Synopsis

A Clinically-Oriented, Prescriptive Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Mood Disorders

Depression is very common in chronic medical illness, hindering recovery, increasing functional impairment, contributing to the costs of treating disease, and worsening prognosis. In addition, symptoms of depression are often indistinguishable from symptoms of co-occurring illnesses. It is imperative that clinicians acquire a more precise understanding of how depression and other chronic medical conditions impact each other, and how the treatments for each may influence the other.

This book describes the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of comorbid depression and bipolar disorder with specific illnesses. It informs physicians about what patients need for optimum outcomes, and gives practical ideas on communicating with patients and instilling hope.

This wealth of practical information on treating mood disorders and comorbid physical illness over the long term and avoiding relapses can be immediately utilized to enrich patient care.

This is the first step-by-step mood disorder guidebook designed specifically for physician use:

• Helps physicians detect, diagnose, and treat depression and bipolar disorders in a concise, results-oriented way. Also helps physicians understand the issues and concerns of their patients for more effective and patient-centered care.
• Provides a clinically rigorous method for quickly and accurately linking symptoms to each disorder.
• Offers clear, up-to-date information on psychotropic drugs—with definitive instructions on the use of these antidepressants and mood stabilizers in the treatment of disorders, including dosage guidelines.
• Covers mood disorders as primary illnesses.
• Focuses also on how mood disorders affect the diagnosis, treatment, and course of specific medical illnesses.

Dwight L. Evans, MD

Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman

Department of Psychiatry

Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Neuroscience

University of Pennsylvania Health System

Dennis S. Charney, MD

Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs for Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Senior Vice President for Health Sciences of The Mount Sinai Medical Center

Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor

Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and & Biological Chemistry

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Lydia Lewis

President

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Chicago, IL

Reviewer: Regina Rosa Lopez, MD(University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: This guide primarily focuses on the relationship between comorbid depression and specific medical conditions. It also provides brief overviews of depression and bipolar disorder.
Purpose: The editors' purpose is to clearly describe the state of current knowledge for each medical disorder discussed, and to stimulate future inquiries where gaps in understanding exist. These are extremely worthy objectives given the impact depression and medical conditions have on one another. Also, mood disorders are often overlooked in the primary care setting. The objectives are clearly met.
Audience: The book is written for a broad audience, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals who treat patients with mental and behavioral health disorders, as well as physicians in virtually all medical and surgical specialties and researchers in the biomedical sciences. The first section is oriented towards those not specifically trained in the mental health field.
Features: The first section covers general information on the prevalence, diagnosis, and psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of depression and bipolar disorder in adults, adolescents, and children. The subsequent sections cover the epidemiology, underlying biologic and physiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of comorbid depression and specific medical disorders. The final section covers special topics, such as complementary and alternative medical approaches to mood disorder treatment. The best feature is that the book provides the most up-to-date literature on the subject matter in an organized and readable manner. In some chapters, trials are summarized in a table format. The diagnostic dilemmas of comorbid depression and specific medical conditions are also discussed.
Assessment: This is a useful and needed book in the field of psychiatry. It underscores the importance of a psychiatrist's role in inquiring about medical illness and preventative healthcare in our patient population. Also, the book stresses the importance of screening for mood disorders in all other clinical settings.

Biography

Dwight L. Evans, MD

Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman

Department of Psychiatry

Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Neuroscience

University of Pennsylvania Health System

Dennis S. Charney, MD

Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs for Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Senior Vice President for Health Sciences of The Mount Sinai Medical Center

Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor

Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and & Biological Chemistry

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Lydia Lewis

President

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Chicago, IL