The Experience of Psychopathology: Investigating Mental Disorders in their Natural Settings Book

This book is devoted to the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) in psychiatry; a methodology for collecting reliable and valid data on patterns of behavior, thought, and feeling from real-life situations. ESM thus yields data complementary to that provided by neurobiological approaches to mental illnesses and is applicable to the study and management of a wide variety of mental disorders in their natural settings. Marten de Vries, who did much to bring ESM to prominence in psychiatry, has assembled a fascinating range of contributions from leading international pioneers in ESM-- many which have never before been published--dealing with the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities of this approach. Methodological and practical issues are also addressed for those wishing to use ESM in their own research or practice. Case studies illustrate the uses of experience sampling in schizophrenia, depression, eating disorders and addictions, and there are also chapters devoted to ESM's application to the elderly, those under stress, and to normal subjects.