Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine 3rd edition

Abstract

Abstract Since the first edition of The Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine was released in 2000, it has come to occupy an important and distinctive niche within the literary anthology of palliative medicine. The Handbook is widely regarded as the definitive reference on psychosocial issues affecting patients with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions and their families. The formula for achieving this status has been simple and overwhelmingly successful: gather the world’s preeminent leaders in palliative care—the very best of the very best—and give them an impeccable platform from which to declare the state of the art within their respective areas of expertise. Simply put, there is no more authoritative reference for psychosocial palliative care than will be found between these pages. The book is divided into 45 chapters and seven distinct sections, including Psychiatric and Psychosocial Palliative Care: Overview; Psychiatric Complications of Terminal Illness; Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care; Ethical, Existential, and Spiritual Issues in Palliative Care; Understanding and Managing Symptoms; Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Palliative Care; and Life Cycle Considerations in Palliative Care. A subtitle has been added to the third edition: Psychosocial Care of the Terminally Ill. This revision was made to declare an expanded mandate for the Handbook, one reaching across varied professionals with a vested interest in supporting and caring for the terminally ill. The past two decades have seen an all-encompassing, multidisciplinary approach to care for the dying take hold. The Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine: Psychosocial Care of the Terminally Ill is an attempt to affirm the importance of this approach for all patients, and their families, moving toward death.