Book Review
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1999 Jan / Feb VOL VIII NO 1.
Reviewed By
T K Kasiviswanathan
Title: Manual of Psychiatry
Published By: Cosmic Healers Pvt Ltd
Author: Dr J P S Bakshi
Pages: 557
Price: Not stated
Dr J P S Bakshi has written this Manual on Psychiatry especially for the Homoeopathic students and practitioners. With growing stress of modern living and the fierce competition people face in their career and other walks of life, many of the modern chronic illnesses are attributable to affections of the psyche. Psychiatry plays an important part in dealing with these disorders. Modern Homoeopaths are increasingly called upon to deal with psycho-somatic illnesses. It is therefore essential that the Homoeopathic physicians become well conversant with the principles of psychiatry and disease classification under that system to effectively deal with such patients.
The close association of Dr Bakshi with drug de-addiction centers in Delhi and the experience gained in treating such drug addicts Homeopathically in detoxification stages has convinced him of the holistic nature of our science and its efficacy in treating various psychiatric illnesses. This Manual is a result of his intensive study of Homoeopathy and better understanding of mental symptom rubrics of our repertories in relation to Psychiatry. This manual is very comprehensive and separate chapters have been devoted to Personality disorders, Anxiety disorders, Mood disorders, Schizophrenia, Paranoid symptoms, Delirium psychiatric emergencies etc. A detailed chapter on child psychiatry is included dealing with the various disorders of children. Under each disorder, its definition under psychiatry is given along with diagnostic indicators, the line of psychotherapy, alternative therapies etc. It is rounded up with appropriate and complete list of Homeopathic repertorial rubrics culled from all the important repertories. The author rightly says: with the assistance of this Manual, the Homoeopath will be in a better position not only to identify the type of psychiatric illness of the patient but also find the Homoeopathic similimum by consulting the repertorial rubrics given under each disorder and the Repertory section.
Dr Bakshi has taken great pains in consulting various Repertories and grouping the mental symptoms of drugs under each disorder as classified under psychiatry. In several disorders the no of rubrics identified run into several pages.
For instance the chapter on Paranoid Symptoms and Paranoid Syndromes runs into 46 pages. And within that chapter, delusions are dealt with under the heads
- Persecutory delusions
- Delusions of reference
- Grandiose or expansive delusions
- Delusions of guilt and worthlessness
- Nihilistic delusions
- Hypochondriacal delusions
- Religious delusions
- Sexual or amorous delusions
- Delusions of control by an outside agency
- Delusions of thought insertion etc.
It is amazing how our symptoms complex relating to mind, as recorded by our provers, tally with the psychiatric illnesses and thus help in their cure. Dr Bakshi has also added an Appendix, listing alphabetically all the repertorial rubrics given by him in the Manual under various chapters along with the drugs, their gradation and the sources. Thus the book is a very self contained Manual which can be consulted at the bedside with confidence and used to establish the supremacy of Homoeopathy to treat psychiatric cases with success.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that Dr Bakshi has done yeomen service by integrating Homoeopathy with Psychiatry in this Manual for use by the Homoeopaths.
The absence of the clinical experience of the author in dealing with various forms of Psychiatric disorders and especially drug addiction, is keenly felt. It would have greatly enhanced its utility as there are very few published case records on such treatment. We can confidently expect Dr Bakshi to come out soon with a companion volume on the practical application of this Manual.
It will not be out of place to mention that more books on this topic are now coming out. Dr Cornella Richardson-Boedler has also written a book titled Applying Homoeopathy and Bach flower remedies to psychosomatic illnesses, published by M/S B Jain Publishers , Delhi.
