Empathy in Mental Illness

The lack of ability to empathize is central to many psychiatric conditions. Empathy (or social cognition) is probably affected by several factors, such as neurodevelopmental problems, brain damage and the onset of psychiatric illness. It is also amenable to manipulation and can be measured by neuropsychological assessment (both state and trait) and neuroimaging techniques. This book focuses specifically on the role of empathy in mental illness. It starts with the clinical psychiatric perspective and covers empathy in the context of mental illness, adult health, developmental course and explanatory models. Psychiatrists, psychotherapists and related mental health professionals will find this a very useful encapsulation of what is currently known about the role of empathy in mental health and illness.