Psychosomatics 47:90, January-February 2006
doi: 10.1176/appi.psy.47.1.90
© 2006 Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine
Behavioral Science in Medicine, 2nd Edition
By Barbara Fadem, Baltimore, MD, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004, 488 pages, $34.95, ISBN 0-7817-3669-2
Bryce Templeton, M.D., M.Ed.
This review concerns the 2004 2nd edition of Fadem’s behavioral science textbook, Behavioral Science in Medicine. The text is divided into 27 chapters, clustered in the following seven major sections: the life cycle, biological bases of behavior, psychological bases of behavior, psychopathology, social behavior, the doctor–patient relationship, and healthcare delivery. Also, there is a 20-page appendix, covering epidemiology and elementary statistics.
Each chapter includes a listing of approximately 7–21 references variably focusing on related books or peer-reviewed articles and about 5 multiple-choice questions with a narrative rationale for each answer. Many chapters have a few brief clinical vignettes, each one followed by a paragraph on the differential diagnosis, and another on treatment. A 29-page index proved to be generally helpful. The author, Barbara Fadem, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, N.J.
My use of texts for preclinical instruction in behavioral science and psychiatry began with Engel’s (1962) monograph, and continued with Simons (1985), Sierles (1993), Stoudemire (1994), Kaplan and Sadock, and Wedding (2001). Each text has included exciting new findings, and each has had its special strengths (e.g., Simons’ insightful clinical accounts) and also weaknesses (some texts lacked an overview of psychiatric disorders). Fadem’s material seems well researched and is presented in a manner that should prove informative and interesting for willing students.
The first section, on the life cycle, reviews development, beginning with prenatal influences, and continues on through adult life, including aging, death, and bereavement. A second section, on the biological basis of behavior, includes material on genetics, the biochemical aspects of behavior, some of the biological causes of psychiatric problems, and sleep physiology.
A third section compares the contributions of psychodynamic and learning theories and adds chapters on the psychological assessment of behavioral symptoms and an excellent overview of psychosocial forms of therapy. Fadem’s section on psychopathology consists of a concise overview of many common psychiatric disorders, which will provide 1st-year students with a good introduction; but this section will not suffice for 2nd- or 3rd-year students, who should be required to study these disorders in greater depth.
A section on social behavior includes chapters on culture, human sexuality, violence, and substance abuse. The section on doctor–patient relationships includes a very brief description of selected interviewing skills, a review of personality disorders, an introduction to psychosomatic medicine, and a discussion of ethical and legal issues.
The author provides an excellent balance between insightful coverage of psychodynamic aspects of psychiatry, including psychosocial forms of therapy, and an informative overview of many important biological topics, including genetics and the biochemistry of behavior.
I hope that in the not-too-distant future, a behavioral science text will also include a DVD, with examples of typical behavior of children of various ages through adolescence, illustrations of the major movement disorders, some common interviewing techniques, and a series of interviews with patients exhibiting a number of the major psychiatric disorders.
Colleagues have identified a few shortcomings of Fadem’s text. One student found a minor error concerning female/male ratios of common autoimmune disorders; and a departmental colleague expressed dissatisfaction with the chapter on learning theory. Nevertheless, my experience with Fadem’s text has been favorable, and, after having used it for over a year, I will continue to recommend it to colleagues.
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FOOTNOTES
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Dr. Templeton is Associate Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.
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