Main description:

Psychiatric drugs are frequently used in the medically ill and are prescribed to nearly three-quarters of medically ill patients seen in psychiatric consultation. Primary care and other nonpsychiatric physicians account for more than one-half of prescriptions written for psychiatric drugs, typically to patients with complex medical illnesses. Appropriate use of psychopharmacology in the medically ill requires careful consideration of the underlying disease process and the potential for multiple complex interactions. "Clinical Manual of Psychopharmacology in the Medically Ill" is a comprehensive yet practical guide to psychotropic prescribing for patients who are medically ill. Both basic and more specialized knowledge is covered, from fundamental principles of psychotropic prescribing to disease - and organ system-specific issues. Designed to be useful to a broad range of specialists, this manual will equip clinicians with the detailed and directly relevant information they need to provide safe and effective psychopharmacological treatment for their patients with medical illness.