Includes bibliographical references and index.

"A humane behind-the-scenes account of a week in the life of a psychiatrist at Toronto's largest psychiatric hospital, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), taking us to the frontlines of modern psychiatric care. We follow Dr. David Goldbloom as he treats patients, communicates with families, and trains staff. His daily encounters with a wide range of psychiatric concerns - from his own patients and their families to Emergency Department arrivals - puts a human face on an often misunderstood area of medical expertise. From schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder to post-traumatic stress syndrome and autism, How Can I Help? investigates a range of mental issues, including the role of electroconvulsive therapy (commonly called ECT). What is it like to work as a psychiatrist? What is the impact of the suffering - and the recovery - of people with mental illness on families and the clinicians who treat them? What does the future hold for psychiatric care? Dr. Goldbloom demystifies a profession that has undergone profound change over the past twenty-five years, a profession that is often misunderstood by the public and the media, and even by doctors themselves. A compassionate, realistic picture of a branch of medicine that is entering a new phase, as increasingly we are able to decode the mysteries of the brain and offer new hope for sufferers of mental illness. David Goldbloom, MD, is a graduate of Harvard University, Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar), and McGill University. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and has edited two psychiatric textbooks. Pier Bryden, MD, is a psychiatrist, clinical teacher, and educator in the Department of Psychiatry at The Hospital for Sick Children"--Provided by publisher.