The 1971 volume of Current Psychiatric Therapies concerns itself with "comprehensive techniques that are both biologically oriented and socio-culturally directed toward the prevention or mitigation of behavior disorders from childhood through old age." It is against this statement of the editor, Jules H. Masserman, that this volume should be judged.
It is disappointing to report that in most respects the book fails to meet these criteria. Many chapters, particularly those that would be of special interest to the internist, are conceived poorly and written tritely. Nevertheless, the chapter on "Behavior Therapy," by Edward Dengrove, is a concise and useful presentation of the subject and one that will repay careful study.
Unfortunately, the following chapters on therapies do not meet Dengrove's standards. The chapter on "Telephone Therapy" could well have been omitted. The final chapter of this section, by Paul E. Huston, offers a useful and clear synopsis of this important