Since the development of pharmacoconvulsive therapy in 1934 and of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in 1938, ECT has proven far more valuable than just the intervention of last resort. In comparison with psychotropic medications, we now know that ECT can act more effectively and more rapidly, with substantial clinical improvement that is often seen after only a few treatments. This is especially true for severely ill patients -- those with severe major depression with psychotic features, acute mania with psychotic features, or catatonia. For patients who are physically debilitated, elderly,...

Since the APA's last report on tardive dyskinesia in 1979, considerable research has been conducted on the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors associated with the development of late-occurring neuroleptic side effects. This book summarizes the progress made over the last decade in understanding the differential diagnosis and epidemiology of tardive dyskinesia, as well as risk factors, course, and treatment. The reader will benefit from the book's coverage of- indications for neuroleptic use- alternative maintenance strategies- factors to consider in making a differential diagnosis-...

This handbook provides clinicians with timely and useful information that will help psychiatrists obtain optimal coverage of services for patients. Among the issues addressed are frequently encountered problems, confidentiality, contracting, and the process of utilization management.

The shifting demographic toward a "graying" population -- coupled with today's reality of managed care -- makes the need for high-quality, cost-effective psychiatric services within the nursing care setting more urgent than ever. As we increase the number of our years, it is also imperative that we enhance the quality of those years.

The product of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) Council on Aging and its Committee on Long-Term Care and of the Elderly, the Manual of Nursing Home Practice for Psychiatrists stands out because it focuses on the "how" -- not the "why" -- of...

The past decade has witnessed remarkable growth in the field of quality measurement in health care. Today's patients want to know that the care they receive is safe, effective, and accessible.

This compelling monograph combines -- for the first time -- the reports from two American Psychiatric Association task forces on quality in psychiatric care (March 1999, which focused on adults, and October 2001, which focused on children and adolescents), offering a clinical framework for quality measurement that provides sample indicators of quality for health plans, facilities, and systems...