Book Description

Guide helps primary care physicians treat the whole patient. As the main point of contact between patients and the medical system, primary care physicians represent the first line of defense in recognizing patients' mental health problems. But while an estimated 25 percent of primary care patients suffer from significant mental disorders, most primary care physicians are not prepared to deal with these types of problems. Psychiatry for Primary Care Physicians, Second Edition, provides a practical resource to integrate essential psychiatric care into the clinical primary care setting. This easy-to-use guide addresses the most common adult mental health problems in primary care, covering assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of psychiatric conditions. Logically organized by condition, each chapter is co-written by a psychiatrist and a practicing primary care physician so you get a specialist's knowledge tailored to your actual practice climate. Filled with tables, case studies, and checklists, most chapters cover relevant epidemiology, differential diagnosis, and referral issues. Special sections also explain various diagnostic models and screening tools. Building on the strengths that made the first edition a Brandon/Hill selection and one of DPI's "250 Best Books of the Year," Psychiatry for Primary Care Physicians, Second Edition, has added new chapters on psychological frameworks, development, emergencies in psychiatry, childhood disorders, women's health disorders, geropsychiatry, and resources in psychiatric care. This revised and updated second edition responds to the heightened awareness of the number of significant psychiatric conditions seen in primary care settings and the additional pressure on the primary care practitioner (PCP) to assess and manage them. Chapters cover relevant epidemiology, differential diagnosis, management strategies to be employed by the PCP, and specific criteria for patient refe