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“Provides a wealth of information to individuals in the helping professions to assist them in better understanding the link between medications and therapy for a variety of diagnoses....This text is an exceptional reference guide for the therapist. The information provided is explained in a straightforward format and is easy to understand and use in one's work with families. In addition, this book would be a wonderful faculty reference or text for students in courses that focus on psychological disorders.”

—Family Journal (on the first edition)


“The book offers practical guidance to providers—information that can be used both to influence therapists' work and to pass along to their clients....A valuable resource.”

—PsycCRITIQUES (on the first edition)


“A clear, understandable and helpful book for the nonphysician wishing to be more conversant within this field.”

—Child and Family Behavior Therapy (on the first edition)


“The authors have written one of the best books available on psychopharmacology by providing detailed information in a user-friendly format for all mental health clinicians....Academics and practicing clinicians will, without a doubt, keep this book within reach for daily use. I will recommend this book to all of my colleagues….5 Stars!”

—Doody's Review Service (on the first edition)


“A must-have text for clinicians, and will help them provide the best standard of care to their patients and clients.”

—Metapsychology Online Reviews (on the second edition)


​"All psychotherapists practicing today, whether independently or in community settings, must be informed about psychopharmacology. This superb book covers how to talk to patients and their families about medication and collaborate with prescribers. The third edition is up to date and exceptionally well written, and covers the diagnostic ground from anxiety and depression to psychosis and cognitive disorders. I cannot think of a book that better achieves its purpose of educating non-MD mental health practitioners and graduate students to be as helpful as possible to their patients who are taking, or may need, psychoactive medication.”

—Stanley B. Messer, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“The third edition of this guide gives psychotherapists both a systemic conceptual framework and the latest science about psychotropic medications and how they work. The distinguished trio of Patterson, Griffith, and Edwards emphasize the essential need for collaboration between therapists and prescribing clinicians. This book provides everything you need to know about medications' effects on the brain and behavior when used in conjunction with behavioral interventions for common psychiatric disorders.”

—Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, ABPP, Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families and Health, University of Rochester Medical Center


“This book is a gem. It is the best book that I’ve seen that provides beginning and seasoned nonmedical clinicians with essential information about psychopharmacology with a spectrum of mental health conditions. What sets this book apart is the authors' use of a systems and collaborative care framework that includes patients and key family members as valuable resources. Written in an exceptionally practical and accessible style with wonderful case illustrations, the book is a superb reference for clinicians working in integrated healthcare and private practice settings. I highly recommend this volume as an excellent basic teaching text for graduate students across mental health disciplines.”

—John S. Rolland, MD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Executive Co-Director, Chicago Center for Family Health


“This book is extremely well suited to those who have no prior knowledge of psychopharmacology or wish to build on their existing knowledge. The text is a professor's dream—is clearly laid out, builds sequentially on previous learning, and incorporates the latest developments in the field. This is one of those rare publications that students in the helping professions should keep on their shelves long after graduation. I have relied on this book over the years in a variety of academic and clinical settings, and remain impressed by its clarity, practicality, and relevance.”

—Sarah A. Bond, PsyD, Solana Beach, California

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Table of Contents

I. The Mind–Body Connection

1. How the Brain Works: A Basic Sketch

2. How Psychotropic Drugs Work

II. Psychiatric Disorders and Their Treatment

3. Depression

4. Bipolar Disorder

5. Anxiety Disorders

6. Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses

7. Cognitive Disorders

8. Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

9. Physical Health and Illness

10. Special Populations

III. Creative Collaboration

11. The Therapeutic Relationship

12. Effective Referrals

13. Sharing Care

14. Strengthening Bonds

Glossary

References

Index

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About the Authors

JoEllen Patterson, PhD, LMFT, is Professor in the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego. She is also Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Dr. Patterson received a Rotary International Scholarship to work at Cambridge University, as well as Fulbright Awards to work in Norway, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Canada. She has published several books and has served on the editorial boards of leading family therapy journals. Her global work includes initiatives in Jordan and Ecuador.

• Author's website
• All titles by JoEllen Patterson

James L. Griffith, MD, is the Leon M. Yochelson Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As a psychiatric educator, Dr. Griffith developed GWU psychiatry residency training distinguished for its excellence in cultural psychiatry, global mental health, and psychosocial care for medically ill patients. Dually trained in psychiatry and neurology, Dr. Griffith for three decades has taught psychiatry residents a curriculum that integrates humanistic psychiatry with psychopharmacology, now published in Academic Psychiatry as a model curriculum for psychiatry residencies.

• All titles by James L. Griffith

Todd M. Edwards, PhD, LMFT, is Professor and Chair of the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego (USD). He is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and Editor of the International Journal of Systemic Therapy. In addition to his work at USD, Dr. Edwards has a private practice, where he works with individuals, couples, and families, and is a health coach through the RELINK program at the University of California, San Diego.

• All titles by Todd M. Edwards

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Audience

Practitioners, graduate students, and instructors in clinical psychology, social work, counseling, and psychiatric nursing.

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Course Use

Serves as a text in graduate-level psychotherapy or psychopharmacology courses.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

Revised Edition, © 2006
ISBN: 9781606237007

First Edition, © 2006
ISBN: 9781593853280

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New to this edition:

• Chapter on the therapeutic relationship.
• New separate chapter on bipolar disorder.
• Expanded discussions of distinguishing psychiatric illness from normal distress, optimizing collaboration with psychiatrists, how medications work in the brain, treatment of chronic pain, and more.
• Additional case vignettes and psychopharmacology principles.