Book Recommendation
Psychiatrists in training are always looking for book recommendations. Books on psychopharmacology are especially sought after. There are many handbooks and texts out there. However, I have found one text in particular that has been a valuable resource for practical, evidence-based information.
Book Cover
The chapters are laid out in a reader-friendly manner, rather than being packed full with minutiae in a disorganized fashion. After reading this text, most people should have a fairly comprehensive understanding of how to approach the pharmacologic treatment of the major mental illnesses.
About this text, one of my mentors, S. Hinds, M.D., writes in his book recommendation list:
“Written by acknowledged giants in psychopharmacology, it is pretty comprehensive in that it spends time on the diagnosis and etiology of each disorder before launching into pharmacological treatment. It also is comprehensive about all the clinical trials used for each drug and the bottom line regarding results. I also like that they’ve expanded sections on special populations (e.g., pregnancy). So, it is the go-to source for what works and what doesn’t and the evidence for each. It is so-so regarding the mechanism of action of pharmacological agents, and, lastly, it wouldn’t kill them to just step up and give their anecdotal opinions about treatment and treatment-resistance.”
I highly recommend it.