Caring for the Mind: The Comprehensive Gu

I have had this book for many years. I bought it when I was studying for tests and have recommended it to others. What I like most about this book is that it is so readable, so accessible, and explains things in a straightforward way. The section on what it is like for someone with a particular problem is especailly helpful. It really helped me as a student, and years later, I am still referring to it. If I want to explain something to someone else, I find that reading this book really helps me to explain things to others in an undestandable way. The book is over 10 years old now, and I hope the authors will consider updating it, if it has not yet been updated.

This book was recommended to me by a professor and I just love it because Caring for the Mind is very comprehensive and helps me better understand and make a diagnosis. I have recommended this book to several people in the field because I thought it would be helpful. This is good for straight mental health issues. Since, I deal with addiction and co-occurring disorders I am hopeful a future edition would address this more fully. I did not find the "blurb" about addictions very helpful. It also appeared to be dated.

My husband and I just found out our 13 year old daughter has a personality disorder (schizotypal specifically). We didn't get much information on either the diagnosis or how we could help our daughter from the mental health institute we have access to. So we first turned to the internet and looked up the diagnosis. Most of it was very technical, hard to understand and cynical. I found this book at our local library and it has helped us tremendously. It is clearly written for the general public to understand. We felt torn between finally finding something that helps us understand what's been going on and feeling depressed by the prognosis for the future. We think this book's a good start. Now what we'd like to find is a book that's written specifically for a teenager dealing with a personality disorder.

Having first discovered this remarkable book in my local suburban library whilst preparing my training course for volunteers on a 24 hour HELPLINE (for relatives and friends of those with a mental illness), I felt that this large paperback was the best book I had seen. As a social worker, I also needed up to date information and chapters with sections detailed on aspects of psychiatry, and this book was perfect. However, I have found it difficult to purchase it here. I cannot take out a permanent loan from the library, so I must buy a copy for me and also one for a friend who also works in the field! An excellent well presented text!.

Linda Selliger's is useful, Caring for the Mind goes beyond useful because of its comprehensive discussion of all aspects of the diagnosis and treatments that are currently accepted. A section in each diagnostic catagory gives a "how does this illness or distress feel to the individual" which helps to illuminate the characterists of the problem, adding to better understanding of the diagnosis.