Kaplan & Sadock’s Pocket Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry

Preface

This is the second book in the Kaplan and Sadock series for which I have had the privilege of being the sole author. Previously, I had served as a coauthor of the sixth edition of this book with Benjamin J. Sadock, MD, and Virginia A. Sadock, MD. The book was originally the brainchild of Harold Kaplan and Ben Sadock, who recognized that a busy clinician (especially one in training), a medical stu dent, or a mental health professional looking for quick and easily accessible in formation could not delve into larger textbooks while in the clinic. What they needed was a quick reference for necessary guidance in everyday clinical issues. They produced the first edition of the pocket handbook to satisfy this need. This is a book that I still own to this day. As I sat down to write the preface for this book, I browsed through my coveted first edition of the Pocket Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry , which was published in 1990—a couple of years before I started my residency. However, it was my go-to reference book throughout those 4 years. As I skimmed through the preface of the first edition, I came across the fol lowing sentence that struck me: “The Pocket Handbook represents a distillation in that it provides brief summaries of psychiatric disorders, which include key as pects of their etiology, epidemiology, and treatment.” I realized that the authors’ description of the purpose of this book has consistently remained the same for the last 33 years, even after seven editions, and that its success is a testament to the readership who have enjoyed its up-to-date, succinct, and brief descriptions of all psychiatric disorders and treatments. It is extremely useful in clinical set tings, where time is of the essence in obtaining information. After my residency I was very fortunate to contribute to various textbooks of Kaplan and Sadock’s series and to eventually become not only close profes sional colleagues but also close friends with Ben and Virginia. As I take the helm as the author of the seventh edition of this book, I cannot imagine being in this role without the invaluable and unparalleled guidance from the two of them. Their mentorship, friendship, teachings, and advice have been a constant source of encouragement and I am grateful and indebted for their everlasting support. Goals of This Book Similar to the most recent edition of the Pocket Handbook of Psychiatric Drug Treatment , the goal of this book is to serve as an updated guide to working cli nicians who need a quick and trusted reference source. To achieve this goal, the book has been updated with the latest information on dozens of psychiatric disorders and incorporates the text revisions to the fifth edition of the Diagnos tic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5-TR ), as these revisions were published in 2022. Moreover, the book has also been reorganized in a way

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