Handbook of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Mental Health / Edition 1

by Scott Shannon

Overview

Scott Shannon is an MD, president elect of the American Holistic Medical Association, and considered a national expert on holistic psychiatry. In this book he brings together a comprehensive overview of CAM treatments, with information on their effectiveness and safety for specific patient populations and for use in treating specific disorders. Modalities covered include Acupuncture, Nutritional Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Meditation, Biofeedback, Aromatherapy and others. Coverage also includes chapters on the best CAM modalities for treatment of Anxiety and PTSD, Depression, ADD, and Addictions.

Each chapter will be in a similar template, beginning with a description of the treatment, its safety, compatibility with conventional treatments and/or contrindications, scientific documentation of its efficacy, discussion of which disorders it is best used for, and references.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780126382815
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	12/10/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	608
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Scott Shannon, MD, has been involved in complementary and alternative healthcare for over twenty-five years. In 1978, he became one of the founding members of the American Holistic Medical Association. He is now the current president. Over the years, Dr. Shannon has worked as a primary care physician at a rural holistic clinic and as a Medical Director of a psychiatric hospital. Board certified in Child/Adolescent Psychiatry, General Psychiatry and most recently Holistic Medicine, his practice emphasizes education, herbal medicine, nutrition, spirituality, and acupuncture. Currently, Dr. Shannon works as a Medical Director for a hospital-based holistic clinic in Loveland, Colorado. He also serves on the Editorial Board of The Integrative Medicine Consult and speaks widely to professional audiences.

Table of Contents

Contributors.
Preface.
Part I: Overview
S. Shannon, Introduction: The Emerging Paradigm.
S. Shannon, Integration and Holism.
Part II: Physical Modalities
R.P. Lee, Cranial Osteopathy.
R. D'Angelo, Aromatherapy.
J. Settle, Diet and Essential Fatty Acids.
J. Settle, Nutritional Supplements.
Part III: Mind-Body Approaches
D. Moss, Biofeedback.
K. Lowenstein, Meditation and Self-Regulatory Techniques.
J. Lake, Qigong.
B. Sultanoff, Breath Work.
Part IV: Spiritual Approaches
J.R. Bonadonna, Therapeutic Touch.
D. Benor, Spiritual Healing.
E. Leskowitz, Medical Intuition.
J. Wyker,Spiritual Psychotherapy.
Part V: Modern Innovations
W.M. Zangwill, J. Pearson, and P. Kosminsky, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
M. Fallon-Cyr and M. Fallon-Cyr, The Hakomi Method and Body-Centered Psychotherapies.
M. Schupbach, Process Work.
Part VI: Traditional Medical System
H. Cass and J. Cott, Herbal Medicine.
P. Bailey, Homeopathy.
J. Motl, Acupuncture.
J. Brooks, Ayurveda.
Part VII: Other Approaches
J.R. Graham-Pole, The Creative Arts: What Role Do They Play?
B.A. Sultanoff, The Environment.
J. Diamond, The Therapeutic Power of Music.
Part VIII: Synthesis
S. Shannon, Synthesis.
Appendix.
Index.
Synthesis.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Lavinia L. Myers, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This informative book describes a number of different alternative treatment modalities with specific focus on their application to mental health.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide an up-to-date overview from several diverse areas of non-mainstream therapies in mental health. This book is very timely in view of the ever-increasing use of alternative therapies by patients, and little teaching within the medical community about these modalities. Overall, the book meets its objectives.
Audience: This book is targeted for mental health professionals, but it is easily readable and its content accessible to laypersons interested in the material covered. Many of the authors and contributors have involvement with holistic medicine centers and alternative therapies, as as such are credible in their respective areas.
Features: The book is organized by type of therapy, including aromatherapy, nutritional supplements, Qigong, meditation, therapeutic touch, and Ayurveda, among others. Each chapter is structured to discuss the relevance of the topic to mental health, safety issues, a review of current research, and additional resources. This organization makes it particularly easy to use this book as a reference.
Assessment: This is a very useful book, organizing a large amount of information in a relevant, easy-to-use format. It provides a clear, up-to-date description of the interface between current medical practice and the therapies it covers, particularly contraindications and potential interactions. It is an important beginning of the dissemination to mental health professionals of information about alternative therapies many clients are already using.

Doody's Review Service

"Handbook of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Mental Health represents a comprehensive overview of reapidly expanding field that includes chapters by 24 leading psychiatric/psychological experts in these fields... There are few previous books of this nature or scope for professional audience... This is an excellent compendium of integrative and holistic therapies, not just for mental health... This groundbreaking text should become a standard reference for any mental health care professional. It is well written, and a pleasurable read." —WORDTRADE

"Shannon imposes a detailed format that includes an in-depth overview of the field, safety considerations, extent of published research on each approach, and validation of effects... Shannon makes a persuasive argument that Eastern and Western medicine can easily complement one another and reinforce each other's strengths in healing many forms of mental illnesses. Highly recommended for graduate students, researchers and clinicians in both mental health and medicine." —CHOICE

"Mental health professionals would be well advised to look into the topics covered in this book, both to broadentheir professional horizons, and, to get some idea of what their clients are likely to be up to." —INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PSYCHIATRY

"This is a very useful book, organizing a large amount of information in a relevant, easy-to-use format. It provides a clear, up-to-date description of the interface between current medical practice and the therapies it covers, particularly contraindications and potential interactions. It is an important beginning of the dissemination to mental health professionals of information about alternative therapies many clients are already using." —divine, inc.

"This volume is a significant contribution to the emerging field of complementary and alternative medicine. Dr. Shannon's survey of the scientific evidence underlying complementary and alternative approaches to mental healthcare is dazzling, and will add to the growing respectability and acceptance of these approaches. Shannon shows compellingly that pharmacological treatments for mental disorders, which currently dominate psychotherapy, are but one possible approach. This book will become a classic in its field." —Larry Dossey, MD
Author: Reinventing Medicine and Healing Words

"Dr. Scott Shannon has compiled a thorough guide to alternative therapies in the mental health field; one that will be most useful for both patients and health professionals. There is so much more out there than conventional approaches. This book tells you what is available and how to make use of it." —Andrew Weil, M.D., Author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson

"Self-care is the the foundation of 21st century medicine, and with this book Scott Shannon has powerfully provided the reader with access to a multitude of options for improving their mental health. While filling a critical void in medical reference texts, this book also allows the public a comprehensive and in-depth look at the mental health therapies of holistic medicine — America's newest specialty." —ROBERT S. IVKER, D.O., President-elect of the American Board of Holistic Medicine and author of the bestselling SINUS SURVIVAL

"Well researched and well written, this compilation enhances our understanding of CAM approaches and enlarges our perspective as mental health professionals." —JAMES S. GORDON, M.D.
Author, Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Medicine; Founder and Director, Center for Mind-Body Washington, DC

From the Publisher

3 Stars from Doody

Dr. Scott Shannon has compiled a thorough guide to alternative therapies in the mental health field...

Andrew Weil

This book will become a classic in its field.

Larry Dossey