QUALITY OF LIFE DEFICIT IN MENTAL DISORDERS. A TARGET FOR THERAPY

• Part I. FROM WELL-BEING TO ILL-BEING.-
1.What is the meaning of Quality of Life?.-
2.Quality of life assessment tools.-
3.Functional psychoses today.-
4.Sha’ar Menashe quality of life database.-
5.Evidence based quality of life deficit.-
6.Stability of quality of life over time.-
• Part II. ILLNESS RELATED INDICATORS.-
7.How important are symptoms?.-
8.Mental distress symptoms.-
9.Global functional status.-
10.Suicidal behavior.-
11.Sleep disturbances.-
12.Antipsychotic-induced side effects.-
13.Neurocognitive impairment.-
• Part III. PERSONALITY RELATED TRAITS.-
14.Poor insight.-
15.Coping strategies.-
16.Self-esteem and self-efficacy.-
17.Perceived social support.-
18.Temperament features.-
19.Hedonic capacity.-
• Part IV. A QUALITY OF LIFE MODEL AND THERAPY.-
20.Unmet health care needs.-
21.Predicting quality of life.-
22.An explanatory model.-
23.Enhancing the quality of life deficit.-
24.Afterward. Sha’ar Menashe Quality of life Study.-
INDEX.

Going beyond the psychosocial aspects of quality of life and delving into the neurobiological basis of emotions, feelings and satisfaction, this unique title provides a state-of-the-art overview of subjective quality of life for people with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (mood disorders). Four crucial issues are addressed: the main characteristics of the quality of life deficit in individuals with severe mental disorders; the course of quality of life deficits among these patients; the underlying factors (indicators and predictors) that influence quality of life; and a suitable model that can help interpret the findings of quality of life research and treatment interventions. Answering these questions, the book provides an overview of the currently available publications and contains a detailed analysis of quality of life and related variables from the Sha’ar Menashe Longitudinal Naturalistic Quality of Life Study (SMQOL). The Distress/Protection Vulnerability Quality of Life Model was applied in order to assist the reader in understanding empirical findings. With twenty-three chapters organized in four sections, this comprehensive and novel reference will be of great interest to a broad spectrum of readers including psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, neuroscientists, pharmacologists, general practitioners, geriatricians, graduate students, researchers, health care providers and policy makers in the fields of mental health and rehabilitation.

Features
• First-of-its-kind reference on the multidimensional, longitudinal and naturalistic study of quality of life in severe mental disorders
• Covers full range of core and ancillary knowledge needed to understand quality of life research and issues in mental health diagnosis and management
• Offers comprehensive, evidence-based research and practice guidelines

Author
Dr. Ritsner, M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D. has over 40 years of experience in psychiatry, medical genetics, education, and research, and has held administrative and teaching positions at numerous institutions. He is internationally renowned for his research in quality of life deficit, cognitive impairments, psychiatric genetics, and novel agents with neuroprotective properties (DHEA, pregnenolone, bexarotene, theanine). He developed the Distress/Protection Vulnerability Quality of Life Model. His research work has been supported by grants from the Stanley Foundation (USA). Dr. Ritsner has published over 200 articles, reviews, and book chapters and has lectured widely in national and international scientific forums as an invited speaker at medical education events.

Dr. Ritsner is the co-author of two books on neuropsychiatry and editor of a series of 14 volumes, which provide a comprehensive up-to-date state of the art overview of the literature that addresses the challenges facing clinical and biological psychiatry (2007-2016):
1. Quality of Life Impairment in Schizophrenia, Mood and Anxiety Disorders. New Perspectives on Research and Treatment. Ritsner, Michael S.; Awad, A. George (Eds.), Springer, Dordrecht. The Netherlands, 2007, 388 p.
2. Neuroactive Steroids in Brain Functions, and Mental Health. Novel Strategies for Research and Treatment. Ritsner, Michael S.; Weizman A. (Eds.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V., 2008. 559 p.
3. The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes, and Genes. Volumes I-IV.Ritsner, Michael S. (Ed.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V., 2009.
4. Brain Protection in Schizophrenia, Mood and Cognitive Disorders. Ritsner, Michael S. (Ed.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V. 2010. 663 p.
5. Handbook of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. Volumes I-III. Ritsner, Michael S. (Ed.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V. 2011.
6. Polypharmacy in Psychiatric Practice. Volumes I-II. Ritsner, Michael S. (Ed.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V. 2013.
7. Anhedonia: A Comprehensive Handbook. Ritsner, Michael S. (Ed.), Springer Science + Business Media, B.V. 2014.

Dr. Ritsner served as Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. He also served as Deputy Director and Head of the Acute Department at Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center (1998-2016), and Talbieh Mental Health Center (Jerusalem, 1990-1998), as Associate Editor of Quality of Life Research (An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Editorial Board Memberships: American Journal of Neuroprotection and Neuroregeneration (USA), the Journal of Reward Deficiency Syndrome and Addiction Science (USA), the Clinical & Medical Case Reports; the CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Italy). Referee activity: CNS Drugs, Quality of Life Research, Psychiatry Research, Clinical Drug Investigation, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Biological Psychiatry, etc.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=ritsner
http://md.technion.ac.il/faculty_member/ritsner-michael/