Psychopathology of Rare and Unusual Syndromes

An innovative and detailed account of rare and unusual psychiatric syndromes, primarily for psychiatrists and researchers.

Femi Oyebode (Author)

9781108716772, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 September 2021

272 pages
23.3 x 15.5 x 1.4 cm, 0.47 kg

'In Psychopathology of Uncommon Rare and Unusual Syndromes, Professor Oyebode has produced a great masterpiece. Each of the conditions in this book has been comprehensively described and thoroughly researched, each syndrome replete with historical and contemporary case examples, thus enabling vivid impressions to be formed in the minds of the reader. While actual aetiologies are often unclear, the author has integrated philosophical, psychodynamic and biological theories to explain these conditions. What shines through is the author's immense literary talents, his love for writing, teaching, researching and his enthusiasm in sharing his keen observations of the phenomenology of psychiatric disorders with his readers. This book is destined to become a classic. I highly recommend it as a 'must read' for every student and practitioner of psychiatry. I cannot wait to get hold of a copy for myself.' Leslie Lim, Associate Professor, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Singapore General Hospital

Rare and unusual psychiatric syndromes have fascinated people for centuries due to their complexity and undefined nature. Appreciating their clinical importance and relevance to understanding other conditions and experiences, this book provides an authoritative account of the rarest and most unusual psychiatric syndromes. The author, a leading authority on clinical psychopathology, delves into the history of the description of such syndromes, illustrates conditions with clinical case examples, and discusses the causes as well as the underlying explanatory mechanisms. The syndromes described draw attention to the way in which abnormal subjective experiences reflect the intersection of biomedical science, social anthropology, social sciences, evolutionary biology and the humanities. The book covers abnormalities of belief, abnormalities of perception, unusual experiences of the body and self, rare and bizarre impairments of memory, and behavioural disturbance. This is a valuable resource for psychiatrists, as well as researchers interested in the relationship between psychiatry and other disciplines.

Section 1. Abnormalities of Belief and Judgment: 1. Delusional misidentification syndromes
2. Othello syndrome
3. Folie à deux
4. Couvade syndrome
Section 2. Abnormalities of Experience of Love: 5. Erotomania (De Clérambault syndrome)
Section 3. Abnormalities of Perception: 6. Charles Bonnet syndrome
7. Musical hallucinosis
8. Ekbom syndrome
9. Vulvodynia and penoscrotodynia
10. Olfactory reference syndrome
11. Multimodal perceptual syndrome (Synaethesia)
Section 4. Abnormalities of the Self: 12. Depersonalization
13. Autoscopy and related syndromes
14. Dissociation: possession states and dissociative identity disorder
Section 5. Abnormalities of Experience of the Body: 15. Body integrity identity disorder
16. Cotard syndrome
Section 6. Abnormalities of Memory Function: 17. Confabulation
18. Ganser state
Section 7. Abnormalities of Behaviour: 19. Diogenes syndrome.

Subject Areas: Psychiatry [MMH]