AT WIT’S END

   

   

   

      

by Jeff Jay and Jerry A Boriskin

Published by Hazelden and distributed by Eurospan at £10.99 (www.eurospanbookstore.com/hazelden).
256 pages. ISBN 978-159285373-1

What you need to know when a loved one is diagnosed with addiction and mental illness... These days most books focus either on addiction/ dependency or mental illness – not both. So it is great to see a book, much needed in the world of addiction treatment, which combines both.

At Wit’s End is ideal for both professionals and families. Nevertheless, at times I did find it a bit too ‘wordy’ and hope that this will not deter families from reading it if they have no knowledge of either subject.

Personally, I liked the straight, clear writing style and the combination of big picture – core concepts in treatment, the history of the addiction and mental-health fields and how they have sometimes not worked well together – alongside concrete, detailed information on specific combinations of mental-health issues and addiction.

Chapters range from how to find help and how 12-step approaches work with co-occurring disorders, to indepth looks at anxiety, depression and bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, attention-deficit disorder, psychosis, and character disorders.

Alex Flood is the clinical manager at Nova Vida Recovery Centre in Portugal (www.novavidarecovery.com) and the first licensed Exposure Response Prevention practitioner in Europe.