The Psychiatry of Stroke,

Stroke remains one of the most common and devastating neurological disorders in the world, presenting clinicians with a continuing challenge in seeking its prevention and alleviation. Stroke ranks as the third leading killer in the United States. It is the most common cause of adult disability. Each year, more than 500,000 Americans have a stroke and about 145,000 die from stroke-related causes. Psychiatric symptoms have been recognized as important factors determining the integration of people with stroke back into the community. Patients recovering from a stroke are under the care of a team of specialists, including physicians, physiotherapists, speech and occupational therapists, and neurologists.

This book is written by a clinician and directed toward clinicians and other professionals involved in the care and rehabilitation of stroke patients, medical students who wish to accelerate and complement the process of acquiring clinical experience about the psychiatry of stroke, and families of stroke patients. The author summarizes the recent advances in our understanding of the behavioral and emotional disturbances that arise in stroke. The book is divided into three sections organized in a logical sequence, although they may be read in any order, and begins with an introduction. This is followed by a section dealing with background and causation. Specific syndromes resulting from stroke are considered in the second section, followed by the final section on outcome and psychosocial consequences of stroke. At the end of the book, there are appendixes showing a basic anatomy of stroke, a listing of helpful resources for family caregivers, and an interesting sketch examining the effects of stroke in some major twentieth-century leaders.

The first section of the book will help the psychiatrist understand the risk factors and diagnosis of stroke as well as its neuroanatomy. The second section provides a comprehensive review of the literature on specific psychiatric syndromes produced by stroke. The third addresses the stroke recovery process, the family, and legal, economic, ethical, and financial issues.

The Psychiatry of Stroke is a valuable source of information for a broad audience, providing an update on emotional consequences after stroke. It serves as a straightforward synopsis for reading or may be useful for reference. Inevitably, this book must be compared with the one recently published by Robert Robinson on the same subject (1). If anyone should write or edit a book on the psychiatric consequences of stroke, it is Robert Robinson. However, Birkett has done a nice review of the literature, especially in psychiatric syndromes and legal, economic, and financial issues. Those with special interest in the psychiatry of stroke will find profit in reading both.