Pain in psychiatry

We all know what pain is. It accompanies us throughout life, from early childhood through productive adulthood and into old age. Most of our pain is purely physical. But there is another kind of pain, namely, pain in various conditions, disorders and mental diseases." Thus begins the preface to the book by MUDr. Helena Kučerová, an experienced physician in the field of psychiatry with more than forty years of experience both in inpatient facilities and especially in her own private practice. The author has published three monographs, many popular science articles and is also a lecturer.

The book Pain in Psychiatry is unique in its subject matter. It provides readers with a cross-section of psychiatric diagnoses with a focus on painful conditions stemming from mental, not physical, disorders. In doing so, it clearly and comprehensibly describes basic psychiatric concepts and diagnoses so that even a non-medical reader can understand them. The author sometimes does not hesitate to use her own diagnostic interpretation, which is illustrated by fifteen patient case studies.

The monograph was reviewed by two prominent Czech psychiatrists, prof. MUDr. Ladislav Hosák, Ph. D., and MUDr. Radkin Honzák, CSc. It is addressed to psychiatrists, but also to other doctors, medical students, psychologists, nurses, educators and may also be of interest to patients and their family members.

At the end of the book the author writes: "This book is a declaration of love for my patients and other people who need help, and for my field, which is amazing and fascinating. I want people to realize that life is beautiful, even if it is accompanied by pain, and sometimes it is even full of pain. It is there to protect us and to fight it. Pain is a challenge..."