Anger, fatigue, obsessions, memory loss, sexual performance problems, suicidal thoughts. Are these signs of mental illness? How can you tell? Should you consult your physician? This reassuring book is for anyone seeking to understand their own symptoms or those of a loved one. Organized for easy use, the highly readable guide offers a wide range of information and advice on mental illness.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A user-friendly, alphabetical guide to psychiatric symptoms and what you should know about them

This compelling book introduces a wide range of psychiatric symptoms and their treatments. Written for anyone concerned about his or her own mental health or about symptoms observed in family members or close friends, the book is packed with useful and reassuring information. It is both easy to read and difficult to put down.

The volume presents fifty signs that may-or may not-signal mental illness. Arranged alphabetically, the signs include everything from anger to sexual preoccupations, from cravings to obsessions. Dr. James W. Hicks, a highly regarded psychiatrist with extensive clinical experience, begins each topic with a vignette to illustrate the symptom. He explains how a specific sign can be caused by several different illnesses and may even be a normal response to stress. And he outlines available treatments as well as strategies for coping with each symptom.

Nearly one in three individuals experiences psychiatric symptoms each year. This book clarifies the significance of such signs and guides its readers toward appropriate treatment choices. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a more informed perspective on mental illness.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

The cover may look like Menninger "lite," but this resource on the symptoms of mental illness and their treatment is a solid gem. Organizing the text alphabetically by symptom, psychiatrist Hicks (director, clinical services, Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Ctr.) opens each chapter with a good story or character study, wasting no words and packing in much more than one might expect without getting heavy: "When you bought the shotgun a week ago, you told yourself you would never use it"-so begins "Suicidal Thoughts." Anxiety, anger, denial, depression, stress, and trauma are also headlined, as well as religious preoccupation, nonsense, oddness, and homosexuality (not a mental illness). Statistics fit in helpfully; there are no notes, but resources at the end are extensive and include recommended books on various topics. An extensive index contains many drug names, along with terms like Alzheimer's, ECT, hypnosis, and lying. Hicks is warm but can be blunt, reassuring but stern about getting treatment and preventing harm. A reservoir of useful knowledge, this belongs in almost every library serving real people.-E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.