Examination Notes in Psychiatry PDF

Preface

As with any subject worthy of human study and endeavour, pshychiatry develops, understandings change, new facts emerge or old ones are seen in a new light. Since the first edition of this book some 20 years ago there have been tremendous advances in neuroscience and, as a result, major new insights into the functioning of the brain have emerged. Yet, at the same time, major changes are also taking place in the organization and delivery of mental health services throughout the world.

We hope that the fourth edition of this widely read text will prove even more useful to mental health trainees of various disciplines (psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and other professionals), to interested medical students, and to mental health clinicians wishing to prepare lectures or brush up on the main essentials of psychiatry. This edition has been almost totally revised and, inevitably, expanded. Almost every subject has been revisited in the light of the most current knowledge and theories. ‘New' conditions (e.g. Internet addiction) and new investigations (e.g. functional MRI) sit beside all the old favourites.

References are included where these are considered to be ‘key' papers or reviews which could be quoted and which readers should look up for themselves. There are also suggestions for further reading.

Finally, we would reiterate what we have written in previous prefaces, that this book is not intended as a substitute for wider reading or experience, but as a detailed and comprehensive aide-mémoire. In order to gain fluency in the subject, readers might carry it with them, rehearse its content, follow up its references, debate its currently received wisdom and enjoy the fruits of their labours by achieving the success that their endeavours deserve.