Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Putnam's Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder is an excellent text for advanced undergraduates or graduate students. The detailed presentation of stages of treatment is especially useful, and the discussion of boundary management and other therapeutic issues is timely and thought provoking." --David Rainey, Ph.D., Psychology Department, John Carroll University "Demystifies MPD and places it squarely in the mainstream of contemporary knowledge about the impact of childhood trauma. The book promises to be a synthesis of the ideas, techniques, and treatment philosophies about MPD. It delivers on these promises and more. It places MPD in its historical perspective as the disorder that clarifies much about the nature of human consciousness, and now has the potential of helping to unravel the psychobiological linkages between mind and body. The sober, detailed, step-by-step guide through every conceivable aspect of the complex therapy of these patients provides a balanced guide for all clinicians dealing with multiple personality and other dissociative disorders. Putnam's work will be the standard in the field for a long time to come. In breadth of scope, clarity of style, and lucidity of ideas it may even surpass Janet's classic works on the subject." --Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Trauma Clinic Director, Harvard Medical School, Author of Psychological Trauma
Review
"An encyclopedic volume, certainly the definitive textbook of the disorder."--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Synopsis
Geared to the needs of mental health practitioners unfamiliar with dissociative disorders, this volume presents a comprehensive and integrated approach to diagnosis and treatment. Each step--from first interview to final post-integrative treatment--is systematically reviewed, with detailed instructions on specific diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and examples of their clinical applications. Concise yet thorough, the volume offers expert advice on such topics as how to foster a strong therapeutic alliance, how to manage crises, and what basic errors to avoid.
Synopsis
Seasoned mental health practitioners unfamiliar with dissociative disorders have long lacked a basic yet authoritative text to turn to for guidance. Now Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorders meets this need, establishing a comprehensive and integrated approach to this complex psychotherapeutic process. Each step--from first interview to crisis management to final post-integrative treatment--is systematically reviewed, with detailed instructions on specific diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and examples of their clinical applications. Complete in its approach and extensively referenced, this volume is an invaluable resource for professionals as well as those in training. Opening chapters develop a thorough clinical profile of MPD patients and map out an overall diagnostic strategy, covering history-taking, interview interactions, and atypical presentations. A careful exposition of the structure and function of the alter personality system yields considerable insight into the distinct roles of alter personalities, and shows the way to fostering beneficial therapeutic alliances. Following an overview of the treatment process and its underlying principles, there are in-depth discussions on initial intervention and stabilization; appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques--including hypnosis, cross-inventorying, and dream work; and such adjunctive therapies as psychopharmacology and family, group, and video therapy. Of special note: Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorders features one of the most extensive discussions on the principles and techniques of therapeutic abreaction in the current literature.
About the Author
Trained as a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at Yale University and George Washington University, Frank W. Putnam, MD, is a leading authority on dissociative disorders. He is Chief of Developmental Traumatology at the National Institute of Mental Health and directs clinical research on the effects of maltreatment, community violence, and other types of trauma across the lifespan. He is the author of [ital]Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder.