THE BIBLE FOR EVERY COUPLE PREPARING FOR THE BIRTH OF A BABY

When it was first introduced more than thirty years ago, the Lamaze method was a revolutionary childbirth technique. Since that time, it has made pregnancy and childbirth easier for millions of women, lessening their dependence on pain medications before and after birth. Elisabeth Bing's classic book on the Lamaze method guides women through the physical and psychological challenges of pregnancy. Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth details the changes a woman can expect in her body during...

Assessment and Therapy is a derivative volume of articles pulled from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Mental Health, presenting a comprehensive overview of assessing and treating the many disorders afflicting mental health patients, including alcohol problems, Alzheimer's disease, depression, epilepsy, gambling, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, and suicide.

According to 1990 estimates, mental disorders represent five of the ten leading causes of disability. Among "developed" nations, including the United States, major depression is the leading cause of...

The flaws in today's healthcare systems and practices are well-documented: millions remain far from optimal health due to a variety of psychological and social factors; large numbers of patients do not fully cooperate with medical advice; errors in medical decision-making -- some stemming from flaws in interpersonal relations -- regularly lead to needless suffering and death. Further, the effects of emotions, personality, and motivation on healing are not well incorporated into traditional medical care.

The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology compiles the most relevant...