Psychological Treatment of Older Adults: An Introductory Text

Author: Michel Hersen
Published: September 1997
Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers
ISBN: 0306452340
Hardcover Book
Number of Pages: 368

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This book presents a fairly comprehensive overview of clinical geropsychological approaches to working with the elderly. Given the growing number of elderly adults, this book is timely and needed. Written by experts in field, it consists of 16 chapters divided into two sections. Part I covers historical perspectives, assessment issues, legal matters, and treatment strategies in special settings. Part II reviews specific mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, depression, dementia, mental retardation, psychosis, sexual dysfunction, and marital disorders, with an emphasis on providing state-of-the-art information on diagnosis and treatment. While this book is oriented primarily towards graduate students in psychology and gerontology, a number of chapters should be of interest to practicing mental health clinicians. In particular, Haldipur and Ward's chapter on competence and legal issues, Dick and Gallagher-Thompson's contribution on late-life depression and, Teri's work on depression in Alzhiemer's patients are outstanding treatments of complex subjects. One of the most useful futures of this book is the number and scope of references provided by each of the contributors. In many respects, this introductory text can serve as a reference book for more in-depth study of the various topics covered. I do have one bone to pick with the editors. It is difficult to understand how an introductory text that is part of the Plenum Series in Adult Development and Aging could ignore the contributions made by psychodynamically-oriented developmental researchers and clinicians. Surely, the work of Morton Lieberman and Sheldon Tobin on adaptation, the University of Chicago-sponsoredstudies on ego psychology and development represented by Bernice Neugarten's work, and the more treatment-focused writings of people such as David Gutman should have been at least referenced in this otherwise comprehensive volume. Nevertheless, this book remains a valuable resource for the growing number of students and practitioners in the field of mental health and aging. A text on psychological treatment of seniors. Part I examines historical perspectives, social adaptation in older adults, medical and psychiatric assessment, clinical neuropsychology, competence and other legal issues, and treatment in residential settings. Part II deals with specific disorders such as Alzheimer's, depression, organic disorders, substance abuse, sexual dysfunction, and marital discord, and offers guidelines for psychological and medical treatment, follow up, and evaluation. For advanced students. Hersen, Michel (Nova Southeastern Univ); Hasselt, Vincent B. (Nova Southeastern Univ)The contributors represent the specialties of psychiatry, gerontology, and psychology. Most are from academic medical centers in the U.S. Institutions prominently represented include Univ of Alabama, Stanford, Nova Southeastern, and West Virginia Univ.

Table of Contents
1 Historical Perspectives in Clinical Geropsychology 3
2 Social Adaptation in Older Adults 11
3 Assessment of Older Adults 35
4 Clinical Neuropsychology of Older Adults 69
5 Medical Assessment 91
6 Competence and Other Legal Issues 103
7 Treatment in Residential Settings 127
8 Anxiety-Based Disorders 149
9 Late-Life Depression 181
10 Depression in Alzheimer's Disease 209
11 Schizophrenia 223
12 Mental Retardation 245
13 Organic Disorders 259
14 Substance Abuse 281
15 Sexual Dysfunction 299
16 Marital Discord 315
About the Editors 335
Author Index 337
Subject Index 349

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