Evidence-based Psychopharmacology (Electronic book text)

This book presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances in evidence-based pharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders. There have been very significant developments in our understanding of the methods for systematically reviewing literature, assessing clinical trials and optimising decision making. The book explores these issues and applies the lessons learned to the practical management of major psychiatric conditions, addressing issues such as selecting the best first-line psychopharmacological intervention for a particular disorder, how long a particular intervention should be continued, and identifying the next-best treatment strategy should the first agent fail. Conditions covered include, amongst others, depression, schizophrenia, panic, PTSD, OCD, ADHD and eating disorders. The potential for complications as a result of adverse interactions between drugs is also examined. These issues lie at the heart of clinical psychopharmacology and the book will therefore appeal to all practising clinicians, whether in a primary care or a specialist mental health setting.