SUBJECT: Disorders of movement are amongst the most frequent conditions in neurology and they often have a behavioural or psychiatric component This book was the first to recognise the close association between neurological disease and psychiatric symptoms and the need to view them as part of a unified set of mechanisms. As such it represents a unique synthesis between the two disciplines.
NEED: Knowledge and understanding of the movement disorders (at the basic and clinical levels) have advanced considerably since the book was first published, and continue to represent a fundamental part of the neurologist's practice. Application of new diagnostic technology - in particular PET, SPECT, and other imaging modalities - have proven effective in localising brain lesions that produce specific motor control dysfunction: these will be covered in detail. This book tackles the difficult diagnostic situations in which the neurologist often finds himself - is this a neurological patient with psychiatric symptoms or a psychiatric patient with neurological symptoms. The brain is the same whichever way you approach the patient.
FORMAT: The thesis of the book is that involuntary movement syndromes are often the result of a combination of psychological and neurologic problems, and as such can impede diagnosis and treatment. This will continue to provide the theme for revision. This approach, in which the psychiatrist automatically investigates a possible medical (neurochemical, traumatic, drug-induced) cause or complication of his patient's schizophrenia, or a neurologist is sensitive to behavioral problems in her stroke patient, is quickly becoming the standard in neurology and in psychiatry.
CONTENT AND ORGANISATION: Part One goes through the individual movement disorders that are associated with drug treatment, ie as side effects of other treatments. Part two deals with the degenerative disroders (PD, Huntingdon's and others). Part three covers the association between mood and movement (such as catatonia, pathologic laughter etc). Part Four concerns psychiatric disorders relevant to movement (eg schizophrenia). Part Five covers tics, myoclonus and startle; Part Six, chorea and athetosis; Part Seven tremor and dystonia; Part Eight, sleep disorders; Part Nine childhood movement disorders and Part Ten Special topics such as apraxia and automatisms.
PAST HISTORY: The previous edition of the book sold 1,027 copies in the trade.
MARKETING: This book is primarily aimed at neurologists in training and in practice but it should also be promoted to psychiatrists as it has a genuine crossover into their field. As such we should make use of our good access to European neurologists through the EFNS list, inserts in our neurology journals, presence at neurology meetings (EFNS, AAN, World Congress etc.) Good review quotes from 2nd edition. Also promote in the USA via the JAGS. We should also promote to emergency medicine departments as movement disorders are frequently encountered in the ER and are never well understood or diagnosed. There is also pharma potential here due to the many new treatments for PD on the horizon.
SUMMARY: A survey of the clinical aspects of the movement disorders with a unique spin - their relationship with psychiatric disease.
