This book is compiled by expert practitioners in psychiatric care. It provides an overview of the management of the major Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) disorders across the life span and delivers complete clinical guidelines for their diagnosis, treatment options, and psychopharmacological management. Each chapter is constructed using a bulleted format for quick reference within a structured approach. This reference is organized into two major parts: The first is an overview of the principles of clinical psychiatry (interview, clinical decision-making, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment planning), psychotherapeutic management, behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, the principles of psychopharmacology (neurotransmitters, receptors, neuroanatomy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics), syndromes and treatment in adult psychiatry, and syndromes and treatment in child and adolescent psychiatry. The second part presents monographs representing current major drug therapies for the major disorders that benefit from drug intervention. A clinically useful drug selection table is presented with each disorder for which psychopharmacology is an appropriate intervention and identifies the first- and second-line of drug therapy along with adjunctive therapies. It is important to note that the order in which drugs are listed within the drug classification on the drug table is significant in helping to guide drug choice. Additionally, it is important to note that not every drug within a classification is included for all disorders; rather, drugs that have been shown to have clinical efficacy are listed in a priority fashion to help guide the drug choice by the prescriber. The book is a concise, complete, easy-to-access clinical resource for the primary care providers. It presents current and applicable content that is of therapeutic value in the understanding of specific mental health disorders.
