Practical Strategies in Geriatric Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Professionals

The experienced editors of Practical Strategies in Geriatric Mental Health: Cases and Approaches recognize the unique challenges that older patients pose to general practitioners working outside this specialty. With a shortage of geriatric mental health specialists, the creation of trustworthy and user-friendly resources is more critical than ever.

This book is designed to be accessible not only to physicians and mental health practitioners but also to a broader audience of care and service providers for older adults, including social workers and nurses. The authors aim to provide a practical guide to help healthcare professionals navigate the complex diagnostic and treatment challenges that older adults often present.

Unique Challenges in Geriatric Mental Health

Older adults frequently present with complex symptoms and disorders, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, neurocognitive disorder with behavioral disturbance, and grief. Each chapter of the book focuses on a specific symptom or disorder, beginning with a “chief complaint” borrowed from common real-world clinical scenarios.

A brief clinical vignette portrays how the chief complaint is often presented, followed by relevant discussion of practical approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. These cases bring the material to life and illustrate relevant clinical applications, as well as the nuances of common presentations.

Practical Approaches to Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The book provides clinical guidelines and assessment tools suitable for both nonexperts and experts, which can be used in clinical encounters to assess functioning and treatment effectiveness. Easy-to-follow algorithms, brief behavioral interventions, and additional resources (such as organizations, websites, and books to recommend to patients and families) are also included, making this text a valuable repository of usable information.

The authors acknowledge the reality that the patient belongs to a family system, and family members, who are often also caregivers, have questions and fears – and their own medical and mental health conditions. The book carefully considers family input and influence on the clinical situation.

Complexities in Geriatric Mental Health

Comorbid medical conditions, the increased likelihood of medication interactions, and the presence of cognitive changes can complicate and confuse the clinical picture. Practical Strategies in Geriatric Mental Health: Cases and Approaches brings the geriatric psychiatrist’s knowledge base and armamentarium to the reader, providing essential and empowering guidance.

Published by American Psychiatric Association Publishing, this valuable resource is an essential tool for healthcare professionals working with older adults. With its practical approaches and comprehensive guidance, Practical Strategies in Geriatric Mental Health: Cases and Approaches is a must-have for anyone working in the field of geriatric mental health.

Book Details:

• Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing
• Publication Date: September 24, 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9781615371488, 9781615372577