Get the Diagnosis Right: Assessment and Treatment Selection for Mental Disorders [Paperback]

'Dr. Blackman established himself some years ago as an effective teacher and consultant, helping us to understand our patients’ behavior patterns and affect states with his 101 Defenses. Here he is again, reconfirming his exceptional talent with a clear voice, guiding us in mastering diagnosis and choosing appropriate therapeutic strategies for treatment. In today’s world crowded with many schools of psychodynamic thinking, I consider Get the Diagnosis Right a most needed textbook.' - Vamik D. Volkan, MD, Emeritus Professor, Psychiatry, University of Virginia; author, Searching for the Perfect Woman: The Story of a Complete Psychoanalysis

'This book is an excellent addition to Dr. Blackman’s previous 101 Defenses. Get the Diagnosis Right is characterized by a broad knowledge of the psychoanalytic literature, extensive references, and an exceptional capacity to convey difficult concepts on the dynamic understanding of psychopathology and therapeutic approaches with ease and a touch of humor. This book is illustrated with numerous clinical vignettes that make the text highly attractive and readable. It should become a definite primer for those therapists willing to apply psychoanalytic principles to their daily practices.' - Cecilio Paniagua, MD, ScD, Madrid

'Chock full of clinical and theoretical examples, key insights, and valuable pearls, this book is applicable to the full range of patients and types of clinical challenges. It integrates various perspectives and approaches in a style reflecting Dr. Blackman’s remarkably broad knowledge, extensive experience, and sage advice. It is a treasure trove—written, organized, and documented in such a way that I heartily recommend it to both trainees and seasoned professionals—a rarity in practical writing!' - Michael I. Good, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Faculty, Psychoanalytic Institute of New England, East

'Dr. Blackman has organized his wealth of professional knowledge, clinical acumen, and teaching experience in this book, offering clear and precise perspectives, and reducing complicated, real-world problems to their essentials. This book provides comprehensive information in a concise manner, making it an engaging read to professionals and other interested readers.' - Siyi Zhang, MD, Director, Lingyu International Psychology Center; Secretary, International Psychology Association of Canada; author, Think, Joy

'This remarkable book encompasses far more than an admirable exposition of psychoanalytically-based diagnosis. It is impossible to do justice in a brief paragraph to the extensive literature review, the wealth of critically considered ideas, and the treatment guidelines, which the author relates conceptually to diagnosis. Dr. Blackman provides illuminating clinical illustrations, which enliven and enrich his presentation of theoretical formulations. All readers will be rewarded by the bridges built among theory, diagnosis, the agents of change, and clinical practice with patients of varied psychic structure.' - Harold P. Blum, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine; Training

'Using simple prose, Get the Diagnosis Right takes on the challenge of explaining the psychoanalytic world view to a new generation of students of clinical psychiatry and psychology. For example, Blackman’s 101 Defenses exemplifies his uncanny ability to see and describe the psychodynamics of everyday life and everyday psychopathology in a way that speaks to anyone eager to understand the human mind.' - Richard F. Summers, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry; Co-Director, Residency Training, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

'This book challenges the adequacy of the atheorectical, symptom-based DSM approach and provides a rich complementary approach that will help clinicians not only “get the diagnosis right” but gain a true understanding of the patient and find clear guideposts for planning treatment. The genius of this book lies in the superb facility with which Dr. Blackman synthesizes a vast and complicated (and sometimes warring) literature into a simplified narrative that is both sophisticated and coherent. Billiant!' - Mantosh Dewan, MD, Distinguished Service Professor, Chair of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY; co-editor, “The difficult to treat patient,” “The art and science of brief psychotherapies”

Dr. Jerome Blackman, author of 101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself, has once again crafted an extraordinarily user-friendly book that demonstrates to all readers, from trainees to advanced analysts, the process of diagnosing mental disturbance. Get the Diagnosis Right provides a systematic method for accurately determining whether a person suffering with mental problems needs medication, supportive/cognitive, dynamic, and/or psychoanalytic treatment. Amalgamating the most useful ideas from general psychiatry, cognitive psychology, and modern psychoanalytic theory, Dr. Blackman guides readers who prescribe treatment for mental disturbances. The book also serves as a check for those who are considering what type of mental health professional they should be consulting.
After reading this book, you will no longer have to guess whether a depressed patient should obtain medication, supportive therapy, insight therapy, or some mixture of the three; or question how to conduct an initial interview and assessment. Written in language that is clear but not simplistic, this book goes far beyond other diagnostic manuals.