Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment (Critical Issues in Psychiatry) - Hardcover

Marc Alan Schuckit

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306414570 ISBN 13: 9780306414572

Publisher: Plenum Publishing Corporation

Synopsis

When this series was conceived, a book on substance abuse, including alcohol and alcoholism, was to be of the highest priority. This priority was a reflection of my view that the subject is often inadequately or insufficient­ ly taught in many training programs. Few clinicians have had comprehen­ sive didactic education in this area, despite the frequency with which these problems are encountered in practice. All too often these encounters are in situations in which accurate diagnosis and rapid treatment are of critical im­ portance. We wanted a book that would be concise and easily readable but also comprehensive in its presentation of the basic principles underlying clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management. It was of particular im­ portance that the book also serve as an easy reference guide in emergency situations. Marc Schuckit, a man with impeccable credentials as a scholar and an experienced clinician in this field, produced just such a book with his critically acclaimed first edition. That volume rapidly became a resource of great significance for psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and physicians in general. It has been adopted as a text in medical schools and residency train­ ing, as well as for courses in psychology, emergency medicine, social work, and nursing. The entire volume has been revised and updated to reflect changes in knowledge and clinical practice since the publication of the first edition and in order to keep the comprehensive references current. There is a new chapter on phencyclidine and another on caffeine and nicotine.

About this title

Review:

Reviews from Previous Editions:
"Polished, well-edited, and tendered on pages laid out in an attractive, uncrowded format [...]There are tables and figures, adequately and thoughtfully placed throughout the book, which enhance learning and understanding of the textual material [...] The physical characteristics of the book [...] are well above average for the genre and reflect the publisher's attention to detail in planning and producing a volume worthy of its contents."
(American Journal of Psychiatry)
An OUTSTANDING resource that can help clinicians clarify the interface between clinical pharmacology and management techniques in the addiction field. This work embodies the principle thrust of academic psychiatry in the addictions, and it conveys its message with unusual skill."
(Journal of Studies on Alcohol)
"The book certainly lives up to its author's claim to `serve as a resource [...] and as an emergency handbook."
(British Journal of Psychiatry)
"The fifth and latest edition features 380 pages of current information, with 70% of the references dated 1995 or later, arranged for the convenience of clinicians and students. Unlike most textbooks, Schuckit's is written in the first person [...]This provides a refreshing alternative to the more ponderous multiauthor textbook written in the third person [...] The book will be most appreciated by health professionals and students, especially those in primary and emergency care settings. It is organized by drug type (e.g., sedatives, stimulants, inhalants, cannabinols), and each chapter contains brief sections on pharmacology, epidemiology, medical uses, the natural history of dependence, and making a diagnosis. Following this are sections on emergency problems involving the particular class of drugs, including their diagnosis and treatment. Alcohol and alcoholism receive the greatest emphasis, reflecting Schuckit's interest and experience, but the other drugs are not short-changed [...] A great convenience, especially for newcomers to the field, is that all medications are identified by both their chemical and brand names. The text is also very well indexed, and there are many references to other sections of the book in each chapter. This makes it valuable both for reading cover-to-cover and for use as a reference book for specific clinical problems [...] In summary, Dr. Schuckit has brought us a clinically useful, readable, down-to-earth, and up-to-date textbook not just once, but for the fifth time. That in itself is remarkable."
(S.B. Blume, M.D., American Journal of Psychiatry, 157:11 (2000)
"The format is consistent and the text and contents benefit so much from being produced by a single author."
(Addiction Biology, 6 (2001)
"This is an excellent and brief clinical textbook. It is the fifth edition and has been extensively revised with approximately 70% of the references being new since the previous edition in 1994. A single author book of this range and quality is rare and reflects the author's experience as a research worker and clinical psychiatrist. The book is essentially aimed at clinicians, but will be of value to all those who are learning about substance misuse as part of post-graduate training."
(Alcohol and Alcoholism, 36:6 (2001)

About this edition

• Publisher: Plenum Publishing Corporation
• ISBN 10: 0306414570
• ISBN 13: 9780306414572
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 267