Mayhem and madness at the surgery | |
Psychiatry for primary care physicians. Larry S Goldman, Thomas N Wise, David S Brody, editors. Chicago: American Medical Association, 1998 (400pp). |
Primary care physicians are increasingly called upon to play a leading role in the assessment and management of psychiatric and related disorders (examples of the latter might include sleep disorders, violence and aggression). Psychiatry for primary care physicians is predicated on the view that undergraduate training in psychiatry (at least in the United States) does not necessarily prepare future primary care physicians for their role in mental health care -- and I would agree with this in Australia: skills in the application of the social sciences are especially seen as lacking. The text consists of 18 chapters covering assessment and diagnosis for the common and important areas of concern, in psychiatry, for primary care physicians. I was gratified that most of the metropolitan, rural and remote areas of concern that were identified by us in recent Australian studies had a high priority in the text. The strength of the book is its strong patient focus. The tables, bullet points, case examples, check lists and explanatory text are aimed to help the primary care physician to look after the patient (or couple) in the primary care setting. This focus applies to both assessment and management. The book solidly and emphatically aims to help primary care physicians look after patients and their families. It is not a textbook of psychiatry, neither is it a book which provides for those wanting strong emphasis on theory relating to aetiology or treatment. Psychiatry for primary care physicians is easy to read and the layout allows for a quick scan of an issue or a problem. It would be a valuable text for general practitioners and general physicians in all stages of their career, including those preparing for postgraduate examinations. The book would probably be regarded as lacking in theoretical discussion in undergraduate curricula, although I thought it had a real place in this venue, especially given current federal and state emphasis on mental health service provision in rural and remote settings and in the outer suburbs of large cities. Psychiatry for primary care physicians is an authoritative text for primary care providers in mental health and is good value for money. Ross Kalucy
|