236 Book Reviews

treatments. Like primary care, transcultural aspects were left to the end of the book whereas authors might usefully integrate these aspects more widely. Symptom scales were well illustrated but there was insufficient detail on screening and diagnostic instruments, particularly those used outside the U.S.A. There is no specific chapter on behavioural therapies for depression--instead behavioural techniques are described as applied within cognitive therapy. The chapter on old age psychiatry is already out of date given the current findings on duration of maintenance antidepressants required in the elderly and there was no mention of the Department of Health move to screen for depression in those over 75, nor of the slowly accumulating literature on cognitive therapy and family work with the elderly.

Overall though, the book provides excellent reading for those with a special interest in affective disorders and for those who wish to catch up on aspects outside their own particular focus. The price however is very high and until a paperback emerges it may remain in the domain of libraries.

MELANIE AaAS

D. F. PECK and C. M. SHAPIRO (Eds). Measuring Human Problems. Wiley, New York (1990). xii +406 pp. £18.95

According to its editors, this book aims to provide "a practical guide for all members of caring professions who wish to assess the problems of their patients and clients in a systematic and up-to-date way". Judging by the nature of its contents and the way they were dealt with, this goal was fully achieved. The sixteen chapters of the book, each of them written by independent authors specialised in a particular area, provide the reader with an excellent state of the art discussion of the field of adult clinical assessment.

The book starts with two small introductory chapters on measurement and diagnostic issues, and works through the description of the measures most currently used in the assessment of the main psychiatric disorders. Within each chapter, the reader finds a great variety of assessment devices and strategies summarized under several headings (behavioural measures, interview schedules, cognitive measures, physiological and biochemical techniques, etc.) and, at the end, an extended reference list.

In the past, most of these topics have been described and discussed at full length in numerous articles, monographs or even independent books. So what is new or different in this volume? Although we do not find any outstanding chapter, on the whole the book exhibits several marks of excellence. Prominent among them are the extension and the up-date-ness of the coverage, the richness of the material presented, the good readability of the text and the remarkable articulation between academic rigour and practical experience in the way the different issues are approached.

On the negative side, one should point out the failure to discuss the conceptual frame-work underpining many of these instruments, the repeated description of the same measures in different parts of the book and the lack of development of some important issues related to them (e.g. the psychometric properties of certain instruments). In this sense, this book provides an overview rather than a critical analysis. This weakness is unavoidable when one deals with so many assessment devices and issues in a single volume. Nevertheless, the book remains an invaluable reference work that any psychiatrist or psychologist will want to have in his library.

ANT6NIO CASTRO FONSECA

M. G. PERI, A. M. NEZU and B. J. VIEGENER: Improving the Long-Term Management of Obesity--Theory, Research and Clinical Guidelines. Wiley, New York (1992). xiii + 303 pp. £32.50

Obesity is an important contemporary health problem given its association with cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In Britain, obesity is increasing in prevalence and the reduction of obesity in the general population is one of the targets of the recent government white paper "Health of the Nation". However, diets don't usually lead to any sustained weight loss and may facilitate further weight gain. Moreover, the marked weight fluctuation, which results from a pattern of repeated dieting and relapse, poses clear health risks.

The task the authors of this book set themselves is thus an ambitious one. They argue that clinicians, dealing with the obese need to get away from the notion of quick weight loss, and instead need to focus more on the maintenance of weight loss. They emphasise that obesity is a chronic condition and that to take on an obese patient for treatment is to make a long-term commitment to that patient. In the first part of the book factors contributing to the development and maintenance of obesity are reviewed from a biological and behavioural perspective. The effectiveness of treatments for obesity is discussed, including that of weight-loss maintenance programs, which is the focus of much of the authors' own research. In part two a continuous care/problem solving model is presented, which is followed up in part three with clinical guidelines as to how to implement such a programme. Important practical questions are answered clearly and authoritatively: Who should be treated? Which treatment is best suited to an individual's needs? What treatment goals are appropriate? How can exercise be used to enhance weight loss? I found this book both enjoyable and very informative and would highly recommend it to anyone involved in the treatment of obesity.

ULRIKE SCHMIDT

J. F. SCHUMAKER (Ed.): Human Suggestibility: Advances in Theory Research and Application. Routledge, London (1992). xviii + 372 pp. $45.00

This fascinating book brings together an impressive range of contributions from a wide range of theoretical standpoints in consideration of the topic of suggestibility.

I approached this topic in ignorance and, like many others in the belief that suggestibility is such a vague concept that at best, consideration of it from any standpoint could only lead down endless theoretical blind alleys. However, my general impression, having read it, was quite the opposite: I felt that the editor had delivered a thorough exposition of this concept which managed to integrate several key areas of psychological and sociological thinking. There is a very clear introduction