Man and woman are the persuading animals. There is no overriding issue more important in most people's daily life, life's pleasures and all of political matters than persuasion. Many, if not most, matters are wholly related to persuasion, defined in this work on the Agenda-Spin theory, as the struggle of people to determine for their chosen audiences: 1. What we talk about and 2. What it means. Persuasion is not the only determinant in life, and there are some matters mostly outside of per...

Studies of Communication in the 2020 Presidential Campaign explores a wide range of communication elements, themes, and topics of the 2020 presidential election. The introduction provides a brief snapshot summarizing the role of more traditional elements of campaign communication as well as the newer elements of social media and journalistic practices that transformed the political landscape in 2020. Each chapter serves as a stand-alone study focusing on the role and function of c...

As it entered the 1960s, American institutional psychiatry was thriving, with a high percentage of medical students choosing the field. But after Thomas S. Szasz published his masterwork in 1961, The Myth of Mental Illness, the psychiatric world was thrown into chaos.Szasz enlightened the world about what he called the “myth of mental illness.” His point was not that no one is mentally ill, or that people labeled as mentally ill do not exist. Instead he believed that diagnosing peo...

Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between...

One out of four Americans will experience mental illness in their lifetime; major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for ages 15 through 44. However, only a fraction of those suffering will seek treatment; 25 percent will seek treatment for symptoms. Stigma claims the other 75 percent, wedging depressed individuals into a life of silent suffering.In Living with Depression, Serani outlines the various forms of depression, describes t...

When readers first meet Ben, he is a sweet, intelligent, seemingly well-adjusted youngster. Fast forward to his teenage years, though, and Ben's life has spun out of control. Ben is swept along by an illness over which he has no control-one that results in runaway episodes, periods of homelessness, seven psychotic breaks, seven hospitalizations, and finally a diagnosis and treatment plan that begins to work. Schizophrenia strikes an estimated one in a hundred people worldwide by some estim...

In Depression – The CommonSense Approach, clinical psychologist Dr Tony Bates approaches the whole area of depression with sympathy, understanding and knowledge. Depression is far more common than we want to believe. There are many forms of depression and varying degrees of severity, but all are serious and debilitating for sufferers and their families. Dr Bates explains depression, outlines the common and not so common signs, looks briefly at some of the theories that have been put forwar...

Your long-time partner has just betrayed your relationship and everything you hold dear:Are you stuck trying to decide whether to move forward in your relationship or give up?Do you find yourself repeating old ways of behavior?Do you frequently talk about whose fault the betrayal was?Are you continually dealing with jealousy and control issues?Are you tired of being a victim?Do you spend a lot of time thinking how it might ha...

Mental Illness: A Guide to Recovery gives you information, gleaned from many sources, which can help you learn to recover. Coping skills needed to deal with the illness can be developed. Materials which can help you reduce symptoms are presented. Recovery does not happen overnight, but step by step, most can make significant recovery.Humpty Dumpty had a great fall... and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Th...

Cognitive therapy, with its clear-cut measurable techniques, has been a welcome innovation in recent years. However, the very specificity that lends itself so well to research and training has minimized the role of the therapeutic relationship, making it difficult for therapists to respond flexibly to different clinical situations. What is needed is an approach that focuses on the underlying mechanisms of therapeutic change, not just on interventions.In this practical and original ...

As culturally relevant psychiatry becomes common practice, the need for competent and culturally relevant forensic psychiatry comes to the forefront. This volume, written by one expert in cultural psychiatry and another in forensic psychiatry addresses that need. By combining their expertise in these areas, they are able to develop and create a new body of knowledge and experiences addressing the issue of the cultural aspects of forensic psychiatry.Beginning with an introduction to...

Dr Michael Corry died in 2010. He qualified in medicine from UCD in 1973 before training as a psychiatrist and a constructivist psychotherapist. A frequent and often controversial commentator on issues of mental health in national newspapers and on television and radio programmes, he was an outspoken opponent of over-medication and the use of electro-convulsive therapy in the treatment of mental illness, believing instead in a holistic approach to healing. He is the co-author of two books ...