Handbook of Medical Psychiatry PDF

Preface

Over the past few decades, increasing emphasis has been given to the study of brain mechanisms that may be dysfunctional in neuropsychiatric illnesses. In recent years, new methodologies from various disciplines in the clinical neurosciences have made available substantially improved and more sophisticated tools for studies of causation of these severe illnesses. For instance, we have seen tremendous progress in knowledge from disciplines such as molecular genetics, neuropsychopharmacology, and brain imaging, which has provided unprecedented tools for studies of the human brain and neuropsychiatric illnesses. These efforts have begun to produce important findings and are beginning to contribute to a better understanding of the basic mechanisms involved in these disorders and the mechanisms of actions of treatments for these conditions, and lead to the development of new therapeutic possibilities.

The Handbook of Medical Psychiatry summarizes the main advances in the understanding of the basic mechanisms and therapeutics of the major psychiatric illnesses that have taken place in recent years. The format provides easy access to new information in these areas, making the book of significant interest to academicians, researchers, practitioners, students, residents, and trainees in psychiatry, clinical neuroscience, and the mental health professions. We believe this book will be a helpful, comprehensive, and important resource for individuals in psychiatry and related fields.