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DSM-IV Made Easy: The Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis
DSMIV Made Easy The Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis Author:James Morrison DSM-IV presents a challenging task for all clinicians. Just reviewing the diagnostic standards is time consuming and often confusing even for the most experienced practitioner; and what is more, learning the standards alone does not immediately translate into clinical application. — This book helps professionals quickly learn how to apply the dia... more »gnostic criteria to patients. Every DSM-IV diagnosis is simplified and clearly interpreted, emphasizing what the clinician needs to know most when making a diagnosis. Case vignettes, extensive evaluations, and the author's informed commentary combine to enable mental health practitioners to readily incorporate DSM-IV into practice.
Taking the reader step-by-step through the diagnostic process for every DSM-IV category, the author clearly explains how to derive a complete, five-axis diagnosis. Each set of criteria is discussed in detail, illustrated by a vivid clinical vignette and interpreted in lucid terms. With this logical organization, the book provides a full course in diagnostic thinking, presented by a master clinician who has evaluated and treated over 15,000 patients.
Among the many helpful features:
*QUICK GUIDES in each chapter concisely outline every diagnosis, cross-referencing disorders that can result in similar symptoms. This feature alone provides a complete catalog of which symptoms define a disorder, and how these relate to other disorders.
*TIPS throughout the text highlight crucial diagnostic information.
*CLINICAL VIGNETTES richly illustrate the work and serve as the principal teaching device. Over 100 detailed case histories provide a framework for understanding the diagnostic criteria, giving the reader a genuine sense of each disorder.
*EVALUATION of the patient is clearly described in each vignette. The author identifies the most likely of the differential diagnoses, shows how the patient fits the criteria, and explains why other diagnoses are unlikely.
* CODING NOTES follow many criteria lists, supplying additional information about coding, subtypes, and specifiers when relevant.
An indispensable resource for clinical practice, this book is also ideal for mental health professionals preparing for licensing exams. It serves as a valuable introductory text for students needing to develop a framework for diagnostic understanding.« less