Handbook of Medicine in Psychiatry

Mental health clinicians who lack internal medicine experience or who do not feel comfortable addressing medical conditions in their patients will find the Handbook of Medicine in Psychiatry an indispensable resource. The first evidence-based medical handbook for psychiatrists in training or practice, the book takes the reader through a series of common medical conditions, offering practical information on diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening conditions, as well as management of less serious health issues. For the second edition, the text has been thoroughly updated and restructured.

The book is designed to guide clinicians to focus quickly and effectively on managing medical problems in the psychiatric setting. The Handbook offers invaluable content and many helpful features: Coverage of medical emergency management in psychiatric hospitals takes the limitations of the facility into account. For example, the chapters on caring for patients in cardiac arrest or patients in respiratory failure include practical strategies for adapting to the limited resources available in self-standing psychiatric hospitals. The material on life-threatening adverse reactions to psychotropic drugs is completely up-to-date and thorough and includes guidelines for the recognition, prevention, and management of agranulocytosis, ventricular arrhythmias, pancreatitis, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, serotonin syndrome, hyperglycemic emergencies, and airway obstruction. Medical deterioration in psychiatric settings is both common and critical, and the book offers cutting-edge knowledge on assessment procedures and instruments for prediction of acute medical deterioration of psychiatric inpatients.

Structured for easy reading and comprehension, the book's topics are grouped into seven parts that address the essential features of clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, stratification of the risk of major complications or death, and the evidence-based approach to management, as applicable in the psychiatric setting. The numerous tables, figures, and flowcharts effectively illustrate important procedures and protocols. Completely updated and streamlined, the Handbook of Medicine in Psychiatry stands alone in its completeness, its rigor, and its understanding of the environmental challenges that face the clinician delivering care to patients with serious medical and psychiatric comorbidities.