Handbook for Assessing and Treating Addictive Disorders

This comparative reference offers an integrative perspective on the assessment and treatment of addictive disorders. The work is organized into five sections, which treat theories of addiction, the diagnosis and evaluation of addictive behaviour, treatment approaches, addiction among special populations, and clinical and legal issues concerning substance abuse professionals. The broad scope of the handbook encompasses alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, and smoking. Theory is consistently used to illuminate practice, resulting in a valuable overview of the field. Within each section, essays by contributors discuss the most important issues and developments in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction. The opening essays establish a solid theoretical foundation by outlining behavioural, familial, and psychoanalytical explanations for the origins of addictive behaviour. The later essays build on that base by overviewing diagnostic and treatment issues concerning addiction among native Americans, the elderly, victims of traumatic brain injury, adult children of alcoholics, and teenagers. Useful appendices list additional sources of information and describe certification for substance abuse professionals in each state. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and substance abuse counsellors may find this handbook a useful addition to their professional libraries.