Description
The treatment of patients with psychiatric or neurobehavioral problems continues to evolve as we increase our knowledge about pathophysiology and translate these findings into new and refined clinical approaches. Such ongoing changes demand ongoing education and a strategy that includes and supports multidisciplinary practice. Despite the fact that the care of psychiatric patients requires teamwork and a shared vision, it is not often that we see collaboration between authors of different educational backgrounds and from different disciplines. In this book, we have tried to pioneer and champion such a partnership and teamwork, recognizing that complex mental health problems cannot be understood or treated solely by one discipline.
The idea for this book came about when we recognized the need for a resource in which the massive knowledge base in psychiatry was condensed in a user-friendly way, suitable for use as an introductory clinical text. Our intent was not to be exhaustive or comprehensive, but to distill the content to a “need to know†form. We carefully edited the comphrensive two-volume Psychiatry, Third Edition (edited by Tasman, Kay, Lieberman, First, and Maj), selecting from each chapter the information essential for a thorough but compact first textbook for those in training in a mental health discipline or a practitioner interested in a clinical reference. Some of the chapters may seem truncated but all the requisite elements of each topic and subject matter are present. The vision for this book includes our keen recognition that such a text will provide a foundation upon which readers at the start of their clinical careers can build. Moreover, we recognize that change occurs so rapidly and exponentially in the area of mental health that what is considered best practice today may change based on newly acquired information. Hence, the present text is meant to be a springboard for readers who wish to further research topics as more data become available through ongoing studies. To that end, we provide a list of suggested print and online resources at the ends of chapters so that readers can augment what is in each chapter.
This work is guided by an integrative approach to patient care that acknowledges the complexity and uniqueness of the whole person within his or her contexts, making use of many means of understanding them. The nature of psychiatric disorders is such that understanding the person who has the illness, with all their pre-existing personal strengths and weaknesses, is essential to optimal understanding of the patient and for implementing a treatment plan. Our philosophical approach affirms the collaborative relationship between patients, their families, and caregivers from different disciplines.
Our intended audience includes several groups. Students and practitioners in training as well as instructors will find this a useful beginning text. Primary-care practitioners, who are the front-line caregivers encountering many mental health problems in daily practice, will also find this a useful basic clinical reference guide.
In writing this book, we recognize that there is great diversity in the assortment of clinicians licensed to diagnose and treat mental illnesses, and substantial differences in their training, knowledge and skills. These individuals include a wide range of practitioners — psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care and specialist physicians, social workers, advanced psychiatric nurses, marriage and family therapists, addiction therapists, and a wide variety of counselors (e.g., psychosocial rehabilitation, school, addiction, and pastoral counselors). We acknowledge that professionals work with patients to develop appropriate individualized therapeutic approaches informed by the best evidence in their fields. The text is intended to provide trainees and practitioners in all disciplines a solid base upon which they can build and tailor their therapeutic approaches, both within the unique perspective of their own discipline and within interdisciplinary treatment situations.
The text provides a complete reference for each DSM disorder and includes screening and assessment measures, differential diagnosis, laboratory tests needed in diagnosis, and treatment. We have emphasized the major treatment modalities for each disorder and special issues practitioners may face in treating patients with each disorder, including consultation and referral concerns. Our book also provides information on therapeutic communication, diagnostic methods, psychiatric emergencies, and ethical/legal issues the practitioner may confront in day-to-day practice.
We are indebted to our editors, including Joan Marsh and Fiona Woods, and the team at Wiley. They shared their expertise in a patient and collaborative manner, working through the process of turning ideas into a finished manuscript. We are also grateful to our families who watched the gestation of this book and cheered us on through the months of writing and re-writing.
Allan Tasman