Clinician's Guide to Psychiatric Care

by Ranga Krishnan, Jane P. Gagliardi, Wei Jiang

Overview

Psychiatric illnesses are common co-morbidities among patients who are medically ill. Approximately 50% of patients who visit primary care physicians regularly are primarily affected by psychiatric problems. Many primary care physicians (including family physicians and general internists) and other non-psychiatric specialist physicians encounter patients with psychiatric symptoms on a daily basis during their routine practice. Few non-psychiatric physicians, however, feel comfortable managing psychiatric conditions. This pocket-sized guide is designed to provide a concise, practical overview of the management and treatment of common psychiatric disorders, including such conditions as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.

The book will feature an overview of the general practice of Psychiatry, including guidance on mental status examination and diagnosis, neuropsychological assessment, and psychotherapy, as well as a detailed section on psychiatric pharmacotherapies. The remaining chapters of the book are organized by symptom-based presentations of patients to physicians, rather than by diseases or diagnosis, such as 'The Depressed Patient' or 'The Insomniac Patient.' This unique approach is highly practical and reflects real-world physician experience in clinical settings in assessing and managing psychiatric disorders.

Each symptom-based chapter will present a typical patient case followed by an outline of commonly seen symptoms, bedside assessments, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and treatment options, as well as guidance on when to call for psychiatric consultation. This book will focus on differentials that will help non-psychiatric physicians gain a greater understanding of psychiatric conditions and will provide directions for triage. The uniqueness of psychiatric problems in co-morbid medical conditions will be described, as well as interventional considerations. This book should serve as a very user-friendly and reliable tool for non-psychiatric physicians, especially for primary care physicians and internists for their daily clinical practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195365955
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	01/21/2009
Series:	Oxford American Psychiatry Library Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	4.70(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Wei Jiang, MD
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Department of Internal Medicine
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Jane P. Gagliardi, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Department of Internal Medicine
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

K. Ranga Krishnan, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC
Executive Vice Dean
NUS-GMS, Singapore

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction/Overview

Chapter 2: When to Call for Psychiatric Help

Chapter 3: Mental Status Examination and Diagnosis

Chapter 4: Overview of Psychopharmacologic Therapies

Chapter 5: Psychiatric Emergency

Chapter 6: Suicide Risk Assessment

Chapter 7: The Patient with Depressive Symptoms

Chapter 8: The Patient with Manic Symptoms

Chapter 9: The Patient with Symptoms of Anxiety

Chapter 10: The Patient with Disordered Use of Substances or Alcohol

Chapter 11: The Patient with Agitated Symptoms

Chapter 12: The Patient with Psychotic Symptoms

Chapter 13: The Patient with Confusion or Memory Problems

Chapter 14: The Patient with Multiple Physical Complaints

Chapter 15: The Patient with Disordered Sleep

Chapter 16: The Patient with Low Weight or Abnormal Eating Behaviors

Chapter 17: The Geriatric Patient

Chapter 18: The "Difficult" Patient

Chapter 19: The Patient with Unusual Presentations

Chapter 20: The Patient who Refuses Care

Chapter 21: Overview of the Practice of Psychotherapy

Chapter 22: Principles of Stress Management

Chapter 23: Neurocognitive and Psychological Assessment