Handbook of Medicine in Psychiatry

In 2006, the Handbook of Medicine in Psychiatry became a first-of-its-kind printed medical resource for psychiatrists in training or practice. Nearly two decades and three editions later, it remains an invaluable tool for health care professionals working at the intersection of medical and psychiatric conditions.

As informative and rigorous as its predecessors, this fourth edition is uniquely accessible and practical, providing a user-friendly knowledge base for dealing with the medical pathology of psychiatric patients, who often experience a higher burden of physical illnesses that can hinder their psychiatric treatment. Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest literature and consensus approaches, this guide describes the most common medical conditions confronting clinicians in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings.


                For abnormal vital signs, such as fever and hypertension; somatic symptoms, including headache and seizures; laboratory abnormalities in thyroid and liver function, among others; and major adverse effects of psychotropic drugs, this volume addresses five key questions:   


                * Is the patient at risk of dying or severe disability within the next 24 hours?

• Does the patient require immediate intervention for a potentially life-threatening condition?
• Should the patient be transferred to an emergency medicine setting?
• Does the patient need urgent laboratory or radiological investigations or surgical consultations?
• Are changes to the current psychiatric treatment required?