50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health

Invest in a copy of the DSM-IV.

Unless you have no background in psychology, this book is fairly insulting to your intelligence. It's written predominantly in second-person, which is indicative that it's intended for self-diagnosis. Symptoms are organized alphabetically, rather than clustered by relevance. Provides a cursory explanation of many psychological symptoms. This was an assigned text for one of my classes, but I haven't used it, because I have the DSM-IV.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great resource

This was a great book for those that are new to mental illnesses and want to know more. There was enough information to understand the concepts of each symptom, but not too much to confuse. Great to have in the home!

excellent resource

An excellent resource and may be especially helpful for people unfamiliar with the mental health profession. Dr. Hicks writing is jargon- & judgement- free, very clear and unbiased.

50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health and Wellness Sereis)

I am not one for self-books, but found this fascinating. I could not put it down in the bookstore, found myself buying it, and it's been an adventure since! So insightful, extremely helpful, and fun to read.

I found very helpful

I'm not in this field but I looked up a few topics that trouble some loved ones and was surprised at how accurate the symptoms and behavior described were. The language used makes clear things that seemed so complicated. Very good book, hopeful.

Great addition to medical student education

Language is a tool of psychiatry. Yet, one of the major difficulties that one encounters when practicing psychiatry is the imprecision of terms used to describe various signs and symptoms. Some of the concepts used by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals come from common usage and describe common human feelings and behaviors. Then a question arises: When do anger, anxiety, stress become signs of illness? Other terms, usually derived from Latin or Greek, can intimidate with ominous associations. Certain schools of psychiatry create a vocabulary firmly rooted in an underlying theoretical system and words are given specifically defined meanings. Psychiatric researchers use rating scales to define signs and symptoms by quantifying them. Dr. Hicks¿ approach is to explain the term by contextuliazing it, and by exposing the full spectrum of associated meanings. He does it using a warm, understandable and highly readable language. Dr. Hicks wrote this wonderful psychiatric dictionary primarily for non-professionals, for patients and their families. However, as an educator, I immediately recognized its usefulness as a teaching tool. In my work with medical students, I always emphasize that they speak with their patients in a language the patients understands and to always make sure that they, as a therapist and the patient mean the same thing by the concepts they use. I urge them to explore what it means for the patient when he or she says: ¿I am depressed.¿ Dr. Hicks¿ book provides, I believe, a guide to the novice in the trade of psychiatry and psychotherapy to help him or her communicate with his or her patient, to help him or her explore the patient¿s symptoms using the patients¿ own language. That is why I have started to recommend this book to my medical students. It fills the gap that traditional psychiatric textbooks generally leave unaddressed.

Great information and easy to follow

This book is packed with information ideal for the consumer looking to expand their knowledge of mental illness. It helps you identify with people who have mental illness. It's also helps people recongnise symptoms of their own illness. It's a good book to read before your first psychiatrist vistit because you can write down what symptoms you have that you learned about from this book and other things that are causing you distress to help your psychiatrist make a diagnosis. Over all it's a must have for mental illness survivors.

50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health and Wellness Sereis)

This book is well-written, very clear, concise, and easy to read. It has a ton of good references at the back. I've seen myself in every chapter!

Mental Health Must Read

'50 Signs of Mental Illness' is clear, cogent, compelling and compassionate. It will be helpful to those with questions concerning themselves as well as those they care about. Dr. Hicks has that rare talent of being able to explain complex topics in a straightforward manner so that all can learn. Beyond being well written, this book lends itself to those who like to skim as well as those who prefer to read from cover to cover. Finally, this is an important contribution to the literature on mental health.

50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health and Wellness Sereis)

Mr. Hicks takes on the Herculean task of presenting mental illness in a manner that is easily digestible for a lay audience, but that does not compromise the complexity and nuances of the subject matter. This volume has the potential to revolutionize the way this country understands and talks about mental illness. Great job, Mr. Hicks! I am a fan!

50 Signs of Mental Illness........

I was VERY disappointed with this book. Too simplistic and lacking in detail. I do not recommend this book if you are trying to actually learn something worthwhile. Do not waste your money.

50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health and Wellness Sereis)

I highly recommend this book. I started out reading the sections that address my own 'issues,' and was blown away by the insight and detail provided. Then, in thumbing through the other chapters, I was further drawn in and became completely absorbed in the book as a vehicle to understanding those around me. This book is also incredibly well written and easy to read or skim.

review of 50 signs of mental illness......

I was disappointed in the book. I found it did not live up to the title. I do not recommend this book.

Deserves a place in the library

The book deserves a place in every home library next to the medical book addressing our physical ills. Dr. Hicks¿s graceful writing and clear advice takes away the mystery of often forbidden subjects. It will be a help and a comfort to many families. It also will grace the writing library of this fiction writer. Hicks¿s concise approach to mental problems will help me (and, likely, many another writer) keep my troubled characters in character. My kleptomaniac will know what traits to take; the dipsomaniac will do the right thing (which, of course, is likely to be the wrong thing).

CLEAR, CONCISE, ENJOYABLE AND VERY ACCESIBLE

This book is a fundamental resource for professionals who work in social services because it conceptualizes and clarifies basic concepts about human conduct and behavior. As a social worker in Hispanic communities, I highly recommend this book to my profession colleagues and suggest a new edition in Spanish for use in our Hispanic community.