Psychiatric Epidemiology

Psychiatric epidemiology - the study of the distribution of psychiatric diseases and related factors - has experienced explosive growth in recent years. A key reason for this growth appears to be recent advances in the formulation and assessment of psychiatric cases. But despite the emergence of psychiatric epidemiology as a major field, few attempts have been made to deal systematically with the concepts and methods of assessment. Among the areas covered in this text are conceptual and historical considerations, design and validation issues, the description of assessment methods for prominent psychopathologic, biologic, and psychosocial domains of psychiatric epidemiology, as well as cultural and informational issues. These form the basis for the 14 areas identified as parts of this book. Each of these parts is introduced by the volume editors and includes an annotated list of further readings. With contributions by some of the most noted authorities in the field, "Psychiatric Epidemiology" should be of interest to both students and professionals in psychiatry, psychology and epidemiology.