The Evidence-Based Guide to Antipsychotic Medications

Book excerpt: The Evidence-Based Guide to Antipsychotic Medications is designed to provide both clinicians and residents with focused, comprehensive, and clinically relevant information regarding the use of antipsychotic medications to treat a broad range of psychiatric conditions -- from mood and anxiety disorders to substance abuse, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. The volume editor is a renowned psychiatrist and author with more than 25 years of experience in both clinical and research settings diagnosing and treating patients with mood and psychotic disorders. In addition, each of the volume's 13 contributors is an expert with many years of clinical experience to draw on.The book is down-to-earth and reader-friendly and is structured for maximal utility in both coverage and format: Key Clinical Points cap each chapter, synthesizing and summarizing the knowledge you can take away, and serving both as a refresher for those using the book as a reference and as a study aid to master the material. Both FDA-approved and off-label use of antipsychotic medications are addressed, reflecting the reality of clinical practice on the front lines. Use of antipsychotic medications in both the pediatric and geriatric populations, a potentially controversial subject, is addressed in a nonsensational, straight-forward manner. The Appendixes provide a wealth of information in tabular format, including drug tables (names, strengths, formulations, pharmacokinetics, and dosing); advice on initiating and monitoring antipsychotic medications; common side effects and their management; and special considerations for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The Evidence-Based Guide to Antipsychotic Medications is the first in a new series that strives to take evidence-based psychiatry from gold standard to standard practice. Scientifically up-to-date and rigorous, yet accessible and easy to understand, this volume stands alone as an indispensable resource on the topic.