NEW PUBLICATIONS

BOOK REVIEWS Comparison with Other Related Books: Among the competition, one
book comes close to the high standard of the volume reviewed, Dr.
Joseph’s Symptom-Focused Psychiatric Drug Therapy for Managed
Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber’s Guide Care (Haworth Press, 1997), which also touched upon the art of psychia-
By Stephen M Stahl MD PhD. Published by the Press Syndicate of the try. The latest edition of Bezchlibnyk-Butler and Jeffries’ Clinical Hand-
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, 2005. ISBN 0-521-01169-8. book of Psychotropic Drugs (Hogrefe & Huber, 2004) is a nice collec-
Paperbound, xv + 571 pp. (23 × 14 cm), $50. www.cambridge.org tion of tables, but is not nearly as useful as a treatment guide for the opti-
mization of clinical care.
Therapeutic Area/Audience: This pharmacotherapy text of mental dis- Reviewer’s Summary: This guidebook is an excellent source of infor-
orders is aimed at psychiatrists, primary care physicians, clinical phar- mation for the art of prescribing psychotropic medications and belongs
macists, nurse practitioners, and medical educators. in every clinician’s library.
Purpose: Arranged encyclopedically, the book is intended to be a clini- Reviewer: Leslie L Citrome MD MPH, Director, Clinical Research and
cally relevant guide to the medication armamentarium used for the treat- Evaluation Facility, Nathan S Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research,
ment of a wide range of mental disorders. Orangeburg, New York.
Content: Although the Prescriber’s Guide serves as a companion vol-
ume to Dr. Stahl’s well-received didactic textbook titled Essential Psy- Published Online, 5 Apr 2005, www.theannals.com
chopharmacology, it can stand alone as a useful reference for the clini- DOI 10.1345/aph.1G053
cian who needs to look up a medication quickly and review a summary
of how to best prescribe it. Easily digestible descriptions of 101 of the
most commonly used psychotropic medications are included, as well as
indices by drug name (brand, generic), use, and class. It also contains a
list of abbreviations and a list of Food and Drug Administration use-in-
pregnancy ratings. Clever iconic illustrations are used throughout, which
are explained right after the introduction. Each medication entry takes up
3– 6 attractively typeset pages and is divided into several color-coded
subsections: “Therapeutics,” “Side Effects,” “Dosing and Use,” “Special
Populations,” and “The Art of Psychopharmacology.” The information
is presented in bulleted form and is geared toward being clinically rele-
vant—the therapeutics section is subdivided into subsections such as
“How Long Until It Works,” what to do for follow-up “If It Works,” and
offering advice “If It Doesn’t Work.” Adverse effects are well described
and, instead of a laundry list, Dr. Stahl presents what the clinician ought
to be looking for—this is not your father’s PDR (Physician’s Desk Refer-
ence)! The clinical tips and pearls that are found in each entry are invalu-
able—not only are dosing guidelines provided, but also the author’s edu-
cated and respected opinion regarding potential advantages and disad-
vantages of each drug. This opinion is supported by a reference list that
the reader can follow up with. The book reinforces what may have been
learned in one of the author’s many educational programs or through his
principal textbook, as there is a section on “How the Drug Works” that
summarizes the mechanisms of action of each agent. Information on pre-
ferred augmentation/combination agents for partial responders or how to
reduce adverse effects is described for each medication as well.
Usability: The volume is current, with references as late as 2004. The
newer agents are included, such as all currently available second-genera-
tion antipsychotics and the new agents for attention deficit disorder and
major depressive disorder. The “parent” textbook, Essential Psychophar-
macology (currently in its second edition but being revised), is also help-
ful to own, but the Prescriber’s Guide can certainly stand alone. Well
worth the list price of $50, it can be found online for $36.37, making it a
real bargain.
Highlights: The book’s major strength is its readability and user friendli-
ness. The art of psychopharmacology is finally given the space it de-
serves.

www.theannals.com The Annals of Pharmacotherapy ■ 2005 May, Volume 39 ■