Sexuality and the Person with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Families.

This insightful and sensitive book is a valuable family resource about sexuality and sexual function issues surrounding the person with brain injury. Fourteen chapters comprehensively span such topics as basic sexual anatomy, physiology and development, psychological aspects of sexuality, the impact of brain injury on sexual functioning and relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, and relevant medical assessment and treatment strategies. Homosexual relationship considerations are also covered.

Every effort has been made to meet the needs of the lay audience. The clear and readable style presents solid information that is digestible by families and other nonmedical persons. The depth of coverage successfully strikes a balance between providing sufficient information to facilitate understanding and avoiding overwhelming detail. Information is presented accurately and honestly and incorporates modern research and theory developments. From every angle, the person with the injury and the humanistic priority of sexuality remain in the forefront. Simple illustrations, primarily line drawings, clarify and support information presented in the text. Case studies are used to bring a real-life quality to common issues and management avenues. An up-to-date reference list is included. A generous glossary is provided, in which terms are cited in order of occurrence and cross-referenced alphabetically. A complete topic index rounds out an exceptional effort to facilitate ease of searching for specific information. The text's flow and a large typeface make cover-to-cover reading palatable, and the reference strategies accommodate easy encyclopedic use. Finally, the paperback printing and reasonable cost should make this book accessible to many family libraries as well as rehabilitation program libraries.

Although this book is clearly designed for a lay audience, clinicians of all experience levels will find the material worthy of their review. For example, the chapter covering the impact of various neurological impairments (paralysis, apraxia, aphasia) on sexual functioning and sexuality yields novel insight into considerations of "function" within the context of rehabilitation. Sexuality is confronted as an essential activity of daily living.

I highly recommend this book as a valuable adjunct to any neurological rehabilitation program. Sexuality and the Person With Traumatic Brain Injury can definitely serve to facilitate meaningful dialogue among patients, family members, and clinicians. The tactful, dignified, and nonjudgmental approach can serve to dispel fear of approaching the subject of sexuality, guide intervention decision making, and expand one's holistic view of functional recovery. In short, the book conveys information that can empower families to become knowledgeable and effective participants in the rehabilitation process.