessin Wendy G. Lichtenthal William Breitbart 101

8 Palliative Care for Patients with Serious Mental Illness Mary Ellen Foti 113

9 Palliative Care for Patients with Substance Abuse and Patients with Personality Disorders Tatiana D. Starr Lauren J. Rogak David J. Casper Kenneth L. Kirsh Steven D. Passik 122

Part III Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care

10 What Dying People Want David R. Kuhl 141

11 Communication with Terminally Ill Patients and Their Families Peter Maguire Joseph S. Weiner 157

12 Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Palliative Care: Compassionate Expertise for Serious Complex Illness Matthew J. Loscalzo Charles F. von Gunten 172

13 Cultural Diversity and Palliative Care Leslie J. Blackhall 186

14 Understanding and Managing Bereavement in Palliative Care Sidney Zisook Scott A. Irwin M. Katherine Shear 202

15 Family Issuesand Palliative Care David K. Wellisch David W. Kissane 220

16 Burnout and Symptoms of Stress in Staff Working in Palliative Care Mary L.S. Vachon, R.N. Monika Muller 236

Part IV Ethical, Existential, and Spiritual Issues in Palliative Care

17 Ethical Issues in Palliative Care Edmund D. Pellegrino Daniel P. Sulmasy 267

18 Personal Growth and Human Development in Life-Threatening Conditions Ira Byock 281

19 The Treatment of Suffering in Patients with Advanced Cancer Nathan I. Cherny 300

20 Dignity, Meaning, and Demoralization: Emerging Paradigms in End-of-Life Care David W. Kissane Christina Treece William Breitbart Nancy A. McKeen, R.N. Harvey Max Chochinov, O.M 324

21 Spiritual Issues in Palliative Care Christina M. Puchalski 341

Part V Understanding and Managing Symptoms

22 Physical Symptom Management in the Terminally Ill Russell K. Portenoy Badi El Osta Eduardo Bruera 355

23 Psychiatric Aspects of Pain Management in Patients with Advanced Cancer and AIDS William Breitbart Steven D. Passik David J. Casper Tatiana D. Starr Lauren J. Rogak 384

24 Eating Issues in Palliative Cancer Patients Susan E. McClement, R.N. 417

25 Psychiatric Aspects of Fatigue at the End of Life Susan E. Abbey 427

Part VI Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Palliative Care

26 Individual Psychotherapy for the Patient with Advanced Disease Gary Rodin 443

27 Narrative Medicine: Writing through Bereavement Robert A. Neimeyer James W. Pennebaker Jessica G. van Dyke 454

28 Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Symptom Management in Palliative Care: Augmenting Somatic Interventions Dennis C. Turk Caryn S. Feldman 470

29 Group Psychotherapy and the Terminally Ill David Spiegel Molyn Leszcz 490

30 Family-Focused Grief Therapy Sidney Bloch David W. Kissane 504

Part VII Life Cycle Considerations in Palliative Care

31 Psychiatric Care of the Terminally Ill Child Margaret L. Stuber Brenda Bursch 519

32 The Child and Adolescent in Palliative Care Barbara M. Sourkes Joanne Wolfe 531

33 Special Care Considerations for the Seriously Ill Older Adult Lynn B. O'Neill Diane E. Meier R. Sean Morrison 544

Index 553