The British Journal of Psychiatry (2004) 185: 83
© 2004 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology (2nd edn)
Paul Bebbington
Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, Royal Free and University
College Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences,
Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW, UK. E-mail:
P.Bebbingtonucl.ac.uk
Edited by Ming T. Tsuang & Mauricio Tohen. New York: Wiley-Liss.
2002. 722 pp. £92.95 (hb). ISBN 0 471 40974 X
This is the second edition of a textbook first published in 1995. Like the
first, it developed out of the Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology and
Biostatistics. Like all second editions, it has expanded: from 483 pages to
722 and from 20 chapters to 24. Continuity has been maintained between the
editions by having most of the original authors provide updates to their
chapters.
This is clearly an American textbook. At one level this is entirely
reasonable, as the USA is easily able to assemble authors of the highest
quality in this, as in every other, mainstream academic field. However, it was
a criticism aimed at the first edition that it had a strong, perhaps
over-strong, American focus. The editors have tried to remedy this (6 of the
48 authors are now European, of whom 4 are based in Britain). However, the
American slant remains. It is apparent in the studies referenced and in the
theoretical positions adopted. Thus, the only references to the British and
Australian national surveys of psychiatric disorder are in Jane Murphy’s
chapter on methodology whereas the American National Comorbidity Survey, for
all its difficulties, has a chapter to itself. There is also something of a
biological preference, which Europeans in particular are probably moving away
from. This is illustrated in the (generally very good) chapter on the
epidemiology of schizophrenia, where the evidence regarding the impact of
stress on the development of psychosis is considerably downplayed. The chapter
on methods in psychiatric genetics, by Faraone et al, stands out by
its open-handedness regarding the role of the environment.
For readers from Europe or elsewhere outside the USA, the North American
focus probably does not matter, as they will be exposed to other viewpoints
and other studies. It may, however, matter for the American reader who will
not be encouraged by this book to see outside the circle.
