Medical Illness and Schizophrenia or What Your Patients Need to Know about Psychiatric Medications

Medical Illness and Schizophrenia

Author: Jonathan M Meyer

The life expectancy of patients with schizophrenia is approximately 20% shorter than that of the general population. Lifestyle choices, effects of medications, poor self-care, barriers to treatment& mdash;all contribute to medical problems that increase the severity of psychopathology, reduce quality of life, and lead to premature death in patients with schizophrenia.

Medical Illness and Schizophrenia examines the links between medical conditions and severe chronic mental illness, with a focus on


• The need for better medical assessment and treatment to improve outcomes in patients with schizophrenia

• Links between schizophrenia and conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV and hepatitis C, endocrine-related disorders, and others

• The association between therapy with certain antipsychotics and adverse health outcomes including hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes mellitus

• The importance of improving community health services to treat the dual problems of medical and mental illnesses in the schizophrenic population

Developed to fill a critical gap in the literature, Medical Illness and Schizophrenia is an important volume for any clinician who encounters patients with chronic severe mental illness. In addition, it serves to underscore the need to provide integrated medical and psychiatric care to this vulnerable population.

Table of Contents:

	Contributors
	Preface
Ch. 1	Issues Surrounding Medical Care for Individuals With Schizophrenia: The Challenge of Dual Neglect by Patients and the System	1
Ch. 2	Excessive Mortality and Morbidity Associated With Schizophrenia	13
Ch. 3	Obesity in Patients With Schizophrenia	35
Ch. 4	Cardiovascular Illness and Hyperlipidemia in Patients With Schizophrenia	53
Ch. 5	Nicotine and Tobacco Use in Schizophrenia	81
Ch. 6	Glucose Intolerance and Diabetes in Schizophrenia	99
Ch. 7	HIV and Hepatitis C in Patients With Schizophrenia	115
Ch. 8	Medical Health in Aging Persons With Schizophrenia	141
Ch. 9	Substance Use Disorders in Schizophrenia	163
Ch. 10	Neurological Comorbidity and Features in Schizophrenia	185
Ch. 11	Prolactin- and Endocrine-Related Disorders in Schizophrenia	215
	Index	233

Books about: Designing Brand Identity or Bottomfeeder

What Your Patients Need to Know about Psychiatric Medications: A Resource Book of Medication Information

Author: Robert E Hales

The groundbreaking What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications provides practical-and essential-information for psychiatric patients and patients and their families in the form of easy-to-understand individualized medication sheets on all currently prescribed psychiatric medications.

Introductory sections of What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications details the key information presented on each medication sheet, as well as web sites, recommended reading, and a discussion of psychiatric medications in pregnancy.

Subsequent chapters comprise the actual psychiatric medication sheets, which& mdash;due to their clear format and style& mdash;are both easy to understand and easy to translate into different languages, including Spanish. Each medication sheet lists the brand name, generic name, available strengths, generic form availability, and medication class and then discusses general information, dosing information, side effects, precautions, use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, possible medication interactions, overdose, treatment considerations, warnings, and general advice for anti-anxiety medications, medications for insomnia, antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, stimulants, and cognitive enhancers for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Written by three psychiatric professionals with many decades of combined experience, What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications is designed to overcome barriers (such as anxiety, the & ldquo;white coat effect& rdquo;) to optimal psychopharmacological treatment, complement the work of the treatingclinician, and enhance patients' understanding of and motivation to comply with clinicians& rsquo; treatment recommendations by


• Providing relevant, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand information about psychiatric medications
• Answering the most common questions that patients have about their psychiatric medications, including how to take their medications and what the beneficial effects and the potential side effects are
• Emphasizing clarity, accuracy, and accessibility of the information offered
• Prioritizing information that is evidence-based and enhances the safe and effective use of psychiatric medications

Densely informative, accurate, and up to date, What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications is destined to become a classic: clinical psychiatrists will feel comfortable & ldquo;prescribing& rdquo; this book, patient advocacy groups and county or state mental health organizations will find it useful when standardizing informed consent for psychiatric medications, and patients and their families will welcome its user-friendly presentation of complex material.