Dr. Schildkrout has received praise for her ability to make complex, clinically useful medical information available to a broad audience, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, nurses, patients, and families.
Masquerading Symptoms: Uncovering Physical Illnesses That Present as Psychological Problems (just published) is a sophisticated, engaging resource compendium of practical information and covers 71 different medical diseases that can masquerade as mental disorders. Because the presentation of these physical diseases is marked by changes in mental state and/or behavior, patients with these conditions often seek help first from a therapist or in a psychiatric emergency room.
This book is a welcome contribution for use in psychiatry residency training programs to fulfill the milestones requirements in clinical neuroscience and psychiatric evaluation.
This invaluable resource contains:
- Sophisticated, clinically relevant information that is also easy to read
- Case examples from the medical literature
- Mental status section that includes a full discussion of the possible signs and symptoms a patient might have and then directs readers to the diseases that might be causing these.
71 medical diseases that can masquerade as mental disorders (See Index for the complete list of diseases), including:
• The Dementia Syndromes—Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, and more • Traumatic Brain Injury • Endocrine Disorders—Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, and others • Infectious Diseases—HIV, Lyme disease, Syphilis • Sleep Disorders—Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, and more • Brain Tumors • Parkinson’s Disease • Tourette Syndrome
Each disease discussion includes:
• Introduction to the Disease • Possible Presenting Mental Signs and Symptoms • Possible Presenting Physical Signs and Symptoms • Clinical Presentation • Clinical Course and Prognosis • Prevalence and Population at Risk • What is This Disease • Questions to Ask • Specialist Referral • Case Excerpts from the Literature
Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn to Recognize the Psychological Presentation of Medical Disorders (2011)
Quotations from Reviewers:
“Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn to Recognize the Psychological Presentation of Medical Disorders is designed to help therapists bridge the gaps in their expertise between psychology and medicine so as to prepare them to better understand their patients and have a higher index of suspicion about medical factors that may affect them.
The tone and scope render Unmasking Psychological Symptoms an ideal read for therapists. . . . Schildkrout deftly weaves narrative accounts of intriguing patients that illustrate a range of medical conditions with psychological manifestations. She approaches the diagnostic process as an ongoing endeavor of piecing together elements to complete a puzzle, essentially inviting the reader to solve mysteries along with her. In these ways, her writing is reminiscent of that of other physician authors such as Oliver Sacks (1985), who wrote The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Lisa Sanders, who writes the Diagnosis column in the New York Times. Schildkrout’s approach also brings to mind the writing of psychiatrist Irvin Yalom (1989), who provided fresh insights into psychotherapy in Love’s Executioner.” —Reviewed by William N. Robiner and Christopher Boys in PsycCRITIQUES-Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books
“In this practical and easy to read volume, Unmasking Symptoms, Dr. Barbara Schildkout, an experienced psychiatrist, offers both medical and non-medical psychotherapists a much-needed overview of the complex interrelationship between physical and psychological disorders. She shows how psychological symptoms can easily mask underlying medical illness and mislead even those of us with the best training and intentions. She underscores the need to be vigilant in our clinical formulations, always on alert for signs and symptoms of medical disorders. One of the strengths of this volume is the a