Late Onset Schizophrenia

From The Critics

Reviewer: Michael Joel Schrift, D.O., M.A.(University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: In this excellent book, the product of a two-day meeting at Leeds Castle, England in July, 1998, schizophrenic-like states that have their onset in middle or old age are covered. Written and edited by internationally recognized experts in the field, this book is a valuable contribution to the fields of psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychiatry, and geriatric psychiatry.
Purpose: The purpose of the meeting from which the book is derived was "to review current state of knowledge concerning late onset schizophrenia, to debate the case for heterogeneity based on onset age and to reach consensus on diagnosis, terminology, and future research directions."
Audience: The intended audience is psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, psychologists, and geriatricians.
Features: The book features 278 pages divided into five parts and 19 chapters, including an index section. Topics covered include the historical development of late onset schizophrenia (citing the German and English literature, an international perspective with chapters by American, European, French, Scandinavian, Japanese authors) as well as a chapter on late onset schizophrenia in a developing country. There are sections on characterizing the syndrome, treatments, and an excellent chapter on a consensus statement from the conference. The index is helpful.
Assessment: This is a valuable and comprehensive book summarizing the state of knowledge of late onset schizophrenia. Clinicians and researchers who work in geriatric psychiatry should read and refer to this book.

Michael J. Schrift

In this excellent book, the product of a two-day meeting at Leeds Castle, England in July, 1998, schizophrenic-like states that have their onset in middle or old age are covered. Written and edited by internationally recognized experts in the field, this book is a valuable contribution to the fields of psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychiatry, and geriatric psychiatry. The purpose of the meeting from which the book is derived was "to review current state of knowledge concerning late onset schizophrenia, to debate the case for heterogeneity based on onset age and to reach consensus on diagnosis, terminology, and future research directions." The intended audience is psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, psychologists, and geriatricians. The book features 278 pages divided into five parts and 19 chapters, including an index section. Topics covered include the historical development of late onset schizophrenia (citing the German and English literature, an international perspective with chapters by American, European, French, Scandinavian, Japanese authors) as well as a chapter on late onset schizophrenia in a developing country. There are sections on characterizing the syndrome, treatments, and an excellent chapter on a consensus statement from the conference. The index is helpful. This is a valuable and comprehensive book summarizing the state of knowledge of late onset schizophrenia. Clinicians and researchers who work in geriatric psychiatry should read and refer to this book.

Booknews

Contributors represent views from Europe and North America as well as Australia and the Far East. They review current international knowledge about late onset schizophrenia-like states, and debate issues of heterogeneity, gender, brain maturation and ageing, putative structural and functional cerebral substrates for psychosis, and receptor pharmacology. Chapters are organized in sections on historical development, an international perspective, characterizing late onset schizophrenia, treatments, and a consensus statement. Howard is a senior lecturer and consultant in old age psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital, UK. Distributed by Taylor and Francis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

3 Stars from Doody