Bookedited by Massimo Biondi, Massimo Pasquini, Angelo Picardi.
Summary: This book presents an innovative approach to clinical assessment in psychiatry based on a number of psychopathological dimensions with a presumed underlying pathophysiology, that are related to fundamental phenomenological aspects and lie on a continuum from normality to pathology. It is described how the evaluation of these dimensions with a specific, validated rapid assessment instrument could easily integrate and enrich the classical diagnostic DSM-5 or ICD-10 assessment. The supplemental use of this dimensional approach can better capture the complexity underlying current categories of mental illness. The findings from a large patient sample suggest how this assessment could give a first glance at how variable and multifaceted the psychopathological components within a single diagnostic category can be, and thereby optimise diagnosis and treatment choices. Being short and easy to complete, this dimensional assessment can be done in a busy clinical setting, during an ordinary psychiatric visit, and in an acute clinical context, with limited effort by a minimally trained clinician. Therefore, it provides interesting and useful information without additional costs, and allows research work to be performed even in difficult settings.
Contents:
Foreword
Preface
The Rapid Dimensional Assessment Scale (RADAS): development and applications in research
Dimensional assessment with RADAS in clinical practice
The Fear/Apprehension and Somatization/Somatic Preoccupation dimensions (psychic and somatic anxiety dimensions)
The Reality Distortion and Thought Disorganization dimensions
Violence and compulsory treatment in the psychiatric setting
The Sadness, Demoralization and Apathy dimensions
The "outer dimensions" Activation, Impulsivity, Anger/Aggressiveness
The Obsessive-compulsive dimension
Psychopathological dimensions and the clinician's subjective experience: a quantitative analysis
The temporality dimension.