TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Sara K. Goldsmith TI - Suicide Prevention and Intervention: Summary of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/10226 PY - 2001 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10226/suicide-prevention-and-intervention-summary-of-a-workshop PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - For many, thoughts of suicide are abundant and frequent. There exists a fear of death but an even greater fear of life due to the latter's hardships. Participants of the committee on the Pathophysiology and Prevention of Adult and Adolescent Suicide of the Institute of Medicine's workshop on suicide prevention; however, believe that there is potential for better suicide prevention. Two workshops were convened by the committee: Risk Factors for Suicide, March 14, 2001 and Suicide Prevention and Intervention, May 14, 2001. The two workshops were designed to allow invited presenters to share with the committee and other workshop participants their particular expertise in suicide, and to discuss and examine the existing knowledge base. Participants of the second workshop were selected to represent many areas including: design and analysis of prevention programs, suicide contagion, and firearm availability and suicide. The committee wanted to assess the science base of suicide etiology, evaluate the current status of suicide prevention, and examine current strategies for the study of suicide. Suicide Prevention and Intervention: Summary of a Workshop summarizes the major themes that arose during the workshop. It also includes the workshop agenda and a list of speakers that were present. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Anna Nicholson TI - Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief DO - 10.17226/25322 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25322/medication-assisted-treatment-for-opioid-use-disorder-proceedings-of-a PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - On October 30 and 31, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 1.5-day workshop on Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The workshop participants reviewed the current knowledge and gaps in understanding regarding the effectiveness of MAT for treating OUD, examined the available evidence on the range of parameters and circumstances in which MAT can be effectively delivered (e.g., duration of treatment, populations, settings, and interventions to address social determinants of health as a component of MAT), identified challenges in implementation and additional research needed. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - S. K. Goldsmith A2 - T. C. Pellmar A2 - A. M. Kleinman A2 - W. E. Bunney TI - Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative SN - DO - 10.17226/10398 PY - 2002 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10398/reducing-suicide-a-national-imperative PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Every year, about 30,000 people die by suicide in the U.S., and some 650,000 receive emergency treatment after a suicide attempt. Often, those most at risk are the least able to access professional help. Reducing Suicide provides a blueprint for addressing this tragic and costly problem: how we can build an appropriate infrastructure, conduct needed research, and improve our ability to recognize suicide risk and effectively intervene. Rich in data, the book also strikes an intensely personal chord, featuring compelling quotes about people’s experience with suicide. The book explores the factors that raise a person’s risk of suicide: psychological and biological factors including substance abuse, the link between childhood trauma and later suicide, and the impact of family life, economic status, religion, and other social and cultural conditions. The authors review the effectiveness of existing interventions, including mental health practitioners’ ability to assess suicide risk among patients. They present lessons learned from the Air Force suicide prevention program and other prevention initiatives. And they identify barriers to effective research and treatment. This new volume will be of special interest to policy makers, administrators, researchers, practitioners, and journalists working in the field of mental health. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Thomas J. Plewes TI - Improving the Health of Women in the United States: Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/23441 PY - 2016 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23441/improving-the-health-of-women-in-the-united-states-workshop PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - The environment for women's health has changed over the last 25 years. Increased use of automobiles can lead to health risks from lack of physical activity. There has also been an increase in access to and consumption of unhealthy food. Other changes in the past 2 to 3 decades include the significant increase in the number of women who are heads of households and responsible for all aspects of a household and family. Many women now are also having children later in life, which poses interesting issues for both biology and sociology. The growing stress faced by women and the effect of stress on health and illness are issues that need a more comprehensive examination, as do issues of mental health and mental illness, which have been more common and thus increasingly prominent issues for U.S. women. In September 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to shed light on important determinants, consequences, effects, and issues attending the relative disadvantage of women in the United States in comparison with women in other economically advanced nations. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Follow-Up Study of War Neuroses DO - 10.17226/20267 PY - 1955 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/20267/follow-up-study-of-war-neuroses PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - KW - Health and Medicine ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review SN - DO - 10.17226/6329 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6329/pathological-gambling-a-critical-review PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - As states have moved from merely tolerating gambling to running their own games, as communities have increasingly turned to gambling for an economic boost, important questions arise. Has the new age of gambling increased the proportion of pathological or problem gamblers in the U.S. population? Where is the threshold between "social betting" and pathology? Is there a real threat to our families, communities, and the larger society? Pathological Gambling explores America's experience of gambling, examining: The diverse and frequently controversial issues surrounding the definition of pathological gambling. Its co-occurrence with disorders such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression. Its social characteristics and economic consequences, both good and bad, for communities. The role of video gaming, Internet gambling, and other technologies in the development of gambling problems. Treatment approaches and their effectiveness, from Gambler's Anonymous to cognitive therapy to pharmacology. This book provides the most up-to-date information available on the prevalence of pathological and problem gambling in the United States, including a look at populations that may have a particular vulnerability to gambling: women, adolescents, and minority populations. Its describes the effects of problem gambling on families, friendships, employment, finances, and propensity to crime. How do pathological gamblers perceive and misperceive randomness and chance? What are the causal pathways to pathological gambling? What do genetics, brain imaging, and other studies tell us about the biology of gambling? Is there a bit of sensation-seeking in all of us? Who needs treatment? What do we know about the effectiveness of different policies for dealing with pathological gambling? The book reviews the available facts and frames the intriguing questions yet to be answered. Pathological Gambling will be the odds-on favorite for anyone interested in gambling in America: policymakers, public officials, economics and social researchers, treatment professionals, and concerned gamblers and their families. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Deepali Patel TI - Violence and Mental Health: Opportunities for Prevention and Early Detection: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/24916 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24916/violence-and-mental-health-opportunities-for-prevention-and-early-detection PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - On February 26–27, 2014, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Global Violence Prevention convened a workshop titled Mental Health and Violence: Opportunities for Prevention and Early Intervention. The workshop brought together advocates and experts in public health and mental health, anthropology, biomedical science, criminal justice, global health and development, and neuroscience to examine experience, evidence, and practice at the intersection of mental health and violence. Participants explored how violence impacts mental health and how mental health influences violence and discussed approaches to improve research and practice in both domains. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Melissa Welch-Ross TI - Women's Mental Health across the Life Course through a Sex-Gender Lens: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief DO - 10.17226/25113 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25113/womens-mental-health-across-the-life-course-through-a-sex-gender-lens PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Health and Medicine AB - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop on March 7, 2018, to help inform research, programs, and policies to better meet the mental health needs of women in the United States. Participants examined trends in mental health as well as risk and protective factors for diverse populations of women, and they considered the research needed for a better understanding of women’s mental health. Important issues of practice and policy also were discussed. Experts explored these topics from a life-course perspective and at biological, behavioral, social/cultural, and societal levels of analysis. This publication briefly summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Sarah Carter A2 - Eva Childers A2 - Sheena M. Posey Norris TI - Multimodal Biomarkers for Central Nervous System Disorders: Development, Validation, and Clinical Integration: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/27208 PY - 2023 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27208/multimodal-biomarkers-for-central-nervous-system-disorders-development-validation-and PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - A key step towards reducing the burden of central nervous system (CNS) disorders is the identification of disease-specific biomarkers that can help predict, monitor, and guide treatment development. Recent technological advances have led to an increased number of biomarkers for different CNS disorders, providing the opportunity to generate multimodal biomarkers. While multimodal biomarkers can serve as promising tools to better diagnose and make accurate disease assessments, there remain challenges in current data collection, standardization, and validation practices that impede in their development. Recognizing the need for increased CNS biomarker integration, the National Academies Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders hosted a public workshop in March 2023 to explore steps toward this goal, including data collection for biomarker discovery, development, validation, and assessment of clinical utility. This Proceedings of a Workshop summarizes the discussions held during the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Steve Olson TI - Improving Care to Prevent Suicide Among People with Serious Mental Illness: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/25318 PY - 2019 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25318/improving-care-to-prevent-suicide-among-people-with-serious-mental-illness PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - Suicide prevention initiatives are part of much broader systems connected to activities such as the diagnosis of mental illness, the recognition of clinical risk, improving access to care, and coordinating with a broad range of outside agencies and entities around both prevention and public health efforts. Yet suicide is also an intensely personal issue that continues to be surrounded by stigma. On September 11-12, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, DC, to discuss preventing suicide among people with serious mental illness. The workshop was designed to illustrate and discuss what is known, what is currently being done, and what needs to be done to identify and reduce suicide risk. Improving Care to Prevent Suicide Among People with Serious Mental Illness summarizes presentations and discussions of the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Jane Takeuchi A2 - Fredric Solomon A2 - W. Walter Menninger TI - Behavioral Science and the Secret Service: Toward the Prevention of Assassination DO - 10.17226/18589 PY - 1981 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18589/behavioral-science-and-the-secret-service-toward-the-prevention-of PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - KW - Health and Medicine ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Sara K. Goldsmith TI - Risk Factors for Suicide: Summary of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/10215 PY - 2001 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10215/risk-factors-for-suicide-summary-of-a-workshop PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Thoughts of suicide can be abundant and frequent for some. These thoughts easily disrupt the lives of not only the suicidal person but the world around said person. It may, however, be possible to tell someone is suicidal before it's too late. Participants of committee on the Pathophysiology and Prevention of Adult and Adolescent Suicide of the Institute of Medicine's held two workshops, Risk Factors for Suicide, March 14, 2001 and Suicide Prevention and Intervention, May 14, 2001, to discuss the topic of suicide. The two workshops were designed to allow invited presenters to share with the committee and other workshop participants their particular expertise in suicide, and to discuss and examine the existing knowledge base. Risk Factors for Suicide: Summary of a Workshop summarizes the first workshop whose participants were selected to represent the areas of epidemiology and measurement, socio-cultural factors, biologic factors, developmental factors and trauma, and psychologic factors. They were asked to present current and relevant knowledge in each of their expertise areas. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect SN - DO - 10.17226/2117 PY - 1993 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2117/understanding-child-abuse-and-neglect PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - The tragedy of child abuse and neglect is in the forefront of public attention. Yet, without a conceptual framework, research in this area has been highly fragmented. Understanding the broad dimensions of this crisis has suffered as a result. This new volume provides a comprehensive, integrated, child-oriented research agenda for the nation. The committee presents an overview of three major areas: Definitions and scope—exploring standardized classifications, analysis of incidence and prevalence trends, and more. Etiology, consequences, treatment, and prevention—analyzing relationships between cause and effect, reviewing prevention research with a unique systems approach, looking at short- and long-term consequences of abuse, and evaluating interventions. Infrastructure and ethics—including a review of current research efforts, ways to strengthen human resources and research tools, and guidance on sensitive ethical and legal issues. This volume will be useful to organizations involved in research, social service agencies, child advocacy groups, and researchers. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Nancy A. Crowell A2 - Ann W. Burgess TI - Understanding Violence Against Women SN - DO - 10.17226/5127 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5127/understanding-violence-against-women PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Health and Medicine AB - Violence against women is one factor in the growing wave of alarm about violence in American society. High-profile cases such as the O.J. Simpson trial call attention to the thousands of lesser-known but no less tragic situations in which women's lives are shattered by beatings or sexual assault. The search for solutions has highlighted not only what we know about violence against women but also what we do not know. How can we achieve the best understanding of this problem and its complex ramifications? What research efforts will yield the greatest benefit? What are the questions that must be answered? Understanding Violence Against Women presents a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and identifies four areas with the greatest potential return from a research investment by increasing the understanding of and responding to domestic violence and rape: What interventions are designed to do, whom they are reaching, and how to reach the many victims who do not seek help. Factors that put people at risk of violence and that precipitate violence, including characteristics of offenders. The scope of domestic violence and sexual assault in America and its conequences to individuals, families, and society, including costs. How to structure the study of violence against women to yield more useful knowledge. Despite the news coverage and talk shows, the real fundamental nature of violence against women remains unexplored and often misunderstood. Understanding Violence Against Women provides direction for increasing knowledge that can help ameliorate this national problem. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Cherie Chauvin TI - Threatening Communications and Behavior: Perspectives on the Pursuit of Public Figures SN - DO - 10.17226/13091 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13091/threatening-communications-and-behavior-perspectives-on-the-pursuit-of-public PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Computers and Information Technology KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - Today's world of rapid social, technological, and behavioral change provides new opportunities for communications with few limitations of time and space. Through these communications, people leave behind an ever-growing collection of traces of their daily activities, including digital footprints provided by text, voice, and other modes of communication. Meanwhile, new techniques for aggregating and evaluating diverse and multimodal information sources are available to security services that must reliably identify communications indicating a high likelihood of future violence. In the context of this changed and changing world of communications and behavior, the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences of the National Research Council presents this volume of three papers as one portion of the vast subject of threatening communications and behavior. The papers review the behavioral and social sciences research on the likelihood that someone who engages in abnormal and/or threatening communications will actually then try to do harm. The focus is on how the scientific knowledge can inform and advance future research on threat assessments, in part by considering the approaches and techniques used to analyze communications and behavior in the dynamic context of today's world. The papers in the collection were written within the context of protecting high-profile public figures from potential attach or harm. The research, however, is broadly applicable to U.S. national security including potential applications for analysis of communications from leaders of hostile nations and public threats from terrorist groups. This work highlights the complex psychology of threatening communications and behavior, and it offers knowledge and perspectives from multiple domains that contribute to a deeper understanding of the value of communications in predicting and preventing violent behaviors. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council A2 - Anne C. Petersen A2 - Joshua Joseph A2 - Monica Feit TI - New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research SN - DO - 10.17226/18331 PY - 2014 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18331/new-directions-in-child-abuse-and-neglect-research PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Health and Medicine AB - Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves—they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains—including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems—and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council A2 - Steve Olson A2 - Clare Stroud TI - Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/13368 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13368/child-maltreatment-research-policy-and-practice-for-the-next-decade PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences AB - In 1993 the National Research Council released its landmark report Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (NRC, 1993). That report identified child maltreatment as a devastating social problem in American society. Nearly 20 years later, on January 30-31, 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and NRC's Board on Children, Youth and Families help a workshop, Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Generation, to review the accomplishments of the past two decades of research related to child maltreatment and the remaining gaps. "There have been many exciting research discoveries since the '93 report, but we also want people to be thinking about what is missing," said Anne Petersen, research professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan and chair of the panel that produced the report. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary covers the workshop that brought together many leading U.S. child maltreatment researchers for a day and a half of presentations and discussions. Presenters reviewed research accomplishments, identified gaps that remain in knowledge, and consider potential research priorities. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary also covers participant suggestions for future research priorities, policy actions, and practices that would enhance understanding of child maltreatment and efforts to reduce and respond to it. A background paper highlighting major research advances since the publication of the 1993 NRC report was prepared by an independent consultant to inform the workshop discussions. This summary is an essential resource for any workshop attendees, policy makers, researchers, educators, healthcare providers, parents, and advocacy groups. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Patricia J. Mrazek A2 - Robert J. Haggerty TI - Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders: Frontiers for Preventive Intervention Research SN - DO - 10.17226/2139 PY - 1994 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2139/reducing-risks-for-mental-disorders-frontiers-for-preventive-intervention-research PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - The understanding of how to reduce risk factors for mental disorders has expanded remarkably as a result of recent scientific advances. This study, mandated by Congress, reviews those advances in the context of current research and provides a targeted definition of prevention and a conceptual framework that emphasizes risk reduction. Highlighting opportunities for and barriers to interventions, the book draws on successful models for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, injuries, and smoking. In addition, it reviews the risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse and dependence, depressive disorders, and conduct disorders and evaluates current illustrative prevention programs. The models and examination provide a framework for the design, application, and evaluation of interventions intended to prevent mental disorders and the transfer of knowledge about prevention from research to clinical practice. The book presents a focused research agenda, with recommendations on how to develop effective intervention programs, create a cadre of prevention researchers, and improve coordination among federal agencies. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Gulf War and Health: Volume 8: Update of Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War SN - DO - 10.17226/12835 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12835/gulf-war-and-health-volume-8-update-of-health-effects PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - For the United States, the 1991 Persian Gulf War was a brief and successful military operation with few injuries and deaths. However, soon after returning from duty, a large number of veterans began reporting health problems they believed were associated with their service in the Gulf. At the request of Congress, the IOM is conducting an ongoing review of the evidence to determine veterans' long-term health problems and what might be causing those problems. The fourth volume in the series, released in 2006, summarizes the long-term health problems seen in Gulf War veterans. In 2008, the IOM began an update to look at existing health problems and identify possible new ones, considering evidence collected since the initial summary. In this report, the IOM determines that Gulf War service causes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that service is associated with multisymptom illness; gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome; alcohol and other substance abuse; and anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders. To ensure that our veterans receive the best possible care, now and in the future, the government should continue to monitor their health and conduct research to identify the best treatments to assist Gulf War veterans still suffering from persistent, unexplained illnesses. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Beryl Lieff Benderly TI - In Her Own Right: The Institute of Medicine's Guide to Women's Health Issues SN - DO - 10.17226/4956 PY - 1997 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4956/in-her-own-right-the-institute-of-medicines-guide-to PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Right to life. Right to choice. Masectomy, lumpectomy. Vitamin therapy, hormone therapy, aromatherapy. Tabloids, op-eds, Phil, Sally, Oprah. Yesterday, women confided in their doctors about health problems and received private, albeit sometimes paternalistic, attention. Today, women's health issues are headline material. Topics that once raised a blush now raise a blare of conflicting medical news and political advocacy. Women welcome the new recognition of their health concerns. Now women are less often treated, as the old saw goes, as "a uterus with a person attached." At the same time, they need help in sorting through the flood of reports on scientific studies, claims of success for new treatments, and just plain myths. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has responded to this need with In Her Own Right. Throughout its 25-year history, the IOM has provided authoritative views on fast-moving developments in medicine—bringing accuracy, objectivity, and balance to the hottest controversies. Talented science writer Beryl Lieff Benderly synthesizes this expertise into a readable overview of women's health. Why do women live longer than men? Why do more women than men suffer vertebral fractures? Benderly highlights what we know about the health differences between men and women and the mysteries that remain to be solved. With a frank, conversational approach, Benderly examines women's health across the life span: Issues of female childhood, adolescence, and sexual maturity, including smoking, eating behavior, teen pregnancy, and more. The host of issues surrounding the reproductive years; contraception, infertility, abortion, pregnancy and birth, AIDS, and mental health. Postmenopausal life and issues of aging, as health choices made decades earlier come home to roost. Benderly addresses women's experience with the nation's health care establishment and the controversy over the lack of female representation in the world of scientific research. Much more than a how-to guide, In Her Own Right translates the finest scholarship on topics of women's health into terms that will help any woman ask the right questions and make the right choices. Covering the spectrum from traditional beliefs to cutting-edge research, this book presents the personal insights of leading investigators, along with clear explanations of breakthrough studies written in plain English. ER -