Aging and Mental Health - (Understanding Aging) 3rd Edition by Daniel L Segal & Sara Honn Qualls & Michael A Smyer (Paperback)

About the Book

Smyer's name appears first on the earlier edition.

Book Synopsis

Fully updated and revised, this new edition of a highly successful text provides students, clinicians, and academics with a thorough introduction to aging and mental health.

The third edition of Aging and Mental Health is filled with new updates and features, including the impact of the DSM-5 on diagnosis and treatment of older adults. Like its predecessors, it uses case examples to introduce readers to the field of aging and mental health. It also provides both a synopsis of basic gerontology needed for clinical work with older adults and an analysis of several facets of aging well.

Introductory chapters are followed by a series of chapters that describe the major theoretical models used to understand mental health and mental disorders among older adults. Following entries are devoted to the major forms of mental disorders in later life, with a focus on diagnosis, assessment, and treatment issues. Finally, the book focuses on the settings and contexts of professional mental health practice and on emerging policy issues that affect research and practice. This combination of theory and practice helps readers conceptualize mental health problems in later life and negotiate the complex decisions involved with the assessment and treatment of those problems.

• Features new material on important topics including positive mental health, hoarding disorder, chronic pain, housing, caregiving, and ethical and legal concerns
• Substantially revised and updated throughout, including reference to the DSM-5
• Offers chapter-end recommendations of websites for further information
• Includes discussion questions and critical thinking questions at the end of each chapter

Aging and Mental Health, Third Edition is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, for service providers in psychology, psychiatry, social work, and counseling, and for clinicians who are experienced mental health service providers but who have not had much experience working specifically with older adults and their families.

From the Back Cover

"This is the perfect text for instructors from diverse fields who want to engage their students in understanding mental health and aging, and help them develop a passion for providing excellent care for older adults and their families."--William E. Haley, PhD, University of South Florida

"The Third Edition of Aging and Mental Health offers far more than an update. It is a thoughtfully and creatively designed textbook poised to serve as a strong introduction to major clinical disorders, dominant models of therapy, service delivery systems, and ethical issues, together rounding out the universe of mental health and mental illness in older adults."--Erlene Rosowsky, PsyD, William James College

"Aging and Mental Health is that rare book which is both pleasurable to read and deeply informative. The science of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment is set forth through rich conceptual frameworks of gerontology and psychology, and - new in this edition - critical health service contexts. As a comprehensive and skillfully crafted resource all in one volume, the book is an indispensable gem for students and practitioners alike."--Jennifer Moye, PhD, VA Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School

Fully updated and revised, this new edition of a highly successful text provides students, clinicians, and academics with a thorough introduction to aging and mental health.

The third edition of Aging and Mental Health is filled with new updates and features, including the impact of the DSM-5 on diagnosis and treatment of older adults. Like its predecessors, it uses case examples to introduce readers to the field of aging and mental health. It also provides both a synopsis of basic gerontology needed for clinical work with older adults and an analysis of several facets of aging well.

Introductory chapters are followed by a series of chapters that describe the major theoretical models used to understand mental health and mental disorders among older adults. Following chapters are devoted to the major forms of mental disorders in later life, with a focus on diagnosis, assessment, and intervention strategies. Finally, the book focuses on the settings and contexts of professional mental health practice and on emerging policy issues that affect research and practice. This combination of theory and practice helps readers conceptualize mental health problems in later life and negotiate the complex decisions involved with the assessment and treatment of those problems.

Aging and Mental Health, Third Edition is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, for service providers in psychology, psychiatry, social work, and counseling, and for clinicians who are experienced mental health service providers but who have not had much experience working specifically with older adults and their families.

Review Quotes

"Segal, Qualls, and Smyer tackle the formidable problem of translating the entire DSM-5 into terms that are both specific to the aging population, but that also incorporate broader concepts in clinical psychology. ...The task of creating a syllabus is certainly made far more effi- cient with the availability of this text than would other- wise be the case. ... One might hope that the availability of this and other undergraduate and graduate texts in the field along with the growing population of older adults will continue to put pressure on departments in clinical psychology as well as in internship and postdoctoral sites to address the mental health needs of aging individuals. The authors continue to perform a great service to the profession by providing such a comprehensive and up-to-date volume." - Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, Institute of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts, Boston

About the Author

Daniel L. Segal, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Sara Honn Qualls, PhD, is Kraemer Professor of Aging Studies, Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Gerontology Center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Michael A. Smyer, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and former Provost at Bucknell University.