Schizophrenia
This book is aimed at neurologists, neurosurgeons and primary care physicians, and the authors conclude "Should this book make a contribution to the care of patients with epilepsy, the authors will be most pleased".
Abstract
pregnancy and epilepsy and psychosocial aspects (the latter perhaps rather too superficial with only three aphorisms: "psychiatric disorders in people with epilepsy should be treated in the usual manner", "there may be many reasons for neuropsychological impairment in patients with epilepsy", "people with epilepsy require a comprehensive approach to their quality of life"). The last section is a forlorn plug for the importance of research. Roger Porter is now vice president of Wyeth-Ayest, a pharmaceutical company, and still provides a very balanced view of therapy; Bill Theodore is Chief of the Epilepsy Section of NINDS and despite this elevated position provides down-to-earth basic advice-both must be congratulated on achieving such a well-focused perspective. The information is uniformly simple and accurate, and there is indeed very little written with which one can quibble. The book has occasional weaknesses, for instance the discussion of risk of congenital malformation, the relevance of an illustration of a PET scan showing the functional localisation of unfamiliar melodies (at least to this non-functional reviewer), and the no-longer up-to-date list of ILAE and IBE chapters in the appendix. Who needs this book? I suppose the answer is who doesn't, for there is useful advice and wise counsel on most pages. It is aimed at neurologists, neurosurgeons and primary care physicians, and the authors conclude "Should this book make a contribution to the care of patients with epilepsy, we will be most pleased". SIMON SHORVON