Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry Fourth Edition

Book excerpt: Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry is the trusted introductory text for students of medicine and other health professions, including psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work and occupational therapy. It has also been the essential reference for family doctors for over quarter of a century. Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry: Fourth Edition has been revised and updated by five editors, leaders in their fields, in collaboration with a new generation of expert psychiatrists. The four-part structure—an introduction to clinical psychiatry; conditions encountered; specific patient groups and clinical settings; and principles and details of typical clinical services, and of biological and psychological treatments—provides a clear overview of clinical practice. It also explores the causes of mental illness and the ethical aspects of its treatment, and covers the full range of psychiatric disorders encountered by health practitioners. The fourth edition emphasises biological, psychological and social factors in assessing and treating patients, includes the integrated use of DSM-5 classification, and provides further reading suggestions. It is richly illustrated with dozens of clinical stories.