DSM-IV Guidebook

Synopsis

This work is the essential companion to "DSM-IV", written by the experts who developed that clinical tool. Designed for the clinician, this guidebook provides a comprehensive tour through DSM-IV by the individuals who were most involved in its development. It covers how and why DSM-IV developed the way it did, and presents a clear road map of the intricacies of the organisation of the DSM diagnostic system. In this detailed volume, the clinician will find an easy-to-use summary of the changes from DSM-III to DSM-IV; detailed descriptions and explanations of DSM-IV diagnoses; 24 decision trees covering the most common presenting symptoms encountered in everyday practice; a discussion of the historical and social context for DSM-IV; a special chapter discussing the increasingly important differential between primary mental disorders and disorders due to substance use or a general medical condition; and hundreds of items of clinical advice concerning diagnostic assessment.