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By Guy McKhann, M.D. and Marilyn Albert Ph.D. Hoboken, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002. (296 Pages)
The authors provide readers with a comprehensive guide to both the normal and sometimes abnormal changes that take place as the brain ages. They discuss techniques for maintaining memory, managing stress, coping with sleep disorders and depression. They also include chapters that discuss specific illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The authors present case studies of patients that they have treated. These case studies provide a detailed description of a variety of disorders. The authors discuss the treatments they have recommended as well as the effect of the treatment on the patient.
While the title suggests that a considerable portion of the book will discuss methods to maintain brain health, a large section of the book is spent discussing the physiological progress of different disorders. The authors give a thorough explanation of these disorders. However, the information provided is sometimes technical and may be difficult to follow for people without biology backgrounds.There is a section at the end of each chapter that provides an overview of steps that can be taken to address each of the discussed disorders. Most of these sections contain less than a page of suggested steps. For readers wanting additional information about subjects covered in the book, there is an appendix with a list of resources.
This book is primarily written for baby boomers wanting to improve their mental health. However, readers from younger age groups can benefit from the provided information. Also, although it does not specifically focus on any one disorder, this book may be helpful for caregivers and family members caring for someone afflicted with a mental illness. Not only does it give real examples of people experiencing a variety of brain related problems, this book also gives examples of proactive steps that can be taken to improve mental health.
Reviewed by Kay Gyoba, Alzheimer Society of B.C.
