Book excerpt: The definitive resource to the signs, symptoms, and patterns of medical diseases that CAN present as psychological problems This invaluable reference enables clinicians, as well as patients and their families, to become more familiar with these medical conditions and how they may masquerade as mental disorders.Part One of this book is organized so that it corresponds to the sections of the Standard Mental Status Exam. It is composed of clinical presentation descriptions that direct the reader to the medical diseases described inPart Two that may be contributing to the patient's discomfort. Without medical jargon, Barbara Schildkrout lucidly explains how patients with each medical condition may end up seeking help from a mental health professional. The conditions explored in this book include: Alzheimer's disease Brain tumors Carbon monoxide poisoning Diseases of the thyroid Endocrine disorders Hepatic encephalopathy HIV/AIDS Hyperventilation syndrome Hypoglycemia Limbic encephalitis Lyme disease Syphilis Thiamine deficiency Traumatic brain injury The book also describes a proven process for working with patients during and after the referral process, and integrating medical findings into ongoing therapeutic work. All mental health professionals need access to this information, and Masquerading Symptoms puts it all in a single, easily navigated reference. BARBARA SCHILDKROUT, MD,is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She has taught for many years at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She has a Subspecialty Board Certification through the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties in behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry and has maintained a private clinical practice in the Boston area for over 25 years.