Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Psychiatry, Fourth Edition, reflects the current evolving knowledge base of psychiatry which informs clinical practice. Woven into the text are advances in our knowledge of all areas which impact human behavior and inform our clinical work. They include neurobiology, genetics, psychology, and the impact of society. This volume translates this enhanced understanding in a practical and succinct form that is useful for all healthcare professionals who provide care for individuals dealing with mental health and behavioral disturbance.
Today’s mental health professional must be knowledgeable in understanding factors that affect behavior not thought of a few years ago. Previous theories of the biological and psychological forces impacting on human development today appear simplistic and arbitrary. Developments in neurobiology, genetics, cognitive, developmental psychology, and our understanding of the impact of society have made and are continuing to make inroads into our understanding of psychiatric syndromes. This volume further integrates these advances into our current appreciation and clinical work, which impact on our application of pharmacotherapy, somatic therapy and psychotherapy. Concurrently the reader is prepared to comprehend the next generation of new “understandings.” For example, 10 years ago it was felt that certain psychoses were the result of one gene. Today, we know they are the result of the interaction of possibly hundreds of genes with other genetic material and an individual’s life experiences. This has altered both our understanding of the biology of psychosis and potential therapies.
Section I identifies some of the major tributaries of scientific knowledge that inform the current theory and practice of psychiatry and also presents techniques for the evaluation of psychiatric patients. Section II presents the diagnosis, phenomenology, and psychopathology of the major adult psychiatric syndromes and their evidence-based treatments. Section III presents the same material for the major syndromes seen in child and adolescent psychiatry. Section IV presents specialized settings for diagnosis and treatment in psychiatry.
Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Psychiatry, Fourth Edition, is written from an empirical viewpoint, with recognition that the boundaries of psychopathological syndromes may change unexpectedly with the emergence of new knowledge. Eventually, the accumulation of new knowledge will sharpen our diagnostic techniques and improve the treatment of these illnesses that have such a high impact on normal development, health, and society.