Allen Frances

“Unravel[s] the national psyche that brought our politics to this moment.” — Evan Osnos, The New YorkerA landmark book, from “one of the world’s most prominent psychiatrists” (The Atlantic): Allen Frances analyzes the nation, viewing the rise of Donald J. Trump as darkly symptomatic of a deeper societal distress that must be understood if we are to move forward. Equally challenging and profound, Twilight of American Sanity “joins a small shelf of essential titles—Arlie Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land is another—that help explain why and how the Trump presidency happened” (Kirkus).It is comforting to see President Donald Trump as a crazy man, a one-off, an exception—not a reflection on us or our democracy. But in ways I never anticipated, his rise was absolutely predictable and a mirror on our soul. … What does it say about us, that we elected someone so manifestly unfit and unprepared to determine mankind’s future? Trump is a symptom of a world in distress, not its sole cause. Blaming him for all our troubles misses the deeper, underlying societal sickness that made possible his unlikely ascent. Calling Trump crazy allows us to avoid confronting the craziness in our society—if we want to get sane, we must first gain insight about ourselves. Simply put: Trump isn’t crazy, but our society is. —from TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN SANITYMore than three years in the making: the world's leading expert on psychiatric diagnosis, past leader of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM (“the bible of psychology”), and author of the influential international bestseller on the medicalization of ordinary life, Saving Normal, draws upon his vast experience to deliver a powerful critique of modern American society’s collective slide away from sanity and offers an urgently needed prescription for reclaiming our bearings. Widely cited in recent months as the man who quite literally wrote the diagnostic criteria for narcissism, Allen Frances, M.D., has been at the center of the debate surrounding President Trump’s mental state—quoted in Evan Osnos’s May 2017 New Yorker article (“How Trump Could Get Fired”) and publishing a much-shared opinion letter in the New York Times (“An Eminent Psychiatrist Demurs on Trump’s Mental State”). Frances argues that Trump is "bad, not mad"--and that the real question to wrestle with is how we as a country could have chosen him as our leader. Twilight of American Sanity is an essential work for understanding our national crisis.

International Bestseller - "An extraordinarily important book." --Marcia Angell, Harvard Medical SchoolA deeply fascinating and urgently important critique of the widespread medicalization of normality, by "one of the world's most prominent psychiatrists" (The Atlantic)Anyone living a full, rich life experiences ups and downs, stresses, disappointments, sorrows, and setbacks. Today, however, millions of people who are really no more than "worried well" are being diagnosed as having a mental disorder and receiving unnecessary treatment. In Saving Normal, Allen Frances, one of the world's most influential psychiatrists, explains why stigmatizing a healthy person as mentally ill leads to unnecessary, harmful medications, the narrowing of horizons, the misallocation of medical resources, and the draining of the budgets of families and the nation. We also shift responsibility for our mental well-being away from our own naturally resilient brains and into the hands of "Big Pharma," who are reaping multi-billion-dollar profits. Frances cautions that the newest edition of the "bible of psychiatry," the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5), is turning our current diagnostic inflation into hyperinflation by converting millions of "normal" people into "mental patients." Saving Normal is a call to all of us to reclaim the full measure of our humanity.

This trusted practitioner resource and text helps the busy clinician find the right psychiatric diagnosis and avoid the many pitfalls that lead to errors. Covering every disorder routinely encountered in clinical practice, Allen Frances provides the ICD-9-CM codes and (where feasible) ICD-10-CM codes required for billing, a useful screening question, a descriptive prototype, diagnostic tips, and other disorders that must be ruled out. Frances was instrumental in the development of past editions of DSM and provides helpful cautions on questionable aspects of DSM-5. An index of common presenting symptoms lists possible diagnoses that must be considered for each. The Appendix (which can also be accessed at the companion website) features a Crosswalk to ICD-10-CM codes.

An Alternative Approach to Addressing ADD Despite the millions of people taking medication for attention deficit disorders, there remains no objective method of diagnosis for ADHD. In The ADD Myth, Martha Burge proposes a different understanding and solution for those diagnosed. ADD isn't what we think it is. Author and ADHD coach Martha Burge introduces a different way of looking at the disorder often associated with boredom and impulsivity in young people. She argues that what is commonly understood as ADHD is actually five intense personality traits: sensual, psychomotor, intellectual, creative, and emotional. Once the supposed ADD symptoms are properly understood for what they are, people with these intense personality traits can develop them into gifts. Finding an alternative solution. After having two sons diagnosed with ADHD, and witnessing their serious reaction to drug treatments, Martha began a search for a different approach and a more natural treatment for ADHD. By looking at all personalities as part of the neurodiversity spectrum, she shows us how we can see where those with "intense" personality traits fit on the spectrum. Once we understand that, we are better able to help people embrace their traits and develop one's intense nature rather than try to stifle it. This book will change the way you look at ADD for the better-open it up and learn more about: The five intense personality traits and how they apply to individuals diagnosed with ADHD Why the medical profession should seek alternative explanations for ADHD Stories, practical steps, and daily practices for developing one's intense nature with the least amount of suffering Readers of books such as Driven to Distraction, Healing ADD, Delivered from Distraction, or ADHD: Non-Medication Treatments and Skills for Children and Teens will enjoy The ADD Myth.

One out of five people in this country suffers from a definable mental disorder or substance problem, yet few get the treatment they need because they fail to seek help. AM i OKAY? will help people identify whether or not a psychiatric problem exists, and give them authoritative, easily understood information about the nature of the disorder and its treatment options. AM I OKAY? also includes "Twenty Questions to Get You Started," a diagnostic screening questionnaire covering the wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms that may indicate problems. (Some readers will find that they are, in fact, okay and can put their worries to rest.) Each question refers readers to the specific section of the book where they will find a detailed description of the disorder, complete with the range of treatments available, suggestions for further reading, and listings of self-help, support, and advocacy groups and other useful sources and further information.