This text aims to provide a calm and authoritative guide to the full range of specific mental illnesses and available treatments. It deals with particular patterns of illness in women, children and the elderly, and stresses the value of partnership among psychiatrists, patients and their families. A sense of hope and optimism prevails, and the authors stress that great strides are being made in the treatment of mental illness. They also warn against the lure of the instant cure, acknowledging the complexity of human nature. Stories of real people and the insights of many writers are weaved together throughout the text.
Sidney Bloch is Associate Professor and Reader in Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne and Senior Psychiatrist at St Vincent's Hospital. He is the author of numerous books dealing with psychotherapy, ethics, and the family. Bruce S. Singh is Cato Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, and Clinical Director of Psychiatry of the Western Health Care Network, Melbourne.
""New Religious Movements: A Documentary Reader" is an essential text for courses on new religions. It combines well selected source materials with knowledgeable and accessible introductions. The appendix containing an essay by Douglas Cowan on the history of anticult and countercult movements is a very helpful addition." -Catherine Wessinger, Co-general Editor of "Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions." "New religious movements have been in the public eye for decades, and have been the focus of a great deal of debate. Now, at long last, they get to speak for themselves. Dereck Daschke and W. Michael Ashcraft have given us an outstanding resource for understanding new religions, one useful to scholars and students as well as the inquisitive general public. The selections are excellent, and the introductions are models of clarity and accuracy. this volume of primary materials is overdue and very welcome." -Timothy Miller, University of Kansas "Overall, this scholarly, succinct work offers a balanced approach to a contentious topic. Public and academic libraries should purchase two copies, one for reference and one for circulating collections." -"Library Journal", "This book introduces readers to these faiths, utilizing the best of both worlds: the NRMs get to express themselves in the words of their own hallowed texts, while the religious scholars Daschke and Ashcraft place these new and interesting belief systems in their proper historical and theosophical context." -"New York Spirit",
