Psychopharmacology has changed the face of modern psychiatry. Yet it is rare to find in the literature such a deeply informative yet eminently practical manual on this complex subject. Here, three senior psychopharmacologists offer a unique clinical perspective and practical advice on applying psychotropic medications to the treatment of specific psychiatric conditions.

Clearly written in a collegial, narrative style for easy reading and comprehension, the fourth edition of this popular manual offers extensively updated chapters with new sections and summary tables for quick reference, including the latest information on antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antianxiety agents, hypnotics, and stimulants.

This comprehensive clinical guide emphasizes practical advice—i.e., specific recommendations about dosing, titration, and combining medications—derived from the authors’ extensive clinical experience in evaluating and understanding psychiatric patients. It begins with general principles of psychopharmacological treatment, including advice on legal, ethical, and economic issues. Subsequent chapters cover past, current, and future treatments for all major classes of medications:

• Chapter 2 covers the diagnosis and classification of mood disorders; schizophrenia; anxiety, somatoform, and personality disorders; psychoactive substance use and child and adolescent disorders; FDA approval of symptom reduction strategies; and DSM-V and pharmacogenetics.
• Chapters 3–8 present the history, usage principles, effects, indications, side effects, overdose, drug interactions, dosage and administration, and discontinuation of antidepressants (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors), antipsychotic drugs (e.g., clozapine, risperidone, haloperidol decanoate), mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium, valproate, and carbamazepine), antianxiety agents (e.g., benzodiazepines, meprobamate, and buspirone), hypnotics (e.g., barbiturates, methaqualone, L-tryptophan, and melatonin), and stimulants.
• Chapter 9 discusses augmentation strategies for treatment-resistant disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
• Chapter 10 details emergency room treatment, covering agitation and violence, depression and suicidality, acute psychotic reactions, severe anxiety, and stupor and catatonia.
• Chapter 11 presents the pharmacotherapy (stimulants, opiates, sedatives and hypnotics, alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, and phencyclidine) of substance use disorders.
• Chapter 12 discusses special topics, such as pregnancy, pediatric and geriatric psychopharmacology, mental retardation, and complicating medical conditions.

A fascinating final chapter covers herbals and dietary supplements: St.-John’s-Wort, omega-3 fatty acids, kava, valerian, ginkgo, SAMe, inositol, and DHEA.

With its liberal use of tables and illustrations, and dual appendixes on medication strengths and costs and suggested readings, this up-to-date, practical manual will be warmly welcomed by not only practitioners, but also students (including those in nursing and pharmacy) and psychopharmacology residents.

Reviews
“The fourth edition of the Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology is a much needed update for our field. Clinicians will find this book most useful in the complicated assessment and treatment of their patients. The authors are to be commended on providing a balanced and up-to-date resource for clinicians.”—David L. Dunner, M.D., F.A.C.P., Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Director, Center for Anxiety and Depression

“A tour de force—clear, interesting, a brilliant synthesis of clinical psychopharmacology that is highly readable and practical. This volume is possible only because of the extraordinary depth of knowledge of the three distinguished authors. A wonderful effort that represents the best of contemporary advances, Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Fourth Edition will be of enormous value to practitioners at all levels and should be within arms reach of every psychiatrist’s prescription pad.”—Jack D. Barchas, M.D., Chair and Psychiatrist-in-Chief, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York

“The authors, who are experienced researchers and practitioners, have blended evidence-based literature with their empirical wisdom to produce a coherent clinical guide.”—Howard M. Kravitz, DO, MPH, ABSM, Doody's Health Science Review, June 2003